Mavic Crossride Belt on review – a water bottle fast-draw holster

If you can’t or don’t want to carry your water bottle on the bike, the Mavic Crossride is a very elegant option. But Mavic’s fanny pack surprises with more than just its looks.

**Price:** € 70 (incl. 600 ml bottle) | **Weight:** 257 g (+ 68 g bottle) | **Volume:** approx.1.5 litres

Like its big brother, the Mavic Crossride is designed incredibly well and offers a few clever solutions and a sensible compartment layout. When it comes to materials, Mavic relies on robust fabrics and a simple but elegant look.

Exotic but elegant. Nevertheless, the Mavic Crossride impresses with more than just its looks.

The central bottle holder is the undisputed key feature of the Mavic Crossride. It’s placed at a destinct angle and has a stiff, funnel-like top section. Both features make it easier to access the 600 ml bottle and whether you’re taking it out or putring it back in, the system works flawlessly. The bottle itself features a special triangular shape, which prevents it from pressing into the back and at the same time makes for a low overall profile. And while you can also use conventional round bidons, these might press against your back and irritate you, depending on how sensitive you are. However, both types of bottles are safely anchored inside the holder and won’t go anywhere even on the roughest trails. And of course, if you want you can also use the bottle holder to stow away a jacket or spare jersey.

The special triangular bottle is included and leans snug against the back. While the holder also allows for conventional round bottles, these may press into the back.

The big compartment on the left houses to mesh compartments. The right pocket can also take a mobile phone, but not Plus, Max or XL models.

Unique for a fanny pack this size: there’s enough room for a full size pump.

The compartment partition is spot on. On the left, there’s a large zipped compartment with a key holder and two mesh pockets. One of them is suitable for a mobile phone, albeit a small one. To the right of the bottle holder, two elongated compartments, one of which is open at the top and the other has a zipper on the side. Here you can store either a large CO2 cartridge or a pump up to a max. length of just over 20 cm. This is a unique feature for hip packs in this size category and/or with a bottle holder. There’s also a small mesh compartment for an energy bar or similar-sized item.

The deep-drawn shape gives the Mavic Crossride a stable fit.

When it comes to fit, stability and comfort, the Mavic Crossride outshines the bigger XA 3L model. The deep-drawn triangular shape makes for a very stable fit on the hips. Unlike the XA3 model, the Crossride dispenses with the metal buckle and replaces it with a more classic and intuitive plastic snap fastener. The elastic strap at one end of the belt remains. With the Crossride, however, this works perfectly fine and does exactly what it should. It merely compensates for the breathing and movements of the body and thus ensures a high level of comfort. On the one hand this is due to the stable basic structure of the pack, on the other to the fact that the volume (and thus the load) of the Crossrides is smaller and more evenly distributed than on the big XA3 model. This takes some pressure off the rubber strap and lets it do its job properly. All in all, the wearing comfort is very high. The only small drawback of the Crossride is its climate, which is rather warm but still much better than the French brands larger pack – the gaps in the padding and the smaller size are mainly responsible for this.

Comfort

uncomfortable
unobtrusive

Stability

low
high

Compartment Layout

poor
excellent

Climate

unpleasant
pleasant

Ease of Use

fiddly
straight forward

Price/Performance

poor
very good

Conclusions

The Mavic Crossride Belt is an extremely clever mid-size construction with an extremely clever compartment layout and the best water bottle access in the entire test field. While excellent comfort and stability round off the superb overall concept, the high price point prevent the Crossride from bagging our coveted Best Value Tip badge.

Tops

Clever partitioning
Robust materials
Great access
Compatible with a pump despite its compact dimensions

Flops

Phone pocket only for small devices
Relatively expensive
Proprietary water bottle

For more information head to mavic.com

The test field

Click here for an overview of the best MTB hip pack in test

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Words: Photos: Andreas Maschke, Christoph Bayer