Bag Support for Medium Saddlesack

[Dave Grossman]

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for a bag support that isn't a full rear rack for a medium saddlesack.   DIY ideas welcome!

[Patrick Moore]

Carradice has all sorts of options: https://www.carradice.co.uk/products/saddle-fixing-systems. IME, tho' it has been a few years, they shipped US orders smoothly and promptly.

My arrangement from some years ago. Of course, Those are 25" diameter wheels, but OTOH, it's a medium (58 c-c) frame. I home-made a QR saddlebag clamp much alike in design to the Nitto one but with arms level instead of angling down. This let me hang the M Saddlesack with ample clearance over the rear tire even when fully stuffed with heavy-ish groceries.

On Tue, Nov 9, 2021 at 7:33 AM Dave Grossman <gma...@gmail.com> wrote:

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for a bag support that isn't a full rear rack for a medium saddlesack.   DIY ideas welcome!

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Patrick Moore

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

[Dave Grossman]

Do you have a pic of your homemade device?

[Patrick Moore]

Sorry, that was years ago.

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[Nikko in Oakland]

I recently got a Mark's Rack that I put on the rear for my saddle bag support. I found that the Erlen Rack wasn't holding enough weight for me (it would come out of the seatpost on chunkier rides and that's really scary). The saddlesack is so big that the rack kind of disappears, which is nice. 

[Patrick Moore]

On Tue, Nov 9, 2021 at 11:32 AM Dave Grossman <gma...@gmail.com> wrote:

Do you have a pic of your homemade device?

Again, I no longer have a photo, but I actually made 2 of the things, the one in the earlier photo being the first one. They were easy to make, even for someone whose manual skills are as poor as mine.

The idea was basically 2 arms sticking rearward straight out behind the saddle at close to top-of-saddle height. The Nitto clamp, much better made, tho' essentially made the same way, by bending aluminum stock -- for some reason angles the arms downward. This is fine for Brooks-type saddles with the rails vertical in the rear, but on the rails of my beloved Flites it holds the bag needlessly low.

I got some sheet aluminum stock at the hardware store. I made a cardboard template of a squared-off "U", with arms cut so that, when bent at right angles, they stuck out straight instead of down. 

I used the cardboard template to place the shape on the aluminum, and cut it to fit. I drilled holes in the bottom of the "U" for small U bolts to clamp it to the saddle rails, and then cut slots (in this earlier pictured version, just holes) for a front axle QR, onto which I slide a piece of small conduit pipe cut to fit between the arms. I attached the bag mounting straps to the pipe. The pipe let me clamp down hard on the QR to hold the bag securely in place. 

This required no brazing, only work with hacksaw, Dremel, and files. It was secure, though the plate, to be workable with my tools and (lack of) skills was rather thin. But the arms were wide, and so securely clamped there was no sway -- indicating, perhaps, that it would last a while.

I recall that photo. This was a large grocery load, probably of 30 lb or so. No sway.

My brother has more skill and chose an easier way: He's made similar "clamp to modern saddle rails" QR saddle bag carriers using the dropouts of scavenged, trashed forks. But I think mine was more elegant.

I am very tempted to make another one for my present Medium Saddlesack, but as this bag is a backup used very occasionally, I haven't undertaken the job.

 

[Dave Grossman]

Thanks.  That's helpful.

[Jason Fuller]

Oh yikes Nikko - now I know what you meant when you said you didn't like the Erlen!  I'm glad that my application is on an S83 seatpost with two bolts now. 

On Tuesday, 9 November 2021 at 14:09:45 UTC-8 Nikko in Oakland wrote:

I recently got a Mark's Rack that I put on the rear for my saddle bag support. I found that the Erlen Rack wasn't holding enough weight for me (it would come out of the seatpost on chunkier rides and that's really scary). The saddlesack is so big that the rack kind of disappears, which is nice. 

[Drw]

I got this from https://timtas.nl/ 
He can customize it to your specifications (i had him add little points for struts) and I think the price was < nitto.