Front Bag Preferences and Pros/Cons?

[Adam Kilgas]

I currently have a Velo Orange Grand Cru bag that I purchased in anticipation of a build... But now that build isn't happening, but rather I went in another direction. I like the bag; feature wise, it checks all of my boxes...except for color/style. My new bike is a more modern look, and I can't decide how the lovely dark green and brown leather of the VO bag will mesh with it.

So I've been thinking of selling it (it's still brand new, unused) and purchasing another. But, since I like everything else about the bag and have zero experience with other brands (or hardly any front bags, really), I'm curious what some opinions and comparisons might be.

Things I like:

-Opens toward rider
-No Velcro or buckles; all brass snaps or catches with elastic bands
-Made in USA

A short list I've been looking at:

-Swift Ozette
-Acorn (Quite like the looks of this one...)
-Gilles Berthoud (Seems like this would just be trading the green for blue or black, though)
-Zugster Rando (Not currently taking orders...)

For all of you who have put various front bags through their paces, what are things you look for, and your likes and dislikes? If I already have the VO bag, would it be much of an upgrade to the others..?

[Max]

I bought a lightly used Acorn Tall Boxy front bag about a year and a half ago, used it for a few trips. It's handy, doesn't really require a decaleur (it has 4 very strong velcro straps on the bottom for attaching to a rack, in addition to a sturdy leather loop for the tombstone), and has loops on the side for tying loops around the handlebar for stability. 

I liked the construction and architecture of the bag quite a bit. Recently ordered a brand new med/large saddle bag from Acorn in the same color scheme for occasions when I'd like to have an overnight load without fitting racks to my bike. 

- Max 

[Andy Bailey Goodell]

I've heard good things about Ruthworks in SF too: http://www.ruthworkssf.com/store/p69/Randonneur.html

I made two of my own bags a while back. Fortunately they lasted surprisingly well and both are in use today. With that route you can pick whatever color you fancy, and it's super cheap*.

*likely really expensive unless you already have a capable sewing machine (probably best with an industrial one, as I broke my $200 Singer real bad), and it's hard to find the proper material without minimum orders, so hope you want to make 10 bags to bring the per-bag cost down, and value your labor at about 10c/hr. Your mileage may vary!

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[Matthew J]

Big fan of Swift.  They do good work.

[Philip Kim]

I second ruthworks. I've had two bags made by ely -  a basket bag and a rando bag. I prefer the rando bag more.

I'm getting him to make my third bag by him -  the classical rando bag.

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[Justin Hughes]

X-Pac > canvas. 

On Wednesday, December 14, 2016 at 12:07:14 AM UTC-5, Adam Kilgas wrote:

[Reed Kennedy]

Could you tell me more about the Ruthworks basket bag? I don't see it on Ely's site right now, but it sounds interesting to me!

Anything like the Riv ShopSack?

Reed

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[Alex Wetmore]

I have Swift and Acorn bags.  I bought my first Swift bag when they first went into business (prior to that the owner worked for Re*Load and ran the Seattle operation) and bought one of the prototype Acorn handlebar bags.

Both are great.  I like the X-Pac fabric on my newest Swift bag.  The Acorn is really well made by quite small, I like it for summer commuting and touring but it is too small for year round commuting.

My favorite bag is a porteur bag that was made by Freight Baggage.  It is the only front bag that I own which is also comfortable to wear as a messenger bag, and I use that feature all of the time.  Sometimes it is because I just hopped off of the bus and have a short ride and it's quicker to keep the bag on my back.  Sometimes it is because I just went to the grocery store and need to use the front rack to carry additional groceries.  Sometimes it is because I locked up my bike and I'm walking between stores.  Whatever it is, that is a killer feature for me.  I wish Swift would do a design that worked as well on and off of the bike.

If I were buying a new bag today it would be a Swift Ozette.  If you get one of the large sizes (or the Ocean Air variation) make sure that you can fit it in between your bars.  I have the Ocean Air bag that is made by Swift and it is just a little too wide for the 42cm bars that I like to use.

