Between an expanded Radial that carries slightly sloppily and a Tropos whose compression straps lack strap keepers, there are definitely pros and cons to both sides worth considering. Osprey will repair any damage or defect for any reason free of charge – whether it was purchased in 1974 or yesterday. There are built-in strap keepers to take care of the inevitable flapping straps you will run into when you are carrying a pack while cycling. The kickstand is at the bottom of the frame and is an extension of the frame that spreads out and supports the bag to keep it upright when packed. I own and maintain 6 e-bikes, 15 regular bikes (road bikes, folding bikes, hybrid bikes, city bikes among others).

Osprey has been making well-designed backpacks for years, so in the Radial it has attempted to innovate out this last disadvantage by building in its ‘Airspeed’ design feature. Since the Radial’s designed to be kept away from your body as much as possible, the backpack is suspended on a mesh that’s in contact with you. The main compartment has three further smaller pockets inside: a well-padded laptop sleeve, a second sleeve for a tablet or documents, and a pocket with a zip for shoes.A common design mantra is that form follows function and that if an object performs superbly then it becomes visually appealing. The Radial’s body fabric easily shrugs off the odd shower but for protection from more prolonged downpours the backpack has a hi-vis raincover tucked away discreetly. Aside from a brief stint as a technical editor for BikeRadar, Sam has been at Cyclist for almost ten years. Instead, it’s a metal frame embedded in the Radial, and you can feel it when you press around the body of the bag.

Each of the three pockets is also subdivided into two, adding up to effectively six pockets in total, though you’ll be stacking items together. We can pretty much set the Radial to one side without having to worry that it might tip over or that we have to lean it against a wall or table leg. A small bag can carry your essentials, while a larger one can fit in your laptop and a change of clothes. And you can also customize how high or low you want the backpack to sit on your back by moving the shoulder straps’ attachment points higher or lower on the mesh. The tablet sleeve is raised about two inches from the base, while the laptop sleeve by about an inch.There is a water-repellent treatment should you get caught in a shower before you have time to unroll the cover. We also took note of this with the METRON and the Tropos, which, in our opinion, is a missed opportunity since all three bags are bike-focused.

Since the integrated kickstand doesn’t collapse like fabric, you can be sure that the chances of your devices getting a hard shock from the bottom is nearly zero.It’s a convenient way of storing stuff that I may occasionally need at all times, but I don’t want to keep in one of the main pockets.