Decathlon ADVT 500: An Ideal Full-Frame Bag Solution

Can you ever have enough bike bags? I love a small bar bag—perfect for those pub rides—however, there are times when it's all about getting as much as I can on the bike with every bag that can be hung, bolted, or strapped to my bike. But there are also those in-between rides when you need slightly more space but don't want all the bags.

Decathlon's ADVT 500 2.5L and 5L bikepacking bags don't have short official names. The bags are part of their Riverside line with the 2.5 Litre Bikepacking Half-Frame Bag ADVT 500 and 5 Litre Bikepacking Full-Frame Bag ADVT 500, respectively) but they are modular. The longer and shallower 2.5L bag would be ideal for shorter rides, but If you want to take your Aeropress, the 5L will suffice. Or, as I did during testing, throw them both on the bike together and fill the entire frame.

A French Giant: Decathlon's Sporting Legacy

Decathlon likely needs no introduction, especially to our European readers. Launching in 1976, the French retailer is considered a mega sports store across the continent and the UK. They had US stores until 2022 but now ship through their various continental websites.

Decathlon is often overlooked because they dabble in a little bit of everything. You can hop online and get almost any sports item, from paddleboards to skis, to fishing rods and gym equipment. However, their cycling range is comprehensive with items to suit just about any budget. It's worth noting that they have a foot firmly planted with premium cycling products too—just check out the Van Rysel Bikes to see what I mean.

While the ADVT 500 bags are reasonably priced, they don't sit within this upper premium range. Now, that's not to say their quality isn't up to scratch—quite the opposite in fact—they're a great value. In the UK, the 2.5L retails at £24.99 and the 5L at £29.99. For a full-frame combination, a little over £50 seems more than fair, especially when compared against competitors.

Quick & Easy Installation: Clever Design Details

Along with the lovely hand-written note from César who packaged the order. Admittedly, I first thought that they'd be impossible to mount due to the lack of fastenings provided as I started eyeing up the velcro loops on my other bikepacking bags when I realized they cleverly packed everything inside for tidy transport. Once I'd engaged my common sense, a combination of velcro and ripstop loops meant they were quickly attached. Plenty of loops are sewn across the top of both bags to aid their fitting on any bike and I'm sure they'd quite easily thread onto a top-tube too if you prefer to attach using paracord.

Attaching the two bags is quite simple. The 2.5L and 5L bags are joined by sliding a strip of plastic between the upper loops of one bag and the bottom loops of the other. This design creates a nice single unit for big trips, however, it doesn't allow them to be as modular as I hoped. Once the tight-fitting plastic length is fitted, the only way to separate the two bags again is to remove most of the frame straps to allow the whole set to rotate slightly. Because of this, I eventually opted to keep the two bags fastened together using the velcro loops supplied with the 5L. It's certainly not as pretty—nor the way Decathlon designed them to work, but it does mean that I can quickly remove the 5L on shorter rides allowing access to both bottle mounts.

You have probably noticed the trend—few companies provide paper instructions these days. Anyone with any spatial awareness can figure out which way the bags go into the frame. Interestingly, inside each bag is a label with the seven-step installation process. You're unlikely to need it though: velcro across the tops, ripstop loops along the sides. At first, I found it somewhat frustrating to fiddle with feeding the loops back through the buckles to pull them tight. My simple gravel bike has external cable routing which I've had to contend with on other bags too. After some time with the Decathlon bags, working with the straps became second nature as I remember where they sit nicely on my frame.

Smart Construction: Practicality Meets Durability

These bags are not waterproof so they'll need to be taken off before washing down your bike and you'll likely want to dodge any heavy rain with these too. Decathlon does offer waterproof Riverside IPX6 frame bags ranging from £49.99 to £69.99. The ADVT 500 does, however, hold up in light showers. I suspect the recycled rip-stop polyester material has been treated with some DWR since small showers have beaded nicely off the bags and my items have remained dry. Does that mean I'd take them in a proper British downpour? Absolutely not. The standard zippers have no additional waterproof lining. I don't necessarily see this as a negative considering the price. Let's not forget that these bags together sell for less than the price of a typical tire.

