The Zixtro Birdie case has an interesting look to it. The sharp design of the case gives it more of an extreme mountain biking look, but after sticking it on my bike, it looked right at home on a commuter.
First Impressions
When I opened up the packaging, I immediately noticed the design of the Zixtro Birdie. It’s not something that will sit on your bike unnoticed, so keep that in mind. I like the lid design, though. It’s nice to have a full length, fairly rigid lid that opens up wide enough to get access to your tools/gear inside the case. The Birdie’s design is meant to be water resistant since the lip of the lid comes over the body to keep rain out of your gear.
Construction
The build quality of this case seems to be decent. The hinged lid, while not made of polypropylene like most polymeric live hinges, should hold up for a long time if it is not stressed during use. Luckily, the design of the case allows the lid to be opened very easily and there is no need to pull the lid back far. The interior of the case is fabric lined and has a fabric divider to keep goods separated.
The material is also waterproof so that if you find yourself riding in the rain sometimes, you don’t have to worry about things inside this case getting wet. The lid clamps over the body and has a nice sturdy catch to keep it fastened tight. If you don’t have many tools to carry in this case, I could imagine that it would be convenient to hold a cell phone and keys in the Birdie while out on a ride. It would have to be a smaller cell phone, though. My Samsung Galaxy SII wouldn’t fit inside the case, but a flip style phone would fit in easily.
The Birdie is big enough for a multi-tool, a tube and a few smaller things like a patch kit. Figure on two larger things and a few smaller things being able to fit in here comfortably.
Installation
Putting this case on your bike is a breeze. Keep that in mind, too, because taking it off is also very easy. The Velcro straps that the Birdie comes with make the placement of this case very versatile. I came up with five different configurations in three different locations on a bike that it would be convenient to put the case. Two of those locations are pictured in the gallery above and the third would be on the back of the seat post attached to a free floating rain/mud guard. My bike doesn’t have one of these installed, but if yours does you could take advantage of this option.
Check out the video below to see how it looks installed.
To see more cases, check out Alt-Gear.com.
Disclaimer: This is not a paid review. Alt-Gear contacted me and asked if I would review some of their gear. This review is as unbiased as a review can get when something new is given to you for free. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
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