Rogue Panda Alamo Top Tube Bag Review: Three Sizes, Two Straps

Top tube bags are one of the most versatile and handy additions to any bike setup, whether bikepacking or just zipping around town. They are accessible while riding, making them a great spot to stash small cameras, phones, snacks, and other quick-access items. They are also almost always universal, meaning there are a few reasons why any top tube bag won’t work with your particular kit.

Almost every bag maker out there makes some kind of top-tube-mounted bag. Most feature a simple zippered opening, but there are also magnetic flaps, roll-tops, and other unique designs that add stability, organization, or extra storage. However, saying that all top tube bags are created equal would be a miss. These days, some of the more prominent brands have taken it upon themselves to move away from the standard three straps (two on the top tube and one around the steerer tube) and innovate with magnets, rubberized mounting blocks, and adjustable bolt-on designs for a strap-free setup.

A month ago, Nick Smolinske, panda-in-chief at Rogue Panda Designs in Flagstaff, Arizona, reached out with news of a complete redesign of their Alamo top tube bag lineup in three sizes. He promised a new bolt or strap-on attachment system that adds notable stability and eliminates the need for a steerer tube strap. Curious to see how the new design would compare to a traditional top tube bag, I had the chance to test out all three sizes before today’s launch.

Next Gen Rogue Panda Alamo

Named after the Alamo Canyon, a section of the Arizona Trail known for its stunning singletrack and impressive views of Picketpost Mountain, the Alamo is Rogue Panda’s take on the top tube bag. It was first launched in 2015 and has seen many minor updates since then, but they’ve been mostly manufacturing improvements. Last year, Rogue Panda upgraded the zippers and added the largest Gordito Grande size option. The Alamo comes in three size options: Regular, Gordo, and Gordito Grande, stock color/fabric options, and well as made-to-order versions with several different colors, patterns, and even custom-printed fabrics to showcase your own designs.

At first glance, the redesigned Alamo looks like any other top tube bag. It has an unremarkable shape, a single oversized molded-tooth zipper, internal HDPE side panels for structure, and internal padding on all frame contact points to protect your contents and reduce unwanted rattling while riding. Until today, the Alamo used a rubberized daisy chain paired with removable/adjustable velcro straps along the base and on the front of the bag to attach it to the bike. This is pretty much the standard for most top tube bags, and it works, but they are more susceptible to rocking and wiggling, and not all cockpit/stem setups leave room for a third steerer tube strap.

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The latest Alamo Top Tube Bag maintains most of these features but sees a complete redesign of the attachment system itself, eliminating the need for a third steerer tube strap and relying on an interesting combined bolt-on/strap-on system that should make it compatible with pretty much any type of bike. Instead of a daisy chain, the base of the Alamo has various bolt holes and slots that match up with your choice of straps or bolts for frames with top tube bosses. Each bag has three sets of bolt holes, providing up to 1″ (25mm) of adjustment along the top tube.

For added stability, Rogue Panda includes two rubberized TPU spacers between the bag’s base and the bike’s top tube. The spacer is slotted to accept velcro straps, with a flat bag-facing side and a curved bike-facing side. Rogue Panda explained the switch to TPU spacers means the front strap is positioned further toward the front of the bag, so they include an additional long strap in case you need to wrap it around both the top tube and the down tube. The TPU spacers aren’t required for bolt-on setups.

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While the side panels are reinforced with thin HDPE panels, the base of the bag has a thicker, more rigid plastic sheet. The strap slots and bolt holes are cut all the way through the base fabric, inner fabric, and plastic. The inside is covered with a padded base connected at the small end of the bag and held in place with a small elastic at the wider end.

As expected, the Alamo is handmade at Rogue Panda’s workshop in Flagstaff, which includes the rubberized straps that are sewn together in-house. The TPU spacers are the only component not made by Rogue Panda and are ordered from China.

Trail-Tested

Having used my fair share of floppy top tube bags, I was skeptical that Rogue Panda’s Alamo revamp would hold up on rough terrain. The short story is I was pleasantly surprised. There are a few tricks worth noting to achieve a solid, wiggle-free installation. First, the velcro straps must be pulled very tightly. Rogue Panda told me “not to be shy” when tightening the straps. And, as the foam compresses and straps stress out, they might require re-tightening a few times after the first installation.