The details of the ADVT 500 series are well thought out. You would expect the small 2.5L to be void of inside pockets, however, there are three separate pockets: the main zipped pocket with mesh organizer and built-in key clip; another zip pocket which opens on the left of the bag and is the perfect size for a small wallet or some gels; and an external mesh pocket which is intended for rubbish with clearly marked with the 'leave no trace' tag. The 5L bag has two pockets: a mesh outer pocket on the left; and the large zipped pocket accessed from the right. The larger of the two gets its own internal zipped pouch inside to safely keep it away from the rest of the cargo. Both bags have a fold-over opening at the front to allow for charging cables or a hydration hose.

The Riverside ADVT 500 series doesn't stop there. Decathlon offers an additional three bags designed to be used as part of the same system. There's the slightly skinnier half-frame bag and two different top-tube options. They're similar in design but in a cream colorway.

British Testing Grounds: Putting the Bags to the Test

I reached out to a couple of friends whom I've not ridden with for a while. In fairness, we'd all had a bit of a hiatus from the regular rides so I thought I'd take my SOTO stove and some No Normal Coffee along to tempt them back into some group rides. Nothing quite like a little bit of bribery to get the gang back together.

Even though the 10:30 am Sunday morning start time had been pushed to 11:00 am I still running late, rushing around getting the bags loaded with temporarily misplaced spares and faffing about with the straps of the 5L bag. Thankfully, nobody seemed to mind as I rolled in 10 minutes late.

We opted for a short route along the side of the river, under the cloud cover which threatened to test the DWR coating of the bags, however, the rain never came. In the 2.5L I packed my usual tools, a spare tube, and some snacks. I stashed water, cook pot, and stove, into the 5L. At first, I thought the pot might be a touch too wide for the ADVT but I didn't brush my legs on either of the bags at any point during the ride.

A short pedal through the local villages led us off the beaten path. Traffic noise faded away to reveal the gentle sound of the River Ouse on the left and migrating geese overhead. Not too long into the off-road portion of the ride, I spotted the perfect moment to break out the coffee. Now with the water on the boil, I thought about how often I leave the stove behind on my regular rides. Of course, it comes on bikepacking adventures but not on local outings. That's mostly due to a lack of space on the bike. My cook pot won't fit in my regular half-frame bag, which means I've got to strap on extra bags. A bit of a pain if I'm just popping out for an afternoon. This is where the ADVT 5L shines, giving me the room without bags hanging off the bars and saddle.

After coffee, we carried along the gravel track for a while before reaching the road again. Our obligatory pub stop turned to disappointment as they weren't serving food, luckily I had stuffed some leftover pizza in the 2.5L bag before leaving home. The perfectly placed pockets and easy-to-find zips meant I could reach my savory snack without stopping, as we continued to find a shop to resupply with some sugary treats.

During the final stretch of off-road down a rather muddy track, we reminisced about trips we'd been on and started to discuss ideas for future cycling adventures. Perhaps we'd ride across the moors on the shortest day of the year, or cycle from Yorkshire down the Rhine. With such ideas, I would normally think of all the extra bags I would need, however, that thought never came. I'm not saying the ADVT 500 combination solves all of my cargo problems but it's another piece in my bikepacking packing puzzle.

A Flexible Solution for Gravel Riders and Beyond

Decathlon has found a simple affordable solution to the ever-changing cargo needs of the gravel rider. The combination of the ADVT 500 2.5L and 5L can't carry all you need for a bikepacking adventure—you'll still need other bags to carry your sleeping kit—but it does allow for a conveniently modular system well-suited to rides where you're looking to take just that little bit of extra kit. A bladder would fit rather nicely into the 5L bag and the 2.5L bag makes a perfect bag for the usual cycling essentials.

I've enjoyed having the Decathlon ADVT 500 combination to take a few extra luxuries on rides but losing access to my bottle mounts isn't something I'll want to be permanent. Splitting the pair is perfect. The 2.5L bag is the most useful to keep on at all times and the 5L is nice to have for specific occasions where I'm okay with ditching the water bottles or when I'm taking a host of other bags on a longer trip and need the additional space.