The Mavic Crossride Belt functions precisely as its name would imply. It’s an adjustable waist belt with some well-designed pockets, and a tent-shaped water bottle stuffed snuggly in the center. The pack comes in a single size, and the comfortably-padded belt has a wide range of adjustability to fit around riders of various sizes.
The Crossride Belt’s triangular shape rests nicely against the small of your back, and its design is tight and compact enough to tuck beneath a rain jacket on sloppy rides. The broad hunks of fabric that wrap the sides of your torso work well to grip your clothing or skin, keeping the tidy pack in place.
Well-vented padding across the back of the bag will prevent your tools from poking you while you ride, and the W-shaped vents between the pads help dry your shirt out on the way down the mountain.
The larger zippered pocket, situated to the left of the bottle-pocket, has an integrated key-clip, two small internal pockets that comfortably fit a phone and tool, and space for some food and a spare pair of gloves or an uber packable jacket in its main cavern. The nylon shell is not waterproof, though it has kept the tire-flung mud out with aplomb thus far.
A second smaller zippered pocket to the right of the water bottle is large enough for a tightly packed tube, tire lever, CO2, and inflator device. Between the water bottle pocket and this smaller pouch, there is an open pocket of equal size that can be a good place to stuff your gloves while climbing or eating your trailside quiche.
The triangular 20oz bottle fits snuggly inside and is easy to fetch while pedaling. Traditionally shaped cylindrical bottles fit in the pack as well, though the provided Mavic bottle will likely be with you for a while as it seems impossible to eject on the trail.
In summation
This pack is about as cozy as they come, with a carrying capacity that doesn’t allow you to weigh it down to the point of discomfort. When I don’t need to haul a camera or a slice of pizza along, the Crossride Belt is a welcome companion. Its ergonomic fit and form are massive improvements over the compact hip pack competition.