There are photos here of the Freight and Acorn bags.  The grey and black one is from a small run made by a friend about 7 or 8 years ago, and it is close to the size of a L Ozette.

alex

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From: 65...@googlegroups.com <65...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Matthew J <matth...@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2016 8:52:22 AM
To: 650b
Subject: [650B] Re: Front Bag Preferences and Pros/Cons?

 

--

[Matthew J]

> My favorite bag is a porteur bag that was made by Freight Baggage.  It is the only front bag that I own which is also comfortable to wear as a messenger bag, and I use that feature all of the time.  Sometimes it > is because I just hopped off of the bus and have a short ride and it's quicker to keep the bag on my back.  Sometimes it is because I just went to the grocery store and need to use the front rack to carry 

> additional groceries.  Sometimes it is because I locked up my bike and I'm walking between stores.  Whatever it is, that is a killer feature for me.  I wish Swift would do a design that worked as well on and off 

> of the bike.

I really like the Freight Bag design but must report a very bad experience with the company.  I ordered on line.  After the stated time for receiving my bag came and went I began e-mailing for updates.  I never received a reply.   

I found what appeared to be a telephone number for the company.  My calls went unanswered - were not even picked up by a machine.  Just old style ringing. 

[Greg Achtem]

Alex, did you mean to attach pics? None showed up on my end. Not sure about anyone else.

Also, thanks for the confirmation on the Ocean Air Docena. I would really love to try that bag, but I've gone down to 40 cm bars. My Zugster barely fits. and I do get some knuckle rubbing. 

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[Alex Wetmore]

http://photos.alexwetmore.org/Bicycles/Handlebar-Bags/

oops!

Handlebar Bags - photos.alexwetmore.org photos.alexwetmore.org Three handlebar bags that I own. All are pretty uncommon. Acorn Boxy Bag -- This one is pretty similar to most classic French handlebar bags. It is made from cotton duck. Ravenna Bag -- Rory had 10 of these made by a Seattle-area seamstress last year. It is styled like a French handlebar bag, but significantly larger. I can fit my (small) laptop into it for commuting. This bag is made from nylon packcloth and is very light considering it's size. Freight Baggage Pass and Stow Bag -- This bag was made by Freight Baggage for Pass and Stow. It is built like a messenger bag, but is designed to fit onto mid-sized porteur racks. It has the highest volume and is the comfortable to carry on or off of the bike. It is secured to the rack with special snaps. The Ravenna Bag and Acorn Boxy Bag both fit onto the rack shown in the first few photos.

---

From: Greg Achtem <greg....@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2016 10:16:09 AM
To: Alex Wetmore
Cc: 650b
Subject: Re: [650B] Re: Front Bag Preferences and Pros/Cons?

 

[Philip Kim]

Same, ordered a bag, 6 months went by. They said they would refund me - nothing for another month. I eventually had to call my credit card company to cancel the transaction.

[Alex Wetmore]

Sorry to hear about the bad experiences.  I thought Freight Baggage was long out of business and just included the bag as an example of a design that I really like.  I bought my bag 9 years ago at NAHBS in person.  It's gotten nearly daily use since then, and I sometimes wonder what I'll replace it with when it dies.

alex

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From: 65...@googlegroups.com <65...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Philip Kim <phili...@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2016 10:19:27 AM
To: 650b
Cc: matth...@gmail.com
Subject: Re: [650B] Re: Front Bag Preferences and Pros/Cons?

 

--

[Philip Kim]

yeah i tried to buy it a few years back. it's unfortunate, since i know people personally who have one, and they look to be well made and well thought out.

[Alex Wetmore]

To be honest the Swift bags are better made.  The sewing on the Freight isn't always awesome, and there are some poor design choices like having velcro closure that chews up the front of the bag.  However the Freight design is top notch.  I don't understand why other companies don't place a priority on a bag being as comfortable off of the bike as on it.

alex

---

From: 65...@googlegroups.com <65...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Philip Kim <phili...@gmail.com>

Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2016 10:55:13 AM
To: 650b
Cc: phili...@gmail.com; matth...@gmail.com

[Adam Kilgas]

Thanks everyone for the thoughts so far. I'd forgotten about Ruthworks; I had looked at their bags before.

