Rogue Panda Blue Ridge Review: The Best Handlebar Cradle Yet?

[@roguepandadesigns]

Thanks for the review, Neil! One thing we wanted to mention is that the aluminum clamps are CNC-machined by a local machinist here in Flagstaff! That was actually critical to achieving a price point below $200 - we had to change the design significantly from our initial design to reduce machining cost, and having a local machinist made it much easier to figure out some clever solutions that brought the price down. Cost is also why we didn't go with a hinge clamp. We realized that the only way to achieve our under-$200 MSRP goal was to simplify the product as much as possible, which meant reducing the number of CNC operations. A hinge clamp would be nice, but we'd rather keep the price in check. Also, we'd be curious to hear from the community about the add-on accessory bar idea. It would be a 22.2mm bar mounted above the harness, as an optional add-on that will be backwards compatible to the current harness being sold. If that's of interest to you, how much mounting space would you require? This would be for lights, GPS, etc - not aero bars.

[@ultimatist]

Nice product! IMO if you have a sturdy clamp that holds a bag low and out of the way - without touching frame - I don't need another, higher bar beyond my existing handlebar for lighting the trail.

[@magnetarklkl2012]

The add-on accessory bar idea sounds great but how would it look like? Not being able to attach a light or a GPS, when using dry bags with straps or a soft harness on the handlebars, doesn't put me in a good headspace - like other users, I am sure 🙃🙃🙃

[@randallgd]

Looks like a very well built product! For me at that price(I know it tekes a lot to make) For I could justify the price thinking long term use. Worth if it lasts as it looks like it would. Curious whats the warranty?

[@roguepandadesigns]

​@@magnetarklkl2012 It would be a pretty simple aluminum standoff to hold another bar above the harness. We're trying to keep the price point as low as possible on it since it'll be an additional charge on top of the Blue Ridge.

[@magnetarklkl2012]

@@roguepandadesigns Thanks for the reply. A picture of it would help. I was waiting for Ilcoso but I think it has failed to fully "launch".

[@73megalith]

Made my own with one of those inexpensive gadget bars and the bar was 22mm dia so i put some old skool bar ends on the bar. Add 2 straps and job done Only thing to watch out for with these systems is snagging a hose when turning the handlebars. Snagging the hose behind the harness and pulling it out of the brake lever when turning bars back. Hose management is key 👍

[@milesarbour2210]

Very cool. Was awesome to see two prototypes out in the field during our recent Arizona trip. Seems like a super solid option!

[@velopest]

if you value having your kit held securely and not rubbing the frame, bars or stem/steerer, solutions like Rogue Panda's are excellent. an example might be the Cairngorm in Scotland. get a wee bit of the grit caught and it will rub through bag and frame or hardware in the course of one trip. the roll flapping around is annoying and exacerbates this wear potential. ive been messing with carbon tubes as carrying rails in various iterations and they are excellent as they are light but critically non flexible. I really like this set up - well done Rogue Panda! 'you gets whats you pays for'!

[@geokite]

This was exactly what i had been looking for. When the announcement showed up in my inbox, ordered it right away. As to the acc bar on top; about 6 inches would do it (phone mount, light)

[@roguepandadesigns]

Thanks for the feedback on the accessory bar! (and for the order :) )

[@arfarzam]

What is the advantage of this over a rando rack? Is it lighter? I thought the advantage of handlebar bag was saving weight by not needing any metal add on.

[@One_mole_worth]

Love my salsa anything cradle and this looks even better. Well done rogue panda

[@roguepandadesigns]

Thanks!

[@raymarks7430]

Looks like we’ve all had issues with mounting on the front ie rubbing or cable issues. Nice design. I might get it for upcoming GDMBR in June .. tired of the one I have which moves

[@roby15625]

Obviously it's cheaper to just strap a bag to your bars, or make your own harness and you are set! If that or just a metal basket on a front rack works for you then no need to complain about the price of a different setup. Similarly the Rockgeist BarJam Harness starts at $185, less secure a Revelate Harness costs $95. Rogue Panda nailed the design with this next step in the evolution of attachment, you can't expect it to be cheap.

