I came across Green Guru at the 2026 CABDA Show this past February. Their booth was decorated with colorful bike bags and backpacks made from upcycled materials. Since the cycling industry is one of the worst for contributing to landfills, it’s encouraging to see a brand working to be part of the solution, not the problem.
According to the company’s website, they have been “offering the most environmentally friendly outdoor and bike gear on the planet since 2007.” They help divert old gear waste and other durable materials from landfills and upcycle them into parts for their backpack, bike bags, accessories, and more.
The company’s recycling program diverts thousands of pounds of old gear from landfills—items like inner tubes, wetsuits, climbing ropes, tents, banners, and more.
And the best part? Everything is made in the USA! Boulder, Colorado, to be exact. Also, the quality is excellent, and the price is very affordable.
Here’s What I Tested
Green Guru shipped me a variety of bags to test:
- Clutch Saddle Bag: Built from upcycled bicycle inner tubes and nylon fabric.
- Tanker Top Tube Bag: Made of upcycled nylon fabrics from industrial tents and awnings.
- Upshift Frame Bag: Created from colorful upcycled nylon fabrics.
In addition to the three bags, the company also gave me one of their awesome dog leashes made of upcycled climbing rope. If you have a dog, I can highly recommend their leashes. I use it all the time, walking dogs at the local animal shelter. The leash is sturdy and fits comfortably in my hand as I get pulled around the trail.
Clutch Saddle Bag
Price: $35
Color: Black
Material: Upcycled bicycle inner tubes and nylon fabric
Waterproof: Yes
Dimensions: 3” L x 3.5” H x 5” D
Capacity: 52 cu in (0.8 L)
Weight: 3.5 oz
Availability: Online
How Obtained: Company sample
RBR Advertiser: No
Small, Yet Mighty
The Clutch Saddle Bag is small yet functional, with storage for a basic flat kit. There’s room for a tube, tire irons, a CO2 cartridge/eCharger, and a small multi-tool. The saddle bag attaches to the seat rails with nylon clip straps and the seat post using a hook and loop strap. Constructed from recycled inner tubes, the Clutch is weather-resistant. An additional feature is the reflective light loop. However, note the loop runs vertically, so make sure your rear light can attach and be oriented that way.
One suggestion I have for the company is to offer the option for a larger version of the Clutch bag. I want to be able to store my wallet and/or nutrition in a seat bag.
Tanker Top Tube Bag
Price: $35
Color: Various
Material: Upcycled nylon fabrics from industrial tents and awnings
Waterproof:
Dimensions: 9”L x 4”H x 3” D
Capacity: 35 cu in
Weight: 2.3 oz
https://www.greengurugear.com/products/top-tube-tanker
Stash Your Snacks or Phone Within Reach
If you’re looking for a convenient way to store your snacks, phone, wallet, and keys, the Tanker Top Tube Bag is a perfect option for any style of bicycle—road, gravel, MTB, or commuter. The bag attaches quickly with two hook and loop straps: one wide strap on the top tube and one around the head tube. The daisy-chain design lets you choose the optimal placement of the head tube strap. An easy-to-grip zipper pull lets you open the bag with one hand while pedaling, even with winter gloves, so you can access snacks or a phone without stopping. The wide top tube strap keeps the bag stable, preventing it from shifting side to side. After testing the bag on a couple of my bikes, I found the top tube strap consistently too long and will need to be trimmed.
By using a variety of upcycled nylon fabrics, such as industrial tents and awnings, the Tanker bag is available in numerous colors.
Upshift Frame Bag
Price: $45
Color: Various
Material: Upcycled industrial tents and awnings, factory scraps, or EcoPak
Waterproof: Only the EcoPak version
Dimensions: 15” L x 9” H x 2.5” D
Capacity: 168.7 cu in. (2.7L)
Weight: 4 oz.
https://www.greengurugear.com/products/upshift-frame-bag-built-in-usa
Carry More by Making Use of Wasted Space
If you’ve never used a frame bag, they offer several advantages over other bike bags. First, they utilize otherwise wasted space within the triangle formed by the top tube, downtube, and seat tube. It’s a convenient location to store snacks, tools, or your phone, which you can easily access with one hand while pedaling.
Other benefits of a frame bag include optimizing your bike’s center of gravity — keeping heavier items low and balanced. It provides greater stability than panniers or handlebar bags. Additionally, frame bags are more aerodynamic since they sit flush with the frame, reducing wind drag.
The Upshift attaches to the top tube using three hook-and-loop mounting straps. A daisy chain along the top allows you to adjust the straps to the ideal location for maximum stability. There’s one mounting strap that attaches to the downtube. A zipper runs the full length of the bag, opening to a large single compartment. Like the Tanker top tube bag, the zipper pull is designed to be easy to use, even while wearing winter gloves.
There are different styles of the Upshift frame bag. I tested the WILD version.
WILD will be a variety of 420D-600D Packcloth in random colors made from salvaged industrial tents and awnings.
EARTHTONE: 420D-600D Packcloth in browns, greens, and black salvaged from factory scrap.
CAMOS: Ranges in styles salvaged from other factories.
ECOPAK Sail Cloth: Available in limited editions in orange, pink, and purple. These bags are made from EcoPak, a 100% recycled polyester fiber made from plastic bottles. EcoPak is laminated and rainproof, so it features a high-quality YKK waterproof zipper only in this style.
Learn How to Upcycle Your Old Gear
Recycle, I mean upcycle, your inner tubes and more. Check out the video below and the Green Guru’s website for complete details. I even shared the information with my local bike shop, and they are now recycling their tubes through Green Guru!
Bottom Line
You can’t go wrong with any of the upcycled Green Guru bags. They are affordable, high-quality, functional, and available in fun colors.
Sheri Rosenbaum regularly contributes articles and reviews products for RBR. She’s an avid recreational roadie who lives in the Chicago area and a major advocate for women’s cycling, serving on the board of directors and volunteering with the Dare2tri Paratriathlon Club. Click to read Sheri’s full bio or visit her web site sunflowersandpedals.com.
Great bags!
I have the Half frame bag.
Jim
Great to hear! Thanks for the feedback.
Sheri