On the Swift Ozette, what are the thoughts on the Xpak vs Cordura? I've had a Revelate bag in the past made of Xpak, and while it seemed tough enough, it did come off as a bit thin and possibly fragile... To be fair, I didn't keep the bag long enough to find out - I liked the design for camping and such, but for normal rides it was a bit fussy. I like having compartments and pockets...

[CJ Arayata]

Have a medium Swift Hinterland Ozette. It's super-light (Xpac and coroplast stiffeners will do that), and I like the organizational features inside. The rear pockets are a decent size, and the front pocket is pretty generous. I also reallllly like how there are the velcro strips for the bottom of the bag to rack.

Only three minor gripes:

• The bag is not waterproof. Some of my first rides with it were our local 400k and 600k, both of which featured periods of steady to very heavy rain. Even in a lighter rain your cue sheet will get wet at the edges due to the seams. I forgot that my point-and-shoot camera was in one of the rear-facing pockets, and it had gotten a bit waterlogged (it eventually dried out and works fine), but a bit of a scare. Also, when you open the bag, you can see the material soaking through on the backside. So, keep all of your stuff in a plastic bag or something if need be.
  
• The side pockets have no 'give' and because it is right up against a stiffener, you can barely shove a Clif Bar in there. I guess you could put a very slim phone or your brevet card in there but I wouldn't put anything of that importance into an open-top pocket.
• Can be hard to open the map case, because the velcro-strip part is not stiffened in any way. So you have to hold down the lip of the bag with one hand while using the other to pull the tab and open the case.
  

Have also heard very good things about Ely / Ruthworks.

[Scott Henry]

Ocean Air Docena bag.     Hopefully the last bag I ever purchase.

On Wed, Dec 14, 2016 at 12:07 AM, Adam Kilgas <adam.rach...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Justin]

+ 1 on Ruthworks bags. I have a Ruthwoks randonneur bag which is going on 3 years now. I sent the bag back to Ely for a couple of mods after a year and he gave the bag a tune-up free of charge. I did, however, wax the bag to make the bag waterproof. The contents inside stay dry now so now worries when its raining out. I'd also consider Loyal Designs or RSA Sun in the future.

On Wednesday, December 14, 2016 at 12:38:41 PM UTC-8, Scott Henry wrote:

Ocean Air Docena bag.     Hopefully the last bag I ever purchase.

On Wed, Dec 14, 2016 at 12:07 AM, Adam Kilgas <adam.rach...@gmail.com> wrote:

I currently have a Velo Orange Grand Cru bag that I purchased in anticipation of a build... But now that build isn't happening, but rather I went in another direction.  I like the bag; feature wise, it checks all of my boxes...except for color/style.  My new bike is a more modern look, and I can't decide how the lovely dark green and brown leather of the VO bag will mesh with it.

So I've been thinking of selling it (it's still brand new, unused) and purchasing another.  But, since I like everything else about the bag and have zero experience with other brands (or hardly any front bags, really), I'm curious what some opinions and comparisons might be.

Things I like:

-Opens toward rider
-No Velcro or buckles; all brass snaps or catches with elastic bands
-Made in USA

A short list I've been looking at:

-Swift Ozette
-Acorn (Quite like the looks of this one...)
-Gilles Berthoud (Seems like this would just be trading the green for blue or black, though)
-Zugster Rando (Not currently taking orders...)

For all of you who have put various front bags through their paces, what are things you look for, and your likes and dislikes?  If I already have the VO bag, would it be much of an upgrade to the others..?

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[Rick F]

Another nod for the Swift/Ocean Air collaboration if you're looking for a more contemporary design.  For a traditional bag the Ruths are great looking but I am targeting Waxwing: http://www.waxwingbagco.com/

All good choices I think.

Rick

[Matthew Snyder]

The VX21 X-Pac that Swift uses in the Hinterland bangs should be waterproof, but from your description, it sounds like maybe they're not taping or sealing the seams.  (I don't know this for sure, but I'm guessing it based on what you described.)  You could apply some Seam Grip to the seams to help keep water out, although given that the top of the bag is basically just a big flap, you want to be cautious about what stuff you put in there and how you pack it.  I've owned many Swift bags of different shapes and sizes and they have all held up well.  I'm now moving more towards bikepacking bags, where there seems to be more innovation in materials and design (and more weight savings).