[@tomasberka2124]

Neil, the system looks really good; gonna place an order for it. Would you please mention the front pocket you attached to it...? I did not catch its name and it seemed like a good addition... Thank & keep up the great work!

[@BIKEPACKINGcom]

Its an older Bedrock Bags pocket, not sure they make it anymore, but I love it.

[@OldLostGuy]

Be good to have head to head comparisons of handle bar cradles including costs. I have an Aeroe cradle and at first glance, I am leaning towards the Aeroe for weight carry and definitely cost. As one of the comments said $300 to carry 6lbs is not best deal for those of us who have better places to spend our money.

[@SonnyDarvishzadeh]

Distance from stem is important for harness mounts around the aero bars mounts. Seems like there's enough clearance for both. Have you managed such setup?

[@BIKEPACKINGcom]

This seems like it would work great with aero bars, as you can move the clamps in or out as far or close to the stem as you wish. But no, I have not tried with aero bars.

[@MillerMedeiros]

Nice solution, and really lightweight, but I’m still happy with my Blackburn Outpost Elite Handlebar Roll and Dry Bag.

[@slowwerthensnot]

Really neat well executed design for sure, i still shy away from having loads high up on the cockpit, even if it’s only 6lbs

[@sashamagee6227]

as a short person, a cradle or rack is pretty crucial. Just strappin stuff to the bars is a recipe for tire marks. I have the Salsa cradle and the two problems I have with it are the distance it offsets from the bars ( can definitely feel an effect on the steering, particularly at slow speeds) and that it only works with 31.8mm bars (ftr I think 35mm bars are stupid but it seems to be the way things are going). This seems to solve that issue, albeit at a significant cost.

[@quintonomous11]

fwiw - Salsa refreshed their cradle so it works with 35mm bars too, i switch mine between a hardtail and a road bike with different bar diameters. they maybe could hook you up with new clamps for a small cost?

[@roguepandadesigns]

We did design the Blue Ridge with short head tubes in mind! One thing we disliked about other cradles on the market was that long offset, which makes it hard to keep your bag away from the tire if you're on a smaller frame.

[@quintonomous11]

It’s a lovely design! That far out offset is the main problem I have found with the other cradle options out there!

[@bikeshop6943]

Hopefully we'll get a review of that Pivot shortly.

[@justinlessel8549]

Neil, great review! Just curious, what size dry bag were you using in your testing? I’m looking to get the dry bag as well, and was curious on the size you used for reference, thanks!

[@BIKEPACKINGcom]

Used the small Gila dry bag, it’s plenty big in my opinion. Thanks for watching!

[@b.k.2974]

Personally I ride with the Revelate Handelbar Harness myself. It seems to work well for me. But I have a Rouge Panda frame bag and it's great. Rouge Panda is a top self company. IMO.

[@cyrusf.4039]

Wow, almost $300.00 (Cad) to carry up to 6lb of gear (and we're not even talking about adding the dry bag ). And then 1Up has bike carriers running up to $1000.00 (again Cad). Despite it's muddy and basic appearance bike packing seems to have become very boutique.

[@BIKEPACKINGcom]

On this channel we try to cover all the bases, so perhaps this might be of interest: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iaPLnWeLqpt7nLM

[@cyrusf.4039]

Your right , it doesn't say the best affordable or best value. @@Andy-x3i8y

[@randallgd]

That's a lot of $ but looks super solid. Maybe buy it one time and be set for the next 10 years of trips. Thats only $20 bucks a year. I wonder if it has a 10 year warranty?

[@roguepandadesigns]

It'll for sure last 10 years! Worst case, if you ever broke the carbon bars we could send a replacement. We've never seen that happen though, and we've been using the same carbon bars for years on our Canelo harness.

[@kevincasey2947]

Is there a way to measure the "yerk" a loaded handlebar bag system has on steering?

[@ultimatist]

jerk

[@jensthimmvalsted1000]

You should test the Aeroe Spider Cradle. Way cheaper than this and very very well built aswell.

