Swift Industries Capstone and Gemini Bags: Mushrooms to Miles

Autumn is one of my favourite times of year for riding. The temperature allows you to layer up, and the colours in the foliage shine against misty skies. The ground begins to soak up all the humidity and everything starts to feel damp. The smell of moss in the back of your nostrils and the sound of rain drops on your outer layers frequent autumnal riding adventures.

Since moving to the Pacific Northwest I have spent more and more time riding amongst big trees and old woody single track. The area is home to some of the most bountiful mushroom foraging that I've ever come across, Chanterelle and Oyster mushrooms a common find amongst the trees. Edible treasures that when fried with garlic and garnishing sourdough create a dish so simple and rewarding you can't pass up the opportunity when it arises.

Swift Industries needs no introduction. An independent bag maker based in Seattle, who make bags at the forefront of bikes and fun. When they sent me their new Capstone Bar bag and Gemini Fork Bags, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to head out into the dank trails looking for fruiting fungus. With the bags loaded with knives and snacks, we had ample room for what we thought might be a handful of Chanterelles at best. But while taking a break in what is now my secret location, in North Vancouver Island and observing a Dagobah-like swamp I noticed a glowing spectacle shining amongst the fallen trees. A Cauliflower mushroom, the size of a football, perfectly ready for harvesting.

The Capstone Handlebar Bag: Small, Mighty, and Ready

This cute 4L offering from Swift is immediately appealing to me as a perfect sized vessel for a day's outing. Just enough for an extra layer, a few snacks and a small camera. After riding with its biggest sibling, the Zeitgeist bag for the past year and quite often having what felt like unnecessary space at times, this counterpart would sit on my bike taking up much less space. What's even more appealing to me is the extra reinforcement, almost creating a box. The high density foam offers protection for fragile items such as cameras, and also allows it to keep its shape while empty.

The second stand out feature to this bag, is the ability to access the bag with one hand while riding. The clasp mechanism is made from elastic and stretches over your stem when you pull the hinged top down. You can also access the interior drawstring closure which also features one handed access which I find really useful.

This bag also holds three really useful mesh pockets: one on the underside of the top flap that closes with a zip, and two internal elastic pockets to help organize items you need to find quickly. The top flap pocket is especially useful and easy to access. A daisy chain is stitched into the front for mounting things like a pump, along with side MOLLE webbing for attaching extra accessory bags. There are also loops on either side for use with a shoulder strap. The bag has three mounting points—two straps that attach to your bar and one shock cord that cinches onto your head tube. It's classic Swift style if you're familiar with it, and it works well.

The Capstone is available in Black EPLX. It's fully lined with 70D TPU-coated nylon ripstop for exceptional water resistance. The body is protected by 1/4” closed-cell foam. An integrated fiberglass batten provides sturdy yet flexible attachment points. The bag comes with two Swift straps, six foam spacers, and a bungee/cord lock to secure it to the head tube. Each bag (including straps and spacers) weighs 11 oz.

The Capstone is something I'm going to continue using almost daily. It's absolutely perfect for day rides when I want to bring a camera and a layer. I can easily access my phone and bear spray. The real reason I like this bag so much is its ease of use. The top hinge is closer, making access while riding super easy. The overhang keeps the elements out, but I wouldn't call this 100% waterproof, even with the internal drawstring closure. If I were riding all day in the rain and needed to keep something completely dry, I'd put it in a dry bag. There's no reason the Capstone wouldn't work well on a longer trip, but I like to use a lot of the front bar for packing, and 4 liters just isn't enough for what I need on extended rides.

Get the Captsone here for $125.

Gemini Fork Mount Bags: Extra Cargo for the Long Haul

Released earlier this year, Swift's first entry into the fork bag category, the Gemini, is a sturdy 4L roll-down bag with its own velcro mounting straps. It features an HDP removable liner that adds rigidity, helping the bags keep their shape even when not packed, and a ballistic nylon backing for durability. The velcro straps feel super tough and attach by threading through your cages and around the fork. It's a little fiddly and not something I'd want to do daily on a long tour, but they'll definitely stay securely attached to your bike. There's also a rubber backing added to prevent the straps from sliding around.

Both front and back daisy chains allow multiple mounting points for extra gear. The recycled reinforced inner can be removed, turning them into a more supple bag, which I actually preferred for easier access and a more comfortable fit in my cages. This also gave me the option to roll the bag down more when I wanted. While this might look a bit odd when empty, I rarely ride with empty fork bags.

The bags are made from Challenge Sailcloth EPLX400 and backed with Challenge RBC1680 Ballistic for exceptional abrasion resistance at contact points. They come in Coyote and weigh 8.7 ounces (246 grams).

The Gemini fork bags feel very durable and offer great extra features such as the removable insert, multiple mounting points, and reinforced back. I did find the mounting straps more fiddly than Voile straps, which I currently use, but if you're not taking them on and off regularly, it won't be an issue. Plus, you won't lose the straps because they're sewn in. I should note that after a soaking ride in the woods, the contents of both fork bags weren't 100% dry, so again, if I really needed to keep something dry, I'd use a dry bag. For me, I'd use these bags for short summer bikepacking trips or leave them on my bike as extra cargo options. The insert and structured form make them ideal for carrying smaller items without any change in appearance.

Get the Gemini here for $70 each.

Wrap Up

The Cauliflower mushroom was harvested and safely brought home for dinner. The Capstone bar bag carried the cargo for the final 20k of the journey, while the Gemini fork bags handled the extra layers and snacks. We encountered true PNW conditions—lots of rain—so both bags were exposed to plenty of moisture, and overall, they fared well. There was enough room in the bar bag for the extra cargo, and the easy access made it a really useful addition, especially considering its small 4L size. The fork bags also offer several great features that help expand your cargo capacity on the forks.