As Justin said earlier, I'd definitely opt for X-Pac over canvas (having owned multiple waxed canvas bags), particularly if you're dealing with regular rain.  I'd take X-Pac over Cordura in just about every situation, although if durability in truly rough conditions is a concern, I could see arguments for going with something other than X-Pac.  I doubt that would be the case with a rando-style bag, though.

That said, if you're going for a "classic" look a la Berthoud, you're most likely not going to get it from X-Pac. 

Matthew Snyder

Seattle, WA

[Ely Rodriguez]

I like the size and capacity of the standard 8" rando bag that anyone makes. 10" is ok too.

The features are all the same mostly.

There are slight differences, but that comes down to personal taste and preference.

I like velcro, except when I'm using wool gloves.

shock cord closures are good and work well, easy to replace if needed.

Wax canvas is great, but adds a little weight.

Xpac is nice and light, but I'd be careful throwing it down a driveway.

Leather is great, but adds weight.

Most of the fabric is waterproof/resist enough for most use.

I'm familiar with most of those bags.

Adam -zugster, stopped taking bag orders many years ago. I've always loved his style and flow.

Martina's bags look more modern, her new black series looks wicked and I like the dimensions more than the Ozette.

If you want to camp or carry more shit in general, get the Ozette.

I love the swift team.

The VO bag has some good design for their price point,  but I think it can be tweaked a little bit, just wonder if that would effect the price? Igor is a freaking awesome person to talk with, he gets it.

Acorn is always great and classic. Ron has great designs, I would recommend getting a matching rear seat wedge if you buy his rando. Very clean designs and materials.

Ostrich of Japan, easily obtainable in the US.

Guu watanabe of Japan, the master.

RSA Sun of Japan, freaking amazing work.

Emily makes rando bags too, at Dill Pickle. She also will do custom stuff from time to time, contact her.

Of course, if you want french, get a Berthoud, classic and timeless.

Please don't forget Phil of Loyal Designs, he is, in my opinion, a wonderful master bag maker in the US. 

I would buy one of his before a Berthoud. 

It really depends on your personal aesthetic.

There are pros and cons to everything, it's really about what you want for what you do.

Oh yeah, and I make bags.

Hope that helps.

Ely

[Ely Rodriguez]

Andy, hit me any time, I've got some fabric and hardware I can spare.

I broke three machines before switching to industrials.

Ely ruthw...@gmail.com

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[mitch....@gmail.com]

What are the differences between the Swift Ozette and the Docena done for OAC by Swift? I believe the Docena is a version of the Ozette?

--Mitch 

[Greg Achtem]

No. You just have to look at pictures of them to know they are very different bags. Ocean Air Cycles (Rob) did extensive blog posts on the bag and its design/features. Fun reading.

On Thu, Dec 15, 2016 at 9:59 AM, <mitch....@gmail.com> wrote:

What are the differences between the Swift Ozette and the Docena done for OAC by Swift? I believe the Docena is a version of the Ozette?

--Mitch 

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[Alex Wetmore]

Sailrite makes a heavy duty but not really industrial machine that is popular among sailors for homebuilding sails (dacron is really tough to sew) and canvas goods.  I have one and it is a good choice for making bags.  They take up a lot less space than a real industrial machine and you get reverse and zig-zag and they are priced more appropriately (but still not cheap).  Search for Sailrite LSZ-1.

There are some knockoffs available too, but they are missing so many of the nice Sailrite accessories (like the good case and the manual that is human readable) that it's not really worth it.  I actually bought an off-brand Barracuda and then spent about as much money turning it into a Sailrite as if I had just bought the Sailrite.  There are very still features that the Sailrite has that my Barracuda is missing.

I expect that I'll be making my own bag to replace my Freight one when it dies, since no one else is making nicely shoulderable porteur bags.

alex

---

From: 65...@googlegroups.com <65...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Ely Rodriguez <ely...@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2016 8:02:20 AM
To: 650b
Subject: Re: [650B] Front Bag Preferences and Pros/Cons?

