Review: Wizard Works Lil Presto!
I have the Lil Presto! in an aggressively pink colourway and it is by far one of the best bags that I own.
Made by a small company down in London, run by V and Harry who have a background in commuting, touring and bikepacking. They know what works!
Constructon
The Lil Presto! is 2.15L in size with a HDPE nylon liner inside to help keep it’s shape. A waterproof Cordura outer layer, a waterproof nylon liner and YYK water-resistant zipper finishes off the construction for a very water-resistant but not quite waterproof build. (No product that is stitched can be fully waterproof).
I was a touch worried that with the zipper at the top there would be some water-ingress in the heaviest rain but so far I’ve not seen any. I’ve even cleaned this by pointing the hose pipe directly at it and everything inside has remained dry. I’d still recommend a dry bag for anything electronic or valuable just in case.
Speaking of the top-facing zipper, this is great for accessibility while riding, but a curse if like me you use out-front computer mounts. It will interfere with access to the bag and makes retrieving larger items much more difficult. This is a problem I face on my CGR where I use a K-edge mount, but not on my Big Bro where I use a short Bar Fly mount reversed so it’s over the stem. I’ll end up switching the K-edge out for a different mount as the benefits of the bag outweigh those of the mount.
Fit
2 nano Voile straps and a cordlock strap are used to mount the bag securely to your bars (or saddle if you have saddle loops). The rubber construction of the Voile straps makes them non-marking and won’t ruin your paint job, however I’d put a piece of helicopter tape around your headtube if you’ve got a carbon frame as the cordlock could mark it if you cinch it too tightly.
The daisy chain on the front is useful for clipping a light to or keeping an extra layer if you have some spare straps. 2 small side pockets I use to stash used wrappers or my gloves when I pop in to a shop but I’m not sure I’d trust them to carry anything more substantial due to their shallow nature.
Living with the bag…
I’ve had my Lil Presto! for just over 6 months now and it has been on my bike ever since. It’s packing power belies it’s size, I’m always surprised by how much can fit in there, especially the amount of food I find at the bottom when out on longer, or self-sufficient rides during these COVID times.
I’m always carrying a spare layer, lenses, light and some additional tools I can’t fit in my saddle bag. Even with all that the bag is only half full, useful for carrying food, extra layers if it’s really cold, or a bottle of whiskey.
The final thing to note, is that Wizard Works offers repairs on all their bags, so while you may baulk at paying £65 for 1 bag, know that it will last as long as you need it to.