The TPU spacers have a grippy, flexible feel that does an excellent job of gripping and conforming to the top tube. Paired with Rogue Panda’s velcro straps, backed with a rubberized material, and a cinchable plastic D-loop buckle on one end, there is plenty of grip to keep the bag from moving around. However, this is only true if the straps are pulled tight. Despite having no problems with bag movement, even on rough singletrack, I did find myself knocking the bag out of position a few times during awkward dismounts or crashes. I don’t think a steerer tube strap would have helped in situations like these, but two points of contact have its limitations sometimes. When bolted on, the Alamo requires no adjustment aside from tightening the screws themselves and is just as stable thanks to the oversized washers Rogue Panda includes with each bag.

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An added bonus of using the TPU spacers is gaining about 10mm of clearance between the base of the bag and the top tube. This means the only contact points are the rubberized sides of the straps and the TPU spacers, which means fewer chances of marking up your frame’s paint job compared to installing the bag directly on the frame. The extra clearance also leaves more room for frame bag straps, which can sometimes get in the way of traditional top tube bags.

Having mostly used top tube bags that require some sort of steerer tube strap or stabilizer, not having to worry about a third strap has been freeing. I’ve always hated how busy the cockpit area gets when running multiple feed bags, a top tube bag, and some kind of handlebar bag. Not only is it awkward to figure out strap position and routing, but it can often restrict handlebar rotation, which can be frustrating when riding technical singletrack. The Alamo’s TPU spacers allow you to position the bag as close or as far away from the stem as you’d like without any noticeable drawbacks.

Aside from the fancy, new-age TPU spacers, all three sizes of the Alamo are kept quite minimal. There are no exterior or interior pockets, which I’ve never really been a fan of, and the only other “feature” is a simple cable port on the front of the bag. The port is accessed from the bottom and is stitched into the bag’s main seams along the side and top, which should do a good job of keeping the elements out. I didn’t get a chance to ride in the rain with it, but I’m willing to bet it’s extremely weather-resistant (not waterproof) like most other stitched top tube bags out there.

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When it comes to zippers, I say the bigger, the better. The big molded-tooth zippers found on the Alamo are the same style used on their frame bags (including the custom bag they made for the Kona Hei Hei I reviewed), and it runs smooth enough to operate easily with one hand. It also runs nearly the full length of the bag, which means it’s easy to open wide and access small items that find themselves hiding toward the shorter, tapered end. The grey interior might not be as bright as some bags I’ve used, but it’s bright enough to find what you need inside.

Alamo Goes Custom

The redesigned Alamo top tube bag has allowed Rogue Panda to take a closer look at offering custom-length bags. Founder Nick Smolinske explained that before this update, they built custom jigs for each bag size to ensure the daisy chain and bar tacks were perfectly aligned, so offering a custom size meant making a custom jig or forgoing the jig and sacrificing quality. The new design allows all parts to be laser cut in-house, so the only real barrier is the time required to design the custom-length bag. This is still an issue, but Nick will be automating that step with some custom software. The plan is to get custom-length Alamo top tube bags up and running this fall. We’ll be sure to share the news when they’re ready.

Neil’s Rogue Panda Alamo Review

Neil also had the chance to test out the Alamo top tube bags ahead of today’s launch, and most of our feedback aligns closely. Watch the video he put together for a closer look at some details and additional thoughts from Neil.

• Capacity: 0.9L (Regular), 1.5L (Gordo), 2.5L (Gordito Grande)
• Weight (no hardware/mounts): 106g/3.7oz (Regular), 147g/5.2oz (Gordo), 166g/5.9oz (Gordito Grande)
• Hardware Weight: 26g/0.9oz (two straps + two TPU blocks)
• Material (as tested): X-Pac, HDPE, Ripstop
• Place of Manufacture: Arizona, USA
• Price: $75 (Regular), $90 (Gordo), $110 (Gordito Grande)
• Manufacturer’s Details: RoguePanda.com

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