 

[Alex Wetmore]

Short summary of differences:

* Docena has a lower front access for getting to items at the bottom front of the bag.  There is an internal divider to split the bag into "top" and "bottom"regions.

* Docena has flat internal pockets for a U-lock and sitting pad.

* Docena is bigger than the biggest Ozette.  It's big enough for me to fit a 14" laptop into (Lenovo X1), which is really rare for a handlebar bag.  Downside, it doesn't fit very well between 42cm handlebars.  It is also really tall, and doesn't fit some of my bikes where the bag is designed to fit under my handlebars instead of in front of them.

Both are made by Swift using X-Pac material and construction is top notch.

alex

---

From: 65...@googlegroups.com <65...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Greg Achtem <greg....@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2016 9:07:42 AM
To: mitch
Cc: 650b
Subject: Re: [650B] Re: Front Bag Preferences and Pros/Cons?

 

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[mitch....@gmail.com]

On Thursday, December 15, 2016 at 10:56:01 AM UTC-7, Alex Wetmore wrote:

Short summary of differences:

* Docena has a lower front access for getting to items at the bottom front of the bag.  There is an internal divider to split the bag into "top" and "bottom"regions.

* Docena has flat internal pockets for a U-lock and sitting pad.

* Docena is bigger than the biggest Ozette.  It's big enough for me to fit a 14" laptop into (Lenovo X1), which is really rare for a handlebar bag.  Downside, it doesn't fit very well between 42cm handlebars.  It is also really tall, and doesn't fit some of my bikes where the bag is designed to fit under my handlebars instead of in front of them.

Both are made by Swift using X-Pac material and construction is top notch.

thanks, good to know. I need to look out for a Docena opportunity then. I remember when you were in search of a rando bag than can fit a full size laptop. There seem to me more options now. Right now I use the tallest Berthoud bag (Compass version) and it's even with my bar. I use the 44cm Maes Parallel which is about 42cm wide at the levers. But I'm tolerant of being crowed by a bag in the drops so I may be ok with the Docena. 

--Mitch 

[Scott Henry]

They (Docena bags) are on presale right now.    Rob is only running them in small preorder batches now.

Not how I like to shop, but I got one earlier this year and it was worth it.

Scott

--

[William Lindsay]

I just ordered a Docena (in Harlequin!).  Thanks, 650B group for showing me where to spend my discretionary MUSA funds.  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Michael Arciero]

Am surprised these are not all waterproof. 

May finally change out from my Ortlieb set up, which has been fabulous, btw. 

[Andy Bailey Goodell]

On Fri, Dec 16, 2016 at 4:24 PM, Michael Arciero <mike.a...@gmail.com> wrote:

Am surprised these are not all waterproof.

​Ditto - good bags aren't cheap, but I assumed for those prices they'd be waterproof! Makes me feel a little less budget that my homemade bags aren't either. I did find a super thin waterproof fabric and sewed it into boxy shape and it fits over my bags perfectly. I can't open a bag with it on though, and now that my bags are decaluered, it doesn't fit very well so I need to make some cuts or a new cover altogether.

Andy​

[Chris Cullum]

I've ridden with canvas front bags in all kinds of terrible weather for tens of thousands of kms and they are effectively waterproof. I've never had an issue with waterlogged contents of the bag. The traditional map case could use improvement as water will leak in the sides and wet the route sheet. I have to put my route sheet in a zip loc then in the map case which is a minor pita.

[mitch....@gmail.com]

On Friday, December 16, 2016 at 12:24:45 PM UTC-7, William Lindsay wrote:

I just ordered a Docena (in Harlequin!).  Thanks, 650B group for showing me where to spend my discretionary MUSA funds.  

I'm getting the camo Docena. I don't know why but it makes me smile that there is a camo option. 

On Friday, December 16, 2016 at 2:52:00 PM UTC-7, Andy G wrote:

On Fri, Dec 16, 2016 at 4:24 PM, Michael Arciero <mike.a...@gmail.com> wrote:

Am surprised these are not all waterproof.