[@peruvian05152]

Beautifully executed but for less than $20 a few handlebar extender/accessory bars will do about the same thing at around 150g. It’s unlikely anyone will find them Made in the USA though.

[@EndUser-yu7gg]

Like it.. but the price, I'll say is too steep and i have my tt bars which already let me toss a strap over them so .. least for me i already vested in other options

[@JJJ599]

Love the simplicity of the rig, but holy moly that price is almost preposterous. I wonder if a fully aluminium build could be offered as a more economical solution.

[@roguepandadesigns]

Unfortunately the majority of the cost is in the aluminum, so a full aluminum build would actually be more expensive! The carbon rods cost us about $20 for the pair. This project almost didn't make it off the ground, because when we first shopped around for CNC quotes, we were quoted around $150 by several CNC shops. That cost plus the carbon rods, assembly, etc would mean a retail price well over $200. It felt pretty grim for a couple of days after we got those quotes back. But, we were able to work with our local machinist and change the design in some clever ways to reduce the machining cost. That allowed us to squeak in under $200 MSRP! All that said, we're leaving the Canelo harness in our lineup for this exact reason. It's more economical to make, so we can pass on those savings. The Canelo actually has a higher profit margin than the Blue Ridge, but we liked the performance of the Blue Ridge so much, we wanted to make it work.

[@JJJ599]

@@roguepandadesigns Thanks for the unexpected reply. I completely understand that working around economics is of course the main reason for pricing, especially for a smaller manufacturer. My ignorance shows as I assumed aluminium tubing would be cheaper than carbon. Regardless, I love the look of it and would absolutely consider the product for my new gravel bike. I'm glad you guys made it work though! Regarding the add-on accessory bar you mention in the other comment, I think it's a great idea. It doesn't need to be super wide, as long as there's space for a light or two and the GPS. All the best and I hope you sell lots of them

[@ramin580]

@@roguepandadesigns The quotes you're getting are ridiculous and that's primarily because of not outsourcing the CNC'ing to places where it makes more economic sense (e.g. china). Those aluminum parts can easily be done for less than $20 dollars at volume if outsourced and then pass the cost savings to your customers. Supporting your local economy is important but if it comes at a cost to your business where you cant even get your business off the ground then what's the point. $195 USD is pretty ridiculous especially considering it doesn't even come with the drybag as well. And with so many people struggling to make ends meet you really only have a very small target audience. Anyways, good luck.

[@ultimatist]

@@ramin580 sounds like this product is not for you. Anyway, good luck supporting and giving your money to China instead of America.

[@dillroastington]

After trying a couple of these systems, I just really don't like this form factor. I got a Jack the Bike Rack that I find to be a lot more versatile and still super light and easy to install and remove. You can still fit a dry bag of any kind, but you can also zip tie a basket to it or a bunch of other stuff. More versatility is worth the small weight penalty for me.

[@MorganNewlon]

I have a jack and it’s great, but how is it super light?

[@dillroastington]

@@MorganNewlon super light is probably bad wording. I was thinking about it in the context of other things I use to perform the same job, which are actual front racks. I have never found these cradles very useful after trying a few, so I don't really consider them when I set up for a trip. But you're definitely right, in the grand scheme of things it's definitely not "super light".

[@peterhehn9511]

Over-engineered means complicated means unreliable in the long run. Simplicity is the best. Voilé straps and a Salty roll bag.

[@roguepandadesigns]

We feel the same way! The Blue Ridge is about as simple as a machined handlebar cradle can be. Not very much that would ever break, and all parts are replaceable if that were to somehow happen.

[@DesertSunAdventures]

How's it going.

[@ultimatist]

Not good. You?

[@DesertSunAdventures]

@@ultimatist Life could be better.

[@ultimatist]

@@DesertSunAdventures I hope you make great memories this weekend :)

[@DesertSunAdventures]

@@ultimatist Same to you.

