Berthoud vs. Brooks Saddlebag mounts

[Alex K]

Considering a Gilles Berthoud saddle, as I've found that I really like a custom cutout on a Brooks B17 that I have.  I now have amassed a small collection of saddlebags and I'm wondering if the mounting loops on the back of the Berthoud Aspin saddle are spaced similarly to the ones on my Brooks B17 Ti.  Mostly concerned about my Sackville BagBoy and the Happisack.  I've grown pretty accustomed to riding with a saddlebag and it would be nice if the ones I have are easily mountable on my new saddle.  Any thoughts on Berthoud vs. Brooks are welcome.....

Thanks 

[Steve Palincsar]

Yes, the bag loops on a Berthoud Aspin/Aravis are spaced about the same
distance apart as those on a B.17 and fit the straps on a Carradice
about as well.  The slots are rather different than B.17 loops and you
have to slide the straps in a bit differently (they're more like long
tunnels than flat pieces of metal with holes in them) but they work just
fine.


--
Steve Palincsar
Alexandria, Virginia
USA

[Nick Payne]

No, the bag loops on a Berthoud saddle are spaced about 15mm closer together than on a B17, and a Carradice saddlebag, for example, won't fit directly to the bag loops on a Berthoud saddle. See photo below of a Carradice Nelson bag and Berthoud Mente saddle on one of my bikes - you can clearly see that the bag loops on the saddle are too close together for the bag. I had to use a separate frame mounted off the seatpost to hold the bag.

And here's one of the BXB bags mounted on a Berthoud Aravis saddle, where the mounting points on the bag were spaced for a Brooks saddle - I had to zip tie an intermediate short piece of CF tubing to the bag loops on the saddle to allow the bag to be mounted.

Nick Payne

[Joe Bernard]

This is a Saddlesack Medium (old version of Happisack) on a Berthoud Vars. Fits perfect. 

[Steve Palincsar]

On 12/20/20 3:16 AM, Nick Payne wrote:
> No, the bag loops on a Berthoud saddle are spaced about 15mm closer
> together than on a B17, and a Carradice saddlebag, for example, won't
> fit directly to the bag loops on a Berthoud saddle. See photo below of
> a Carradice Nelson bag and Berthoud Mente saddle on one of my bikes -
> you can clearly see that the bag loops on the saddle are too close
> together for the bag.
>

I have no familiarity with the Mente, but I own quite a few Aspin &
Aravis saddles.  My Carradice Barley lines up just fine with the bag
slots on the Aspin/Aravis.

[Nick Payne]

The two Aravis in my possession have a spacing of 75mm between the insides of the slots for the bag loops and 112mm between the outsides. On the B17 saddles I have, the same measurements are 96mm and 126mm. On a Rivet Pearl saddle I have, the bag loops are spaced almost exactly the same distance apart as on the Berthoud saddles.

Carradice have also varied the spacing over the years of the holes punched for the mounting loops on their bags. I have half a dozen of their bags bought over a period of about 30 years, and the mounting loop spacing is not the same on all the bags.

Nick

[Patrick Moore]

FWIW, one can make most saddlebag straps work with most mounting loops, be these integrated with the saddle or bolt on, simply by using longer straps. I've done this umpteen times (umpteen comes after 19 and before 20). Toe straps work well, at least leather ones, but there are all sorts of long, longer, longest leather straps available, from Carradice and many others. If you have a long enough strap and are patient, you can get 'most any bag to strap to 'most any saddle, and the bag will happily and securely carry 30 lb loads. Do this alla time.

On Sun, Dec 20, 2020 at 1:16 AM Nick Payne <njh...@gmail.com> wrote:

No, the bag loops on a Berthoud saddle are spaced about 15mm closer together than on a B17, and a Carradice saddlebag, for example, won't fit directly to the bag loops on a Berthoud saddle. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

[Patrick Moore]

Forgot to add that, hell, you don't even need loops, as long as your saddle is high enough above your tire. I've carried 30 lb and heavier loads in Carradices and Baggins and Sackville bags strapped directly to the rails of my original edition Flites.

Note: Strapping bags to saddle rails means (1) that you must pull the straps damned tight; I often use pliers. (2) the bags may sit a bit further forward, and thus more aggressively caress the backs of your thighs. (Hmmmm ...) This does not bother me, at least, not after riding 1/2 mile (happened Saturday with the Carradice Junior newly attached to the Flite; annoyed me for the first few scores of yards, then I completely forgot about it).

--

[Joe Bernard]

This is true of Carradice specifically, I've had a couple with comically short straps that were a pain in the patooty to work with. Longer straps are the ticket there, although this doesn't really matter for the OP. Sackvilles fit Brooks and Berthoud. 

[Alex K]

Thanks for all the help.  Sounds like I'm good with a Berthoud and Sackville Bag connection (Top Priority.)  I have no Carradice bags to speak of, so that won't be an issue.  Very curious to see how a BagsXBird medium Goldback attaches, not trying to do a lot of jerryrigging with heavier loads, so perhaps the Goldback will be a B17 specific bag.  Will let you know how it works out.  Appreciate all the advice.  One more tidbit. I have replace all the leather straps on my Sackville bags with Voile Nanos, to great effect!  Required a smaller dowel at the attachment point for my BagBoy, but now I can really get that bag higher up and further away from the wheel.

Cheers

[Alex K]

Oh, and Joe B, that's your Green B17 Ti saddle, being put to great use.  Thanks again.

[Joe Bernard]

That's a nice saddle! Who's the crazyperson who let go of a rare green B17 ti?? 😂

👇👇👇

Joe Bernard

[lconley]

Didn't you buy it from me?

Laing

[Joe Bernard]

Hehe, the train of sales around here is endless. I'm probably one cog in half of them!