Osprey Radial 26 review

Looking for a commuter bag for cycling? The Osprey Radial 26 is well worth a look

Cycling Weekly Verdict

A superb bag with a ridiculous number of features. Very well designed, well made and enjoyable to use

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Well Made

  • +

    Ridiculous number of features

  • +

    Loads of pockets

  • +

    Comfortable on

  • +

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Not the coolest looking

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

Osprey are a specialist when it comes to backpacks, catering for many different outdoor activities and sports.

TheOsprey Radial 26 is a cycling specific backpack, and with lots of well thought out features it is ideal for commuting cyclists. And incase you were wondering, '26' refers to the bag's capacity in litres.

>>> Best backpacks: a buyer's guide

So what makes this bag good? Firstly, the back of the Osprey Radial 26 is lifted away from your back using a feature Osprey excitingly labels ‘AirSpeed.’

The advantage of this is creating an air gap, which prevents your back getting sweaty and uncomfortable.

The back of the Osprey Radial 26 is lifted from your back for comfort and ventialtion

The back of the Osprey Radial 26 is lifted from your back for comfort and ventilation

Through a clever stand design, the Osprey Radial 26 stays upright when you place it on the ground too, preventing it from falling over and damaging your gear.

There are a huge number of other useful features into this high quality pack, it's like the bag equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife.

The lid lock is really useful for holding a helmet

The lid lock is really useful for holding a helmet
(Image credit: chris catchpole)

The ‘LidLock’ allows you secure your helmet to outside of the bag, there is a plethora of pockets including a padded laptop sleeve and also a useful rain cover for our all too often brilliant weather.

My first impression was of a bag that is not the coolest, most fashionable out there - I doubt we would see Danny Zuko or the Fonz donning such a haversack, however the Osprey Radial 26 has won me over with it’s shear functionality.

A common design mantra is that form follows function and that if an object performs superbly then it becomes visually appealing. For me, the Radial has done that.

Osprey does a huge range of bags in different sizes, so for more information, head over to www.ospreyeurope.com

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Oliver Bridgewood - no, Doctor Oliver Bridgewood - is a PhD Chemist who discovered a love of cycling. He enjoys racing time trials, hill climbs, road races and criteriums. During his time at Cycling Weekly, he worked predominantly within the tech team, also utilising his science background to produce insightful fitness articles, before moving to an entirely video-focused role heading up the Cycling Weekly YouTube channel, where his feature-length documentary 'Project 49' was his crowning glory.