Handlebar bag recommendation?

[Jim Droege]

Thinking about buying a handlebar bag. I use a top tube bag and front low-riders. 

Any recommendations on a  handlebar bag? Any bags to avoid?

Tnx,

Jim Droege

[Sharan Daniel]

I like my Ortlieb handlebar bags: https://ortliebusa.com/product-category/bike-bags/bicycle-handlebar-bags/

I have the Ultimate Six 5L—good for summer and carrying less-- and Ultimate Six Classic 7L—good for winter when I carry more glove & layering options. 

The pros: they are sturdy and light, and I like the rigid structure. There is a divider for the 7L which I find helpful for organizing stuff. I also bought the map case that attaches to either bag, to use for cue sheets. They are waterproof in rain; the top has an edge that fits over the bag part, so rain doesn’t seep in. Easy to put the bag on and take off, and it rides securely even over gravel. The long removable strap makes it easy to carry when off the bike, if needed.

The cons: the bracket that holds it on is attached with a cable, and it’s pretty much a one-time installation, meaning that you can’t remove the bracket when you’re not using the bag. Doesn’t take a whole lot of space, but you do have to fit your other cockpit stuff around it. Because of the handlebar bag, I ended up mounting my light on the fork, though a light could be mounted below the bag (just not on my setup). 

Sharan

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[Ronald Long]

Second everything Sharan says about Ortleib - great quality. I have a six as well - it's huge, and also have a smaller one big enough for 200-300km rides.

Also have a cheap little bag from Amazon that's maybe 4x4x6" -  has been just fine for a shorter ride.

I've dealt with the handlebar space issue by installing a second stem underneath the primary one that the handlebar bag is mounted to.

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[Andy Speier]

If you are interested in the Berthoud bags you can check them out if you go to the Rene Herse website. They are a waterproof canvas bag with exterior pocket options. The bag carries everything I need on rides up to 600 Km (weather dependent). With a decaleur it can easily be removed for overnight controls.

Andy


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[Hahn Rossman]

A lot of handlebar bag happiness is dependent on how well attached it is to your bike, and if the bike was intended to have a front load.

Assuming it isn't, I would highly recommend the swift industries paloma bag. It uses the klickfix system so a front rack isn't a requirement.

https://builtbyswift.com/shop/paloma-handlebar-bag/

If on the other hand you have a bike that is designed for a front load. Then the classic combination of front rack, decaleur, and bag will allow you to bring more stuff (or be spontaneous during the ride and get something you find). I really like the berthoud bags

https://www.renehersecycles.com/shop/components/bags/berthoud-handlebar-bag-side-pockets/

Or swift also makes this size of bag as well. 

Hahn Rossman

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[Eric Peterson]

I believe the klickfix used for the Swift bag has the same installation issues as mentioned earlier for the Ortileb - meaning  a cable that is best used a single time.
Or are there variations on the klickfix mount that do not use the cable?

Eric Peterson

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[Hahn Rossman]

Eric

The cable gets a bit mangled where it's clamped, but it is reusable. Is also nothing special so you could always just use a new piece when you reinstall it. I guess I'm showing my preference of leaving the bag on the bike always. I always need some snacks and clothing on any given day. 

[Eric Peterson]

I agree, and have an Ortlieb myself. My issue was using it on a travel bike, and needing to loosen it to get it to fit in the case. I would prefer a different attachment method, after a few loosens I felt it was getting compromised.

Eric 

[Adam]

I liked EO gear's stuff:

https://kgear.eogear.com/collections/eogear

when I was using bags to carry stuff.  I have started to avoid carrying things if I can swing it.  But I was mostly a top tube/saddlebag kind of guy myself.  I found bar bags tended to fill up and need a front rack because it was too easy for me to stick stuff in it, whereas a saddle bag was kind of a pain to get in and out of and hence forced me to pack more carefully.  And a top tube really just fits like basically nothing, which is ideal.

