The Race Elite 15 weighs less than the sandwich we ate for lunch, yet thanks to the right materials and care in construction the bag can cope with life on two wheels. With no bladder included it might not feel like much for the money, but get it on, load it up and pull the compression straps in and you’ll see where Inov-8 scores as the bag disappears into your lower back.
Even leathering it down rocky downhills in America over the winter we never felt like the bag was mobile. The zero padding, minimum structure construction helps the bag swallow up odd shaped loads like shoes, waterproof jackets, pull saws and so on. The full-length vertical zip is effective, allowing easy access to stuff at the bottom of the bag. The lack of back padding that makes the bag light and flexible does mean you have to take care when loading pointy things though. All up, it’s a great pack for short, fast rides. Also superb for running with.