​Ditto - good bags aren't cheap, but I assumed for those prices they'd be waterproof! Makes me feel a little less budget that my homemade bags aren't either. I did find a super thin waterproof fabric and sewed it into boxy shape and it fits over my bags perfectly. I can't open a bag with it on though, and now that my bags are decaluered, it doesn't fit very well so I need to make some cuts or a new cover altogether.

My experience with the canvas bags (Berthoud) is they stay waterproof and I've had no leaks, except at the lid when it's open. 

Greg pointed me to Rob's blog on the Docena. He's tested it for waterproofness and found the Xpac material to be very waterproof, as much as the canvas bags but recommends seam sealer for complete waterproofness. I get seam sealer at the climbing shop and lay a bead on the outside of the bag or glove or jacket for complete waterproofness. Maybe for the Docena bag a bead inside the bag at the seams would be better since tape on the outside of the bag edges blocks you from sealing the seams there. 

--Mitch 

[Mark Guglielmana]

Waxwing bags are a great choice if you're looking for classic french design, but custom made to your specification. Dave Cain is great to work with. 

[Mike Schiller]

my opinion for what it's worth... I've had bags from Acorn, Ruthworks, Loyal Design and Swift.  I still use the Swift ( was large size now medium) on my camping bike.  I did have Ely make me a larger bag similar in size to the Docena, but I feel that size is too big for serious off-road riding and the medium Ozette is about as large of a bag as I think is manageable on challenging off road rides. The Loyal Designs bag is smaller and I've used that on long "adventure/gravel" rides and events and is a great size for faster performance rides. The canvas/leather bags are more durable IMO but weigh more.  

so make sure you size the bag to it's intended use. If you do get a larger bag I would recommend a larger bag rack like the one from Haulin Colin. I have a custom 6x8" rack for the Ozette and it makes it much more stable in rough conditions or fully loaded.

~mike

Carlsbad Ca

[Michael Arciero]

I've used Carradice bags in rain without issue, and it may be that  people  are being conservative their bags as "highly water resistant" (cant remember what company that was.)

 It's really nice that with many of these you can get made to your own specs. I would consider Waxwing. Am partial to VT. 

[Ely Rodriguez]

Of course!

Yes, David is a great guy, talented and beautiful bags.

+1 for Waxwing!

[Joel Niemi]

Re: Chris commented about map pockets and water penetration.

For my 2nd d-i-y bag I adapted a small kayakers' map case as a snaps-on solution. It's just small enough that I could put the heads of snaps in the webbing at the edges (not through the watertight part), with the other part of snap on the vertical edge of the bag's top.

My thought was that if it worked on top of a kayak hull, it would likely be good on a bike.

Joel Niemi- Snohomish Washington where the precipitation is about to be white

[Eric Nichols]

While I use a tall Berthoud bag for long brevets, I find that it's overkill for most of my rides, which tend to be shorter all-road rides.  For rides of 200k or less in warm weather, I like the Lone Peak Micro Rack pack.  It doesn't need a decaleur, it's large enough for a few spares, some food, and a layer of clothing.  Even though the zippered top hinges from the rear, I can still reach into it while riding. It's light and stable, it has a padded bottom so things don't rattle, and it has a reflective element sewn around its perimeter. Overall it's a great design at a great price (USD$45).

A minor pet peeve I have with most canvas bags (and Swift bags for that matter) is the lack of reflectivity.  Dark colors and no reflectivity seem to put style ahead of safety.  

The Berthoud and its decaleur go on the bike for the big rides, but 90% of the time, my bike sports the Lone Peak Micro Rack pack. 

Eric Nichols 

Newfields NH

[John Roberts]

I prefer the Solonge/Berthoud and TA bags of yesteryear, and have restored a couple. I use an old TA bag on everyday rides and find nothing lost compared with more modern bags I have briefly tried. It is true that they are far from completely water-proof, and especially with the TA, where the clear vinyl opens from both sides. 

A solution I think is just fine, is using a one-piece rain cover put over the bag (elasticized at bottom, with a clear vinyl top so you can still view your maps)... Arkel makes such a cover, and Gilles Berthoud also makes a version, though I haven't seen it in person. The cover is a) completely water-resistant, b) high-visibility/reflective, to make-up for the dark leather and duck cottons we often prefer for front bags..  So, again, this cover would offer visibility through the top, and would be easily removed/stored.