The durability of the ortlieb stuff was great, but it always ended up being heavy and occasionally rattly (in the case of racks), though the rattly part was fixable.

[Bill Gobie]

On Sun, Oct 18, 2020, 9:41 AM Hahn Rossman <ha...@alkifoundry.com> wrote:

A lot of handlebar bag happiness is dependent on ... if the bike was intended to have a front load.

This is important. You should find out whether your bike plays well with weight on the bars. Borrow a bag and put a brick in it. I'm serious. I can loan you a bag. 

Bill

[Roberts, Mark]

When I was  using a handlebar bag, I really liked the Gilles Berthoud 905 Bag, because it was reasonably light, didn’t affect handling and used a klick flix attachment so it didn’t require a front rack to support  it.  And it’s French and looks cool.( Peter White stocks it).  

But I agree with Adam. It’s best to travel light. A small top tube bag and a lightweight rear bag is more aerodynamic, allows for a headlight to be mounted on the handlebar, and doesn’t affect handling. Works well for me even on a 1200km or 1600km ride.

Sent from my iPad

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[don person]

I found a bag attached to my bar adversely affected the handling. 

A bag mounted lower, and closer to the head tube (as on a rack) has less affect. 

Based on top speed on long fast descents, bag vs no bag, the bag is faster by 4-5mph. My theory is it acts as a fairing, pushing air around my upper body rather than the air getting trapped under my chest.

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Don Person (shiggy)
http://mtbtires.com

[Richard Stum ~ eoGEAR]

Thanks for the plug Adam.

We have a fairly new handlebar adapter (# 2323) where we start with an aluminum reinforced backboard which clamps semi-permanently to your bars. You then use a secure Velcro/buckle combination to attach various bags on and off. You can put either a zippered or rolltop bag on there. Or you can use separate strap set for attaching a sleeping bag there for bikepacking.

https://kgear.eogear.com/collections/eogear-handlebar-bags/products/eogear-clamp-on-handlebar-bracket

Regards,

Richard Stum

Owner/Head Dishwasher 

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Richard Stum, Owner & Chief Bottle-Washer

Kinesis Photo Gear | www.kgear.com
or
eoGear Bags | www.eogear.com

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Please excuse any typos or brevity of message, as this was typed on an itty-bitty iPhone keypad, or worse yet, transcribed via Siri.

[Norm Carr]

I've been using handlebar bags that use the Klickfix attachment for many years. The cable is reusable. Just leave a few centimeters of cable beyond either clamping screw so there's something to pull through when it's unthreaded then reused. No need to get all medieval tightening the cable clamp bolts, either. Firm is fine. In a pinch, if you need to replace it, you can always use a length of old brake cable, anyhow. It's a smart system to avoid any chance of bag sag. Ortleib's own bracket (not the Rixen and Kaul Klickfix) that they supply with their bags is an abomination of inelegance and overengineering and well worth replacing with the much lighter, neater and easier to install Klickfix.

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[Richard Wolf]

Can't resist jumping in.

Bags, like saddles, are clearly a matter of personal preference. That includes handlebar bags. They come in various sizes and you have to try them in combination with your other means of carrying gear to see what you prefer.

I don't use a handlebar bag now for randoneuring but, like others, use a saddle bag, top tube bag, and jersey pockets. That said, when cycle touring I sometimes add a very small handlebar bag like the one from revelate or apidura (mine is from Burley but no longer made) as I don't mind carrying a little extra junk on a multi day tour and you never know what you might encounter. Also, when touring you tend to stop more frequently, buy more local food, and snack more, all activities which lend themselves to a front bag.

I share the sentiment of those who mentioned the importance of the bike geometry when adding weight to the front. I don't have any randoneuring bikes with long trail or short trail or whichever kind of trail you need, but I do at times travel with a Bike Friday. I had heard that a Bike Friday had that kind of trail (for carrying weight up front) and once for a tour I added a Swift Paloma to the front. The weight up front took a small wheeled, somewhat squirrely bike and added a ton of stability. So there is definitely something there.

