It’s all too common for brands, as they grow, to broaden their scope and sell a wider and wider range of products. But in “the wake of a pandemic-fueled boom and bust cycle, […] brands need to focus on their core competencies,” writes Old Man Mountain.
Salsa realized that their core competency is building bikes, not bags and accessories. So instead of working to create a new version of their renowned Anything Cradle, Salsa partnered with Old Man Mountain (OMM) to iterate on the design and produce a new version of the cradle. The newly-launched handlebar cradle is now branded as the “Manzanita Cradle,” and it’s offered with one of two bags purpose-built for the cradle.
During a three-day ride through brutal terrain on the Peaks and Plateaus Loop in Moab, UT, I tested the Manzanita Cradle paired with the Manzanita 11L Side Load Bag.
Old Man Mountain Manzanita Cradle key specs
- Fits 31.5mm and 35mm handlebars
- 6 accessory mounts on top
- Weight: 375g
Old Man Mountain Manzanita 11L Side Load Bag key specs
- Dual-sided access via roll-top closures
- Stretch stash pocket
- 100% waterproof TPU fabric
- Fully welded seams
- Weight without straps: 266g. (2×25″ Titan straps: 82g)
- Price: $240 for Cradle + Side Load Bag
- Available for pre-order from Old Man Mountain and shipping in “early May”
The primary affliction of handlebar rolls from the days of yore is sliding dry bags that strain to escape from their confines. If the bag doesn’t have daisy-chain webbing stitched to the side and isn’t packed properly, it has a tendency to work its way out of the straps on rough downhills. To make matters worse, having the bag right against the bar smashes brake hoses and cable routing, which can sometimes cause problems.
A rigid cradle solves these problems. It moves the handlebar roll away from the cables and hoses and provides a solid mounting point for the bag. The Manzanita cradle and bag iterate on the classic design for an even more secure ride.
The Manzanita Cradle is made with rigid aluminum bars connected to a nylon cradle, the angle of which can be adjusted to your preference. On top of the cradle arms are 6 accessory mounting points for things like GPS units and lights.
The cradle features easy-mount bag hooks on the corners, which allow you to hang the Manzanita 11L Side Load Bag (referred to as “the bag” from here on out) from the cradle as you prepare to strap it down. Then you can either use the provided OMM straps or a pair of Voile-style straps to cinch the bag down. The straps thread through slots in the cradle, wrap around the bag, and thread through two slots on the front to prevent side-to-side slippage.
The bag features a dual roll-top closure, which allows access from both ends of the bag, even when it’s mounted on the cradle. There’s an air purge valve on the bag, and a stretchy front pocket, too.
Testing the Manzanita Cradle on Moab’s Peaks and Plateaus Loop
While perhaps some other publications might be fine with testing bikepacking gear on smooth gravel roads, this is Singletracks, and the Manzanita Cradle was baptized by fire. I installed the cradle and promptly headed out for 136 miles of riding on the gnarliest stretch of the infamous Peaks and Plateaus Loop in Moab, UT.
Peaks and Plateaus is anchored by a rugged and remote, roughly 50-mile section of 4×4 road on its Western side known as “Lockhart Basin.” Located just across the river from the renowned White Rim, I expected to find riding of commensurate difficulty to one of the nation’s most iconic routes .
Boy, was I mistaken.
Lockhart Basin features punishing hike-a-bikes, technical descents, and remote rock shelves located high above the river. This epic backcountry stretch was far from the chill walk-in-the-park on the White Rim.
And that wasn’t even the hardest part of the ride.
That honor goes to Steelbender (also known as “Flat Pass”), a 9-mile 4×4 trail dropping into Moab. This 4×4 route is filled with the massive rock ledges, slabs, and chundery rock gardens that originally made Moab a famous mountain bike destination. In fact, Steelbender is so burly that many backpackers who pedal the Peaks and Plateaus Loop just choose to skip it. But I was here for a beat down, for both myself and my gear, so I punished myself with Steelbender’s steep hike-a-bikes and teeth-rattling descents.
OMM’s Atlas Rack Pack didn’t survive Steelbender, but the Manzanita Cradle came through with flying colors.
Loading the Manzanita
To begin, the bag features a dual roll-top closure, allowing you to pile in gear from both ends if needed. I found the roll-top closures to both be very secure, and the air purge valve came in handy for maximum compression.
Securing a handlebar roll can be tricky, but the Manzanita’s dedicated hooks and loops made the process incredibly easy. After filling the bag, simply hang it from the loops. The bag hangs in place, allowing you to thread the straps through the slots on the back of the cradle and the slots on the bag at your leisure, then pull down to secure. I used Titan straps (Voile-style straps), and they gripped the bag securely.
Performance on the trail
Over the years, I’ve had mixed success with my previous handlebar roll system. On some rides, it would be secure, while on others, I’d fight with a slipping and sliding dry bag the entire trip. The Manzanita Cradle eliminates this problem entirely.
Thanks to the slots on both the bag and the cradle, combined with the hooks on the corners, there’s zero side-to-side bag slide, even in the roughest conditions. It’s simply not possible with this setup, which is honestly just fantastic. Throughout my entire ride, the front bag was completely solid. I also found the roll-top closures stayed firmly in place.
If you remember where exactly you stashed your gear, the dual roll-top openings make it easy to access the gear you need, even without removing the bag from the cradle. My problem is remembering which side I stashed the gear on. 😆
The stretchy stash pocket on the front of the bag is a nice touch, but I found it to be a bit small. You can put some small bits and bobs in the pocket (a pair of gloves, small sunscreen, or a granola bar), but don’t expect to hold much there.
The 11L side load bag is the largest that OMM sells for the Manzanita, but I tried attaching a fully-loaded 20L dry bag to the cradle to see if it would work. 20L is a lot for the front of your bike, but based on my testing, it appears you could haul all kinds of different bags on this cradle, not just the official offerings. However, without the integrated loops for hanging the bag, loading a standard dry bag is much more difficult.
I personally like having my phone stored in a bag on the front of my bike so I can easily grab it for a quick photo. Unfortunately, this cradle system eliminates the front pouch that worked with my previous handlebar roll. I investigated some offerings from both Salsa and Relevate, and neither appears to mesh with the 11L Side Load Bag seamlessly. I’d love to find a bag to mount to the accessory mounts on top of the cradle to make the most of this space, but there’s no stock offering available. It’s possible that you could mount a top tube bag on one of the arms (or one on each arm), but that doesn’t feel like a great solution to the problem and wouldn’t maximize the available space.
Pros and cons of Old Man Mountain Manzanita Cradle and 11L Side Load Bag
Pros
- Easy loading thanks to dual roll-top closure and hooks to hang the bag
- Zero shifting of load during ride
- Bulletproof construction
Cons
- No smartphone storage
Bottom line
Eliminating the frustration of a shifting front load is a massive win for my personal bikepacking kit. Add the bulletproof construction and easy loading, and the Manzanita Cradle + Bag is a winning combination in my book! While I wish the stock setup provided a better place to stash my smartphone, I haven’t given up the hunt for a solution just yet…
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