OneUp Components EDC Gear Strap: Rider Review

Our "Rider Review" article series features honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for. 

Carrying extra tubes and co2 can save you in the blink of an eye in the middle of a long and treacherous ride. You never know when you are going to get a flat and riding with a backpack isn't always ideal. Luckily companies like OneUp Components make straps specifically designed to tubes, co2, tools or whatever you can fit in them. Chad might be new to mountain biking but that didn't stop him from being prepared for anything. Let's see what he thought of the OneUp EDC Gear Straps:

Chad's Review

Being a new mtb owner, trying to figure out what I needed to carry with me on a ride was a bit daunting! There are so many suggested gadgets and “needs” that it is easy to become overwhelmed. I knew I didn’t want to carry too much stuff but also didn’t want to carry too little… then there was the problem of figuring out how to carry the things I did chose. My first choice was to use a small seat bag, and honestly, it was fine. But in the hot summer months, I found that I needed to carry more water and started using a backpack. The backpack had extra room for the tools and other items in the seat bag, so I threw them in there and ditched the seat bag. I liked the cleaner look without the seat bag, but then I realized that having a backpack full of water and tools were hot… so I started looking for other methods to carry my items.

At this point, I would have been fine just going back to the small seat bag, but I had started noticing that some of the more minimalist riders would simply strap a tube and some C02 cartridges to their frame with straps and go. That looked great and all, but I was a little concerned that over time the dirt and mud and sun may damage the tube before I needed it. So, I chose to buy a small roll-top dry bag with a velcro strap to secure it around my frame and put my tools into it. For me this turned out to be a great idea, however, I found that the velcro strap would not hold the bag in place, instead, it would just slide down the frame when riding… I loved the idea of using the small roll-top dry bag to hold my gear since everything inside it was safe and secure, but I needed a way to make the bag stay put when riding, not slide down into my chainring. This is when I started thinking about those straps that other riders used and wondered if it would be a better solution than the velcro strap… turns out, it is!

I found these OneUp Components EDC gear straps at Worldwide Cyclery and added them to my order. As always, my order showed up in just a couple of days and I was able to give these straps a try., and they work! The rubber compound is sticky and does a great job at sticking to the frame while riding, which means that the bag doesn’t slide down into my chainring! At 14 inches, it’s almost a little too short for my specific needs, but since it is also a bit stretchy, I am able to make it work, which also means there isn’t a long tail sticking out to catch on things or rub against my leg while riding.

Now, I will also admit, when I first got these in, I was a bit puzzled at how they were supposed to work. I searched YouTube videos briefly, and ended up Googling photos of the strap in use and figured it out. So, for anyone else that may be puzzled (I can’t be the only one!), maybe my included photo will help! Anyway, I really do like these straps. They work for what I needed them too, and they are secure. I will be curious to see how the rubber compound lasts over the course of time, but for now, I can’t complain. I will also say that I would like to see these offered in other sizes. As can be seen in my photo, there is very little tail left over, which is nice while riding, but also makes it a little hard to secure down… another inch or 2 would have made these perfect for my particular application, but I can’t fault the company for that.

Conclusion

"So, to sum it up, if you need to strap something to your bike, these are a great option! Just to be sure though, I would suggest putting the items on your frame and measuring to make sure they will be long enough. If so, go for it!" - Chad Poindexter