[Andrew Sapuntzakis]

https://www.arkel-od.com/bike-handlebar-bag/

On Sunday, October 18, 2020 at 9:04:19 AM UTC-7 anjd...@gmail.com wrote:

[Jim Droege]

I was amazed at how many people weighed in on this! I expected maybe three opinions …

Thank you to everyone for their expertise. I will probably get a Klickfix (I had never heard of it before), but don’t know which bag I will wind up with. This whole thing is much more complex than I would have thought. I will look at the under-seat bags, too.

I will wait until Covid goes away before making too many decisions, though.

Thanks again to everyone for their advice!

Jim Droege (Bremerton)

[don person]

Jan posted this recently. Pretty much my thoughts. 

https://www.renehersecycles.com/my-pbp-bike-rack-and-bag/

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[Mark Thomas]

Jim -

I don’t know much about bikes, but I ride a lot of brevets and will jump in late to tell you what works for me in case that’s of use to you in thinking about bags for randonneur riding. Over the years, I’ve used all sorts of combinations of bags, including several front bags (I did PBP 2007 with a big Berthoud crate on a front rack, I’ve used Ortlieb handle bar bags, rack trunks, and all manner of under-seat and frame bags). 

In my case, I’ve settled on a relatively large bento-box style bag (see last picture) up front. I mostly just need to have snacks, sun screen, lip balm, electrolytes, some pills, and a charging battery for my electronics up front. Depending on length of ride, weather, amount of support, and other issues, I chose a rear bag that will take everything else. Anything that I will only use when stopped doesn’t need to be up front (although I usually have a small multi-tool up there for quick access). For example,  I don’t have the bike handling skills to change clothes while riding, so I have no need to store a jacket up front. 

My suggestion for you would be to ride with a relatively small front bag and learn what items you’d like to access readily while riding. Once you sort that out, you can get at the bag that is right for your randonneur riding. If small works for your riding, handling and bike geometry issues are much less significant. If you want a large bag, you’ve seen lots of good information from other responses.

FWIW, here are pictures of the front bags on my PBP bikes from 2007, when i rode it in the rain, from 2015, when I rode it quickly (with support), and from 2019, when I rode it slowly. All the setups worked well for me. (As did the totally rando-inappropriate* Litespeed Ultimate that I rode in 1999, 2003, and 2011). I loved every one of those rides.

Look forward to riding with you.

Mark

*I say “inappropriate” with tongue firmly in cheek. Although folks often speak of randonneur bikes, anyone who has done much randonneur riding can tell you that folks ride brevets on all manner of bikes. I’d say “it’s not about the bike’ but someone used that already.

[Jeff Loomis]

Mark rides a lot.  Mark finishes rides.  Mark recognizes there are many ways to success.  Be like Mark.

[Norm Carr]

Lots of people over many years have devised their own prefered solution, all of which work well for many people, and none of which are especially terrible. We're spoiled for choice. The only certainty is that any bike bag you buy will never be the last.

Enjoy.

-Norm

On Sun, Oct 25, 2020 at 4:10 PM Jim Droege <anjd...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Ralph Nussbaum]

I just wait until Mark is done with one of his bags and buy it from him. But that still hasn't helped me ride as long or as strong as Mark. 😀

Ralph

Sent from my smartphone - please pardon any typos.

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From: seattl...@googlegroups.com <seattl...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Jeff Loomis <je...@loomisclan.com>
Sent: Monday, October 26, 2020 9:28:16 AM
To: Mark Thomas <ma...@muthomas.net>
Cc: anjd...@gmail.com <anjd...@gmail.com>; SIR Email List <seattl...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [SIR] Handlebar bag recommendation?

 

Mark rides a lot.  Mark finishes rides.  Mark recognizes there are many ways to success.  Be like Mark.

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[Ronald Long]

I have a couple "formerly owned by Mark Thomas" bags as well!   :-)

ronald

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[Bradley Hawkins]

My bags are getting pretty ragged so I appