Hub area bag/rack mounting hacks

[Jeff Lesperance]

I've finally procured a pair of hub area bags to go with my hub area rack - jumped on 'em as soon as olive green came back in stock, and I mounted them up with the included nylon strap. I'm struggling with wanting to improve the mounting solution in some way - it's not necessary, but I love trying to make things work differently - sometimes different = better and sometimes different = I kept myself occupied working on this thing and that's good enough.

I've played around with multiple nylon straps, d-rings, mini-carabiners, paracord and assorted clips. Have any of you tried anything besides a single nylon strap looped through and snugged down? What's worked and what hasn't?

-Jeff

Silver Spring, MD

[LeahFoy]

I'm leaving a comment here so I get these responses. I'm wondering the same. I'm considering a pair of Backabike bags for our school commute and I've heard the lament about the mounting not being wonderfully easy...

[Alex Wirth- Owner, Yellow Haus Bicycles]

I've got the hub area bags mounted to a Velo Orange rack using only the two mounting points/grommets. They seem super solid even without the bottom sleeve being used...

On Saturday, August 27, 2016 

[Ray Varella]

Ortlieb sells their mounting hardware separately.
It's very secure when mounted and goes on and off with a lift of a strap.
Shoulder straps are also available.


Ray
Vallejo CA

[Jeff Lesperance]

I have a set of Ortliebs and I think they have superior mounts. I was thinking I'd like to try to make something a bit better than just threading a strap through and around every time I want to instal or remove the bags, without buying Ortlieb kit. I went to the local small box hardware store and stared at esoteric fasteners for a while and just did not experience an aha moment. I ordered some small Ortlieb rails and mounts when I got home.

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[Patrick Moore]

I've successfully used hardware store J hooks, suitably taped, and elastic for the bottom hook. Not elegant, but it worked well. 

On Sat, Aug 27, 2016 at 3:46 PM, Jeff Lesperance <jeff.le...@gmail.com> wrote:

I have a set of Ortliebs and I think they have superior mounts. I was thinking I'd like to try to make something a bit better than just threading a strap through and around every time I want to instal or remove the bags, without buying Ortlieb kit. I went to the local small box hardware store and stared at esoteric fasteners for a while and just did not experience an aha moment. I ordered some small Ortlieb rails and mounts when I got home.

On Saturday, August 27, 2016, Ray Varella <rayvar...@gmail.com> wrote:

Ortlieb sells their mounting hardware separately.
It's very secure when mounted and goes on and off with a lift of a strap.
Shoulder straps are also available.


Ray
Vallejo CA

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[Mark in Beacon]

If you are referring to my comment in another thread that they are not designed for easy on/easy off, that was definitely not a lament! I experience no grief over this, because I knew they were not made for taking on and off frequently, and I don't need bags that facilitate that.

 Here is the product description:

Both mount via two grommets and a strap (included). It's not the one hand/ one second mount and release of a lot of modern bags, but if you can spare 30 seconds, you'll see the beauty in its simplicity and security, and may have some bonus peace of mind knowing there's nothing to break, and you can attached them with a shoelace, if that's all you got.

Now I see from Jeff's latest post that apparently you can easily retrofit these with Ortlieb hardware. So there you go! Me, I'm sticking with the stock system.

[LeahFoy]

Do you guys mind posting the link to this hardware that you are using? I just bought the Backabike bags from Rivelo today, and I'm curious. I don't even know if I want to take the bags on and off yet, it's just too soon to tell what needs I will have for the school year. But it would be nice to know what you are using for quick on and off if it's no trouble to send the link. Thanks!

[Jeff Lesperance]

I was specifically looking for solutions for the hub area bag/rack combo. I think the backabike bags have some similarity in that they also use nylon straps for attachment, and I'll comment on that a bit, but the hub area bags have a bottom pocket that slides into the bottom of the rack as the bottom anchor point, so they are a touch different. This pocket actually complicates matters a bit for mounting systems like the Ortlieb kit as you can't just drop the bag onto the rack from the top, rather you slide the pocket into the bottom of the rack from the bottom.  

I'm not sure the Ortlieb system will work on these bags, but I'm fixing to figure it out.

I like the aesthetic and the simplicity that Riv is going for with these bags, and I don't find the mounting solution for the hub area bags to be problematic, but I wanted to see if I could improve it. I think that the strap mounting solution for the backabike bags is a bit more problematic due to the size of the bags. They're bigger bags which represent opportunity to get more weight in them. If you have one of those bags loaded with heavy stuff, I have to think that mounting/unmounting with the straps, regardless of how frequent you do it, could be fairly cumbersome. The hub area bags could be cumbersome too, but they're smaller mount lower to the ground so even if they are heavy you don't have a large bag to lift as far off the ground.

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[Howard Hatten]

When I bought my backabike bags last year my first impression was wow this mounting strap is inconvenient. I used them on and off and I got pretty good at doing it fast. Now I've come to a point that I just leave them on. I guess if security is an issue the Irish strap would be more complicated to figure out than the quick detach system that the Ortlieb has.

[Ray Varella]

Try this Leah
Www.ortliebusa.com
Under products click on bicycle bag replacement parts.
You might want to contact customer service so they can sell you the whole mounting package. If you look on the beck side of one of their panniers you will see how the hardware functions.
I've used the Ql1 and QL 2 systems, the QL 2 is a bit easier to fit on a wide variety of racks but they both work very well.
I have no experience with their QL 3 system.

Ray
Vallejo CA

[Jeff Lesperance]

My order from bikebagshop with Ortlieb bits arrived today and I got to work on the hub area bag mount conversion. 

Parts:

* Qty 2: Ortlieb QL1 short rail (https://www.bikebagshop.com/e170-ql1-short-rail-p-1080.html)

* Qty 2: Orlieb QL1 top hooks with handle (https://www.bikebagshop.com/e162-ql1-top-hooks-with-handle-p-1077.html)

 - all fasteners needed came with the parts

Tools:

* Awl (for hole pokin')

* 12mm wrench (for nut tightening)

* 3mm hex wrench (for hook to rail attachment)

* t15 torx driver (for fastening rail bolt - could use small flathead screwdriver as a substitute)

Installation:

Eyeball the location of the top rail - I attached the hooks to see where and how it could clip to the top rail and still allow the bottom pocket to be used. By eye I found that a good spot vertically for the rail/hooks so that the bottom of the rack can slide into the bottom pocket of the bag and there's just enough room to locate the Ortlieb hooks over the top rail and drop them on and they clip on. This location happens to position the rail over the grommets that came with the bags.

Use an awl to poke through the outer bag, inner stiffener and inner liner. If there was a tricky part, this was it - I just focused on holding the rail in place with my thumb and then just poked two holes, then drove the bolts through and attached the inner cap nut finger tight. With the rail stabilized with two bolts installed I poked the other two holes and then snugged all of the cap nuts with the 12mm wrench.

Install might have been a bit less fiddly if I clamped the rail on somehow and mabye used a drill to drill through the bag, but it wasn't really a struggle with the awl. For both bags this was a 15 - 20 minute jobs, with most of that time spent eyeballing the fit and location.

...now I just need my Rosco v2 to arrive so I can put this rack and bags back to work.

In-process pic included below and a few more in this album: https://goo.gl/photos/aMs4r3v7iPtFDyB28

-Jeff

Silver Spring, MD

[A CT Cyclist]

Nice job. Looks much more user friendly.

[Leah Peterson]

Well done! Looks great. Riv must have had similar thoughts because they got their bags back in stock and looky here: http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/baba1-gr.htm

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 2, 2016, at 2:29 PM, Jeff Lesperance <jeff.le...@gmail.com> wrote:

My order from bikebagshop with Ortlieb bits arrived today and I got to work on the hub area bag mount conversion. 

Parts:

* Qty 2: Ortlieb QL1 short rail (https://www.bikebagshop.com/e170-ql1-short-rail-p-1080.html)

* Qty 2: Orlieb QL1 top hooks with handle (https://www.bikebagshop.com/e162-ql1-top-hooks-with-handle-p-1077.html)

 - all fasteners needed came with the parts

Tools:

* Awl (for hole pokin')

* 12mm wrench (for nut tightening)

* 3mm hex wrench (for hook to rail attachment)

* t15 torx driver (for fastening rail bolt - could use small flathead screwdriver as a substitute)

Installation:

Eyeball the location of the top rail - I attached the hooks to see where and how it could clip to the top rail and still allow the bottom pocket to be used. By eye I found that a good spot vertically for the rail/hooks so that the bottom of the rack can slide into the bottom pocket of the bag and there's just enough room to locate the Ortlieb hooks over the top rail and drop them on and they clip on. This location happens to position the rail over the grommets that came with the bags.

Use an awl to poke through the outer bag, inner stiffener and inner liner. If there was a tricky part, this was it - I just focused on holding the rail in place with my thumb and then just poked two holes, then drove the bolts through and attached the inner cap nut finger tight. With the rail stabilized with two bolts installed I poked the other two holes and then snugged all of the cap nuts with the 12mm wrench.

Install might have been a bit less fiddly if I clamped the rail on somehow and mabye used a drill to drill through the bag, but it wasn't really a struggle with the awl. For both bags this was a 15 - 20 minute jobs, with most of that time spent eyeballing the fit and location.

...now I just need my Rosco v2 to arrive so I can put this rack and bags back to work.

In-process pic included below and a few more in this album: https://goo.gl/photos/aMs4r3v7iPtFDyB28

<IMG_0681.JPG>

-Jeff

Silver Spring, MD

On Sun, Aug 28, 2016 at 12:29 AM, Ray Varella <rayvar...@gmail.com> wrote:

Try this Leah
Www.ortliebusa.com
Under products click on bicycle bag replacement parts.
You might want to contact customer service so they can sell you the whole mounting package. If you look on the beck side of one of their panniers you will see how the hardware functions.
I've used the Ql1 and QL 2 systems, the QL 2 is a bit easier to fit on a wide variety of racks but they both work very well.
I have no experience with their QL 3 system.

Ray
Vallejo CA

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[Jeff Lesperance]

Ah - I think that buckle strap with the inner dowel is a nice upgrade for the backabike bags if you ever regularly install/remove a loaded bag from your rack.

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[Will Ashe]

This really has answered my question on what bags to get for my front Campee rack. I like the size of the H.A.B, and I may try the Arkel Cam-Lock system or the Ortlieb uppers and lowers. Thanks for the inspiration!!

Will Ashe

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[Surlyprof]

I use the QL3 system on one side of the Tubus rack on my Hillborne.  It's a little more fussy to line up the pegs for mounting the pannier than the hooks on the QL2 or QL1 systems.  Since the hooks are inset into the side of the bag, I doubt you could adapt a QL3 system to another bag.  I use it for my briefcase at work (https://www.ortlieb.com/en/Office-Bag%20High%20Visibility/) so it is nice to not have the quick release hooks sticking out catching my clothes when walking across campus.   That seems to be the only benefit.  What I don't like about it is that you have to mount the QL3 adapter on the side of your rack semi-permanently.  It gets in the way of  when you want to attach other panniers.  I have gotten in the habit of taking the mounting bracket off during the summer so I can mount my old Vaude quick release panniers on for camping, grocery runs, etc.  I have coveted the backabikes because of the simple grommeted holes.  Not sure I like the idea of the straps since I know what it is like to swap sackville saddlebags (although the leather is a nice touch).  Hover, I do like Jeff's Ortlieb/Backabike conversion.  I had thought to do that with an older, leather briefcase.  May have to try it now!

John