What a bike bag costs per litre, by position and brand
The median bike bag in our catalog costs $23.38 per litre at the brand’s US list price. Where the bag sits matters more than who makes it. Rear rack bags have a median of $7.25 per litre and top tube bags $68.50, more than nine times as much. Our guess is that a small bag needs much of the same buckles, straps and mounting hardware as a big one, which makes it look expensive per litre.
Use price per litre to compare bags in the same position. Across positions it mostly measures size.
By position
| Position | Bags with a US price | Median price | Median volume as sold | Median price per litre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basket | 3 | $160 | 17.5 L | $7.20 |
| Rear rack | 65 | $165 | 20 L | $7.25 |
| Front rack | 4 | $235.50 | 29.5 L | $8.19 |
| Fork | 6 | $73.50 | 3.5 L | $19.43 |
| Handlebar | 54 | $99.48 | 5 L | $19.50 |
| Saddle | 47 | $114 | 4.5 L | $25.70 |
| Frame | 55 | $155 | 3.5 L | $41.25 |
| Top tube | 34 | $72.50 | 1 L | $68.50 |
Frame bags are the odd one. They hold less than handlebar bags at the median and cost more, so per litre they cost more than twice as much. 83 of the 94 list the frame triangle as a requirement. Basket, front rack and fork have too few priced bags to say much.
By size
| Volume as sold | Bags | Median price | Median price per litre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 2 L | 70 | $66 | $63.33 |
| 2 to under 5 L | 61 | $99 | $38.33 |
| 5 to under 10 L | 51 | $140 | $20 |
| 10 to under 20 L | 46 | $160 | $10.72 |
| 20 L and up | 40 | $207.50 | $7.16 |
Going from the smallest group to the largest, the median price only triples while the price per litre falls by a factor of about nine. A quarter of priced bike bags cost under $10.94 per litre, and a quarter cost over $49.27.
By brand
Median price per litre for brands with at least five bike bags that have a US price:
| Brand | Priced bags | Median price | Median price per litre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two Wheel Gear | 16 | $109.50 | $8.75 |
| Topeak | 10 of 35 | $94.95 | $10.21 |
| Banjo Brothers | 25 | $47.99 | $14.54 |
| Axiom | 26 | $94 | $15.32 |
| Ortlieb | 53 | $175 | $15.91 |
| Brooks England | 20 | $127.50 | $23.67 |
| Roswheel | 27 | $85 | $25.71 |
| Oveja Negra | 14 | $117.50 | $30.50 |
| Revelate Designs | 12 of 14 | $97.50 | $36.42 |
| Apidura | 61 | $166 | $51.67 |
Brand medians mix positions, so they partly reflect what each brand makes. Banjo Brothers has the lowest median price but ranks third of ten per litre. Apidura makes no rear rack bags, and 36 of its 61 bike bags are frame or top tube packs, which pushes its median per litre up. Compare a brand’s handlebar bag with another brand’s handlebar bag before drawing conclusions.
Nine brands have no US list price on any bike bag in our catalog: Arkel, Basil, B’Twin, Decathlon, Elops, Restrap, Riverside, Vaude and Zefal. They are left out of every figure here.
Cheapest per litre
Among bags of 10 litres or more as sold, these cost the least per litre:
| Bag | As sold | Price | Per litre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banjo Brothers Market Pannier | 24.5 L | $69.99 | $2.86 |
| Banjo Brothers Grocery Pannier | 18 L | $59.99 | $3.33 |
| Roswheel Tour Pannier Large | pair, 40 L | $140 | $3.50 |
| Axiom Oceanweave Pannierpack 25 | pair, 25 L | $90 | $3.60 |
| Ortlieb Back-Roller XL | pair, 70 L | $275 | $3.93 |
All five sit on a rear rack. Without a rack, the cheapest per litre is the Two Wheel Gear Dayliner Handlebar & Trunk Box Bag, at $6 per litre for 20 litres.
At the other end, the Apidura Aero Bolt-On Top Tube Module 0.4L costs $245 per litre: $98 for 0.4 litres. For bags this small, price per litre says little; compare them on size and mounting instead.
For pannier sets ranked by price per litre, see waterproof rear panniers. For rack-free bags, see the no-rack guide, and check what fits your bike with the bike fit tool. Everything else is in bike bags.
How we counted
Price is the brand’s US list price as sold, checked in October 2026. 268 of our 457 bike bags have one; the rest are left out. For a bag sold as a pair, price per litre is the pair’s price divided by twice the per-bag volume. Volume is the brand’s stated capacity. The general backpack version of this analysis is in what a travel backpack costs per litre.