Front rack bag for tall riders?

[Rex Kerr]

My handlebar bag is in tatters and needing replacement.  In addition, it doesn't work on my AHH's mustache bars, which has me thinking of converting to a rack mounted bag since both of the bikes I'd use it on have front racks.  The problem is, in all of the pictures that I see where they look very conveniently placed, they're on small bikes.  On these small bikes with short steerer tubes the bag is tall enough to come up nearly to the bar height, and all is well.  Problem for us tall guys is that the distance down to the rack is quite extreme.  So, I'm thinking that such a bag wouldn't be ideal for me.  

Any thoughts on this subject from fellow tall riders?  Have you tried such a bag?  Did it feel inconvenient to use?  Did you find it to be a non-issue, such that you're wondering what I'm fretting about?

Thanks!

-Rex

[Jim Cloud]

Unfortunately, the options to mount a handlebar bag on a larger frame
bike are limited. I have Gilles Berthoud GB2886 front bag (the
largest size available from Berthoud) paired with a stem-mount
decaleur that was previously sold by Velo Orange, however, it's no
longer available. Perhaps you might be able to source something
similar from a custom builder. I'm not sure, by the way, how you
would fare mounting a similar decaleur with moustache bars.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37964304@N05/6039071852/sizes/l/in/set-72157619758078965/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37964304@N05/5326121224/sizes/l/in/set-72157619758078965/

Jim Cloud
Tucson, AZ

[Rex Kerr]

On Wed, Sep 26, 2012 at 12:26 PM, Jim Cloud <Clou...@aol.com> wrote:

Unfortunately, the options to mount a handlebar bag on a larger frame
bike are limited.  I have Gilles Berthoud GB2886 front bag (the
largest size available from Berthoud) paired with a stem-mount
decaleur that was previously sold by Velo Orange, however, it's no
longer available.

Thanks for the feedback.  That's a nice bag, but it looks like it still needs some bottom support, and barely reaches your rack.  I'm not sure what frame size you ride (to infer the steerer length), but it still looks like a shorter distance than mine.

[Joe Broach]

This came up a while back (maybe on the 650b or i-BoB list), and I
paid attention because the biggest Berthoud is borderline too small
for my frames, too. I thought a great idea that came up was to make
use of the extra space and make a dual compartment bag. Tools and
other things not needed while riding go down below, and the usual
food/clothes/camera go up top.

Of course, this would need to be custom, but custom bags sewn here
don't seem to be that much more than Berthoud. Ruthworks for one seems
willing to experiment. You could also mock one up yourself for the
cost of tape and a campaign sign or two:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyclerslife/sets/72157631544583459/

Interested to see what you come up with.

Best,
joe broach
portland, or

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[Steve Palincsar]

How tall is "tall"? I have 59 and 60 cm frames that carry my Berthoud
GB2886 (same bag as Jim Cloud). I use Berthoud decaleurs with it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/97916047@N00/sets/72157627155309179/show/

[Rex Kerr]

On Wed, Sep 26, 2012 at 12:52 PM, Steve Palincsar <pali...@his.com> wrote:

How tall is "tall"?  I have 59 and 60 cm frames that carry my Berthoud

GB2886 (same bag as Jim Cloud).  I use Berthoud decaleurs with it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/97916047@N00/sets/72157627155309179/show/

How tall?  I was debating between the 67 and 69 cm frame and went with the 67 because they had no 69 to test ride.  After returning to RivHQ on another trip and straddling the 71 without ill consequence I often wonder if I'd have been better off with the 69.  My stem extension shows this in between state as I still have more than a fist-full of stem showing to get my m-bars at saddle height.

Riv is the only vendor who was able to meet my sizing needs with a more or less "off the shelf" bike...

[Jim Cloud]

Uh, how much bottom support do you think is needed for a handlebar
bag??

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37964304@N05/3634055322/sizes/l/in/set-72157619758078965/

Also, you made no statement about the size of your frame in your
original post (my frame is 65 cm). Good luck with your search...

Jim

On Sep 26, 12:49 pm, Rex Kerr <rexk...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Kelly]

Here's my 68Cm QB with front bag and Mustache bars. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tksleeper/7866686844/in/set-72157625210417815

Kelly

[Tim McNamara]

On Sep 26, 2012, at 2:10 PM, Rex Kerr wrote:

> My handlebar bag is in tatters and needing replacement. In addition, it doesn't work on my AHH's mustache bars, which has me thinking of converting to a rack mounted bag since both of the bikes I'd use it on have front racks. The problem is, in all of the pictures that I see where they look very conveniently placed, they're on small bikes. On these small bikes with short steerer tubes the bag is tall enough to come up nearly to the bar height, and all is well. Problem for us tall guys is that the distance down to the rack is quite extreme. So, I'm thinking that such a bag wouldn't be ideal for me.
>
> Any thoughts on this subject from fellow tall riders? Have you tried such a bag? Did it feel inconvenient to use? Did you find it to be a non-issue, such that you're wondering what I'm fretting about?

I use a Berthoud Mini-86 which is about the smallest front bag Berthoud makes, so I went in the opposite direction. I don't want to carry a bunch of stuff with me most of the time, and, when I do I prefer a saddlebag. Having a giant handlebar bag with a patch kit, tire lever, spare tube and money carrier seems silly; 90% of the time that is all I carry. Even when I did brevets I rarely carried much more than that. I rode PBP 2003 with a banana bag... didn't finish but that was the fault of my iliotibial band tendinitis, not the bag.

[Robert F. Harrison]

I tried to get one this week and didn't get it fast enough, now I know why. :-)  I'll have to give it a try again on the next round. 

I have an Acorn handlebar bag and a medium saddlebag on my 66cm Quickbeam, both of which are great. With a 62cm Hunq arriving shortly I was hoping to get the tall rando for it but no love this time around. Congrats on getting yours. Let us know how it works and if it really fits.

Aloha!

On Wed, Sep 26, 2012 at 9:19 AM, tragicallyaverage <daba...@gmail.com> wrote:

Acorn Bags introduced a Tall Rando Bag a while back and Berthoud sells a taller h-bag too - the 28 model or it's variations.
I just ordered a tall Acorn bag so hopefully this will solve my problems too. I'm 6'3", ride a 64cm/65cm.
On another note, I like rack supported bags as they sit lower than bar supported bags, and in general, you can put a little more weight on them.

On Wednesday, September 26, 2012 2:10:22 PM UTC-5, Rex Kerr wrote:

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statrix.com

[Ron Mc]

Steve P - how is your decaleur attached?  I saw it on your slide show, but don't recognize the hardware.  

Do you have a link or can you identify the part maker?  

Thanks

As far as the how tall is tall, a 64 cm frame with 160mm exposed quill gets pretty tall

[William]

Rex

You can always design and spec your own and then get it made custom.  Make your own prototype(s) from corroplast and tape, use those for as long as it takes you to design your perfect bag.  Once it's done, fold your plastic bag flat, and mail it to your custom bag maker as a pattern.  It'll be brilliant.  Search 'corroplast' on this board to see the ones that a couple of us have come up with.  

[Steve Palincsar]

On Thu, 2012-09-27 at 06:29 -0700, Ron Mc wrote:

Steve P - how is your decaleur attached?  I saw it on your slide show, but don't recognize the hardware.

The Berthoud decaleur replaces the stem handlebar clamp bolt on a Nitto stem with a longer bolt.  The decaleur attaches to the bolt on the threaded portion that sticks out of the stem. 

Do you have a link or can you identify the part maker?

http://peterwhitecycles.com/berthoud.asp

[Ron Mc]

Thanks !

[Rex Kerr]

32 cm?  Mine, which prompted this thread, is 43 cm (to the rack, not the fender, which is ever further)!!

On Sep 30, 2012, at 7:03 PM, john <john...@comcast.net> wrote:

@ Steve, Joe, and Jim: thanks for the great photos. These really help. I've got an interesting situation (I think). I have been flummoxed in trying to set up a handlebar bag for some time now. In short, my bike's long head tube combined with a fairly large frame have been difficult to fit. I ride a Sam Hillborne (60 cm). The drop from the horrizontal stem bolt to the top of my fender (where a rack would sit if I still had one on) is 32 cm.  

My first attempt was with an Ostrich bag with a Velo Orange stem-mounted decaleur. The bag was too short: it didn't reach my rack.

The second attempt was with a Swift Industries rando bag (their largest). Still too short to reach the top of the rack.

I've been eyeing a Gilles Berthoud 28 (their largest) for a couple years now, but have not wanted to pull the trigger for fear of it not working, either. 

So, questions to any and all: The largest Berthoud is 25 cm tall. I've still got 7 cm between the bag and the horrizontal stem bolt. Will the Berthoud decaleur get me to the rack? If so, do I purchase their standard size (91) or their longer (121)? 

I'll attatch a picture of my set up in hopes of helping to clarify my situation. 

Thanks all!

On Wednesday, September 26, 2012 12:10:22 PM UTC-7, Rex Kerr wrote:

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