I'm thinking of making such a cover using silicone-coated nylon ripstop, though I do not have any experience with this x-pac material some of you mention above... would there be discernible advantages? The aim, of course, would be supreme water-resistant and durability. 

[Eric Keller]

On Mon, Dec 19, 2016 at 11:24 AM, John Roberts <oldtr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> A solution I think is just fine, is using a one-piece rain cover put over
> the bag (elasticized at bottom, with a clear vinyl top so you can still view
> your maps)... Arkel makes such a cover, and Gilles Berthoud also makes a
> version, though I haven't seen it in person. The cover is a) completely
> water-resistant, b) high-visibility/reflective, to make-up for the dark
> leather and duck cottons we often prefer for front bags.. So, again, this
> cover would offer visibility through the top, and would be easily
> removed/stored.

It would have to have a way to get around the decaleur, right? I
have some fully reflectorized ripstop I got from Seattle Fabrics, but
that isn't waterproof. I bought it to make a cover for my hydration
pack.
Eric Keller
Boalsburg, Pennsylvania

[Andy Bailey Goodell]

I think the material I made a cover from was a sil-nylon. When the bike is parked, water pools on it and yet the bag has stayed dry underneath even after a few years of use. It was super quick and easy to sew together as just a box with no bottom, although that was before I was using decaluers. I'm thinking of making a few more, especially now that I have a wide strip of reflective fabric to add to the front. Maybe something to bungee the front on so it flaps a little less. And with decaluer holes. Maybe a map pocket view too. Ahhh too many things!

[Matthew Snyder]

What about just lining the inside of your bag with a trash compactor bag, cut down to whatever size you need?  Throw your stuff in there, roll up the top, and you're done.  Lightweight, totally waterproof, super cheap, easily replaced if lost/damaged.  

I'm not sure I understand the advantage of an external cover, unless the primary goal is to add reflective bits.

[Andy Bailey Goodell]

I made mine as two layers of canvas with coroplast between them (except the top). So while it takes a little while to soak through when uncovered, it takes significantly longer to dry. Because of that, I prefer the external cover to keep it dry from rain on the outside. This pic shows the extra reflective bit added to the front, which I think works well.

Andy in Dover, NH

--

[Michael Arciero]

That's a nice looking bag. Had you considered magnetic closure?

I dont think simply using a trash bag  inside the bag would work well in practice. Beyond the fact that aesthetically it is about on par with using zip ties for fenders, I would find it most annoying having to deal with  a rolled up, bunched up bag every time I accessed the contents.  It would be especially challenging  one-handed while riding. Also, if the bag is fabric or canvas, it is going to absorb water, which adds weight. An external cover would also keep any external pockets dry.

I still advocate for waterproof material. There are lots of choices here,  from waxed canvas to more modern materials. I dont understand the problem with that.

[Tom Norton]

To Andy G.

I would like to talk with you about how you made this bag. Would you email me? Thanks,Tom tnort...@gmail.com

[Andy Bailey Goodell]

Tom et al,

I mostly followed the plans from this site: http://ifihadabikeblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/diy-handlebar-bag.html

Other than few small projects before, this was my first try at sewing something real. The first bag took at least 40 hours, so there's that. The second (the one in my prior picture) came out looking much better and was around 20 hours to make. There are still many finishing touches that could have been improved if I had sewing skills, but it came out pretty well. I got the reflective tape and some metal book hooks on ebay. Closures are all velcro. I did consider magnets but wasn't sure if that would close as well. I made the two bags at least 3 years ago and they are holding up well. I finally added decaluers this year - before I just bolted them down to the rack and never took them off.

Good luck to anyone that wants to try to make one! Winter is a good time for projects.

Andy in Dover, NH

--

[WMdeR]

Dear Andy,

That pattern still has legs! I'd forgotten Dylan had posted it....

I've modified it a bit over the years to better account for the differences between synthetics and canvas, to fit my bikes exactly, and I've very gradually gotten better at making them. Nice job!

Cheers,

Will

William M. deRosset

Fort Collins, CO

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