Craft Cadence Cycling Wallet: Quick Review

Craft Cadence Cycling Wallet: Quick Review – by Guitar Ted

I have to admit, I haven’t carried a wallet- the kind you’d put into your back pocket, like maybe your Grandpa did- since 1984. A cycling wallet? Ah…..okay. What’s that? Honestly, I never knew wallets were still a thing, so this Craft Cadence accessory item which came in for review was a bit of a curiosity.

What It Is: This wallet is a storage bag for your phone, and……well, the rest is optional. You could put several items in it and use it in a few different ways. Here is what Craft Cadence says about this accessory on their webpage for the Cycling Wallet:

“The Craft Cadence cycling wallet is the world’s first cycling essentials case to combine a phone case for large modern smartphones, a wallet, and a tools organiser, all in a seam welded rainproof case that fits in your jersey pocket.“

The wallet is designed to fit a smart phone, but it also has several pockets and features in the interior which would allow you to use it as an alternative to a saddle tool roll, or you could go the whole traditional wallet route and store credit cards in there, your ID, some cash, and your keys. Either way, this wallet has you covered with a TPU coated polyester fabric which utilizes YKK rain resistant zippers and high frequency welded technology which results in a bag that is claimed to be rain-proof and fits into a traditional jersey pocket.

The Cycling Wallet is $41.00 USD and available direct from Craft Cadence. Following are the technical specifications of this accessory bag:

• 19cm x 10cm x 2.8cm – fits in back pocket of jerseys.
• 7.48 inches x 3.94 inches x 1.10 inches
• 103 grams
• 600D polyester coated with TPU, seamless welding construction
• YKK water resistant zippers

First Impressions: This bag is pretty low key and looks well made. The zippers and the welded seams are impressive. Opening it up I found the sleeve for the phone which my iPhone12 device went into with its Rokform case easily. Nice! now, what to do with the rest of those storage options!

Well, I decided that this made more sense- for me- to be a solution for carrying keys, money, identification, and my phone all in one safe, dry package. The wallet then would slip easily into my jersey pocket where I did not have to worry about sweat intruding upon the safe keeping of those items I placed within it. Dirt also was kept at bay, so it was kind of nice not to have to worry about what the environment of riding on dusty gravel roads and what exposure to sweat might do to my phone, as an example.

I guess one could go the repair kit route, but I thought that a bunch of heavier items would be a bit too cumbersome for a jersey pocket, but that is personal preference there. Nothing to do with how this wallet performs, as I feel it would do very well in a role as a tool bag.

I did test the water repelling feature of this bag by placing a highly absorbent paper towel inside the bag and then letting that sit out in a fine, misty rain for about 3-4 hours. After this I inspected the paper towel to find that only a very small portion had absorbed any moisture. So, I feel that the wallet can be trusted as a way to prevent things from getting soaked, but also that it can wet-out if exposed for really long periods of time to a direct rain.

At The Finish: The Craft Cadence Cycling Wallet is a fine way to protect sensitive smart phones and to carry things like money, credit cards, keys, and more in an organized, safe way. It is well made and I suspect it will hold up well over the long haul. It fits well into a jersey pocket and has enough inner pockets to satisfy the most organized obsessed cyclist out there.

I would only caution that the wallet is not 100% waterproof, and so don’t go throwing this into the shower or plan on it staying dry inside if you leave it sitting in the rain for a while. Otherwise this could be a great tool for those who are looking for a way to organize tools or personal items in a way which is easily carried on a bicycle ride.

For more information on this or other Craft Cadence offerings, see their website here: https://craftcadence.com/

Note: Craft Cadence sent over their Cycling Wallet for test and review at no charge to Riding Gravel. We were not paid, nor bribed, for this review and we always strive to give our honest thoughts and views throughout.