LIKE Goldilocks and beds, when it comes to bags I have had a real struggle finding one that’s just right.

I have owned plenty of backpacks and several bikes, but none of the former have been bought with the latter specifically in mind.

The ones I have bought previously have either been too small – I couldn’t get in all the gear I needed for a morning commute – or too large, proving unwieldy while riding.

The Northern Echo:

Then one day a couple of weeks ago a large parcel landed on my desk.

Inside were two of Osprey’s purpose-built cycling backpacks.

You couldn’t miss them – one bright red, the Radial 34, and the other a similarly glaring shade of green, the Momentum 26 – the numbers by the way relate to their respective capacities.

Both packs feature what Osprey call their AirSpeed trampoline suspended mesh backsystem. The reason is so obvious I wondered why I had never come across it before.

Cycle for more than a few miles with a pack on your back and, regardless of the weather, you will work up a sweat. Conventional bags, pressed tight up against your back, will trap this. The AirSpeed system is designed to increase breathability, keeping you fresher and your bag drier.

Both bags also feature an attachment for fixing your helmet to, known as a LidLock and a built in rain cover as there’s nothing worse than getting to your destination and finding your change of clothes soaked.

Another neat aspect to the Radial is the integrated kickstand that allows the pack to stand up on its own, meaning you don’t have to lean it against anything to get inside it.

Weighing in at 1.51kg, it is large enough to pack a standard laptop inside – there’s a dedicated padded section for this – and still have room for plenty of other stuff. In fact, such is the number of zippered sections that on more than one occasion I couldn’t remember just where I had put my things.

The Momentum has a slightly smaller capacity, but does not scrimp on the features.

There’s an organiser pocket, key attachment clip, organisation pocket, sternum strap with emergency whistle, sunglasses and electronics pocket and that’s just scratching the surface.

As well as being stylish, the packs are also sit comfortably on your back while riding. There’s no swaying for side to side and, unusually for me, there were no red marks on my shoulders at the end of my ride.

Initially, I did find the top of the pack caught the back of my helmet when I dropped down onto the handlebars, but a quick adjustment sorted this out.

Priced at £130 and £90, respectively, the Osprey packs are not cheap. You could easily get a bogstandard pack for £10 or £20, but I promise you, you’ll soon begin to wonder if you’d wasted your cash.

I’d expect both of these examples to last me a good few years, having examined their construction, and when you combine that with the raft of features they possess it’s money well spent in my book.