[@BradLong-bj2ug]

$24 for a couple 12” carbon bars and 4” mounts that’s lasted me thousands of miles. It weighs 150g too without any cable crushing whatsoever. I will say this mounting system looks a lot better than what I’m working with but possibly not worth 10x the cost. I love the rogue panda bags but both RP and OMM stuff is boujee with comparable quality items at a fraction of the price. A little ingenuity goes a long way! If you have time to bikepack then you most likely have time to come up with a cheaper/better alternative rather than give your money away.

[@hupo]

link to parts?

[@CyclingWithDan]

It looks very similar to the “il coso” from Miss Grape

[@buzzman4860]

Anybody want to test if this would fit onto a Jones H Bar?

[@kencrossman3634]

Tell us more about the shirt you are wearing ..?? BTW…. RP makes great products

[@BIKEPACKINGcom]

Its a Kitsbow Icon, they went under a year ago today. A day does not pass where I dont wear one of their shirts. bikepacking.com/news/kitsbow-is-closing-its-doors/

[@kencrossman3634]

@@BIKEPACKINGcom Thanks Was afraid that was the brand

[@HEIPPI]

185$?? sheesh, i'll stick to my self made harness tyvm :D

[@salzhaltigersalzhaufen586]

Looks great but it´s way too expensive for me

[@randallgd]

Yea was thinkin that too but, if it lasts say 10 years maybe makes more sense..... Still on the fence though...looks like it wouldn't move on the rowdier single tracks.... i guess thats worth some cash I guess. I also wonder about the warranty

[@salzhaltigersalzhaufen586]

@@randallgd it's probably great but I'm only 20 and don't have a lot of money so I'd rather spent the money I have to go on actual trips rather then spending it on expensive equipment and then have no money left to go out and use it. But if you can afford it I'm sure it's great but I'll stick to my ortlieb handlebar bag I bought like 4 years ago.

[@randallgd]

Right on man! 100% with your response. Work less ride more!@@salzhaltigersalzhaufen586

[@mountaincruiser817]

I wonder why they chose carbon for the rods? For these sizes aluminum would be a view grams heavier on your 20 kg (fully loaded) is nothing. Maybe “carbon” is the magic word to come to the steep price.

[@roguepandadesigns]

Thanks for asking! Carbon saves a bit of weight and doesn't add much to the cost. The primary driver of cost is the CNC machining, not the carbon.

[@mikaelljungberg1019]

Seams great

[@positiivi_teme]

With this kind of price tag you really would expect it to be the best of the best, with some really unique features and such. But it just seems to be a bare bone version of any other cradle system out there. There really doesn't seem to be any notable features. Even the better straps for it comes from another company? But, to be fair, I feel like the american economy is getting so wildly out of hands that I'm not sure I can anymore get a good read of it as european.

[@roguepandadesigns]

We think the Blue Ridge has some pretty unique features: 1) Super-stable, the carbon bars plus handlebar form a triangle connected with the aluminum parts. Held closer to the bar than other cradles for more resistance to rotation. 2) LIGHT WEIGHT! If you look around at our other products you'll see the Blue Ridge follows a trend - we focus on simple bags that perform really, really well. Function over features. The perfect design is finished not when there's nothing more to add, but when there's nothing more to take away.

[@peterstrachan1794]

Looks great but they’ve got to get price down.

[@robertbotta6536]

Nice for sure but a little pricey for what it is.

[@mikaelljungberg1019]

Samsung like a Lively produkt

[@Develoquent]

Instead of $300 for a sagging bag arm, just get a loop handlebar for $50!

[@roguepandadesigns]

If you give the Blue Ridge a try, you'll find no sagging! And not everyone is happy with the loop handlebar sweep. But if you want 45 degree sweep, we agree that would be the simplest solution to attach a dry bag.

[@tomza155]

lol… why not 400 $ 😂

[@Dutcharmytent]

Too expensive, same cost as a weekend break in a hotel, also to easy to get stolen if the bike is left un-attended.

[@justinbogart278]

These front harnesses seem handy but covering your headtube in electrical tape is a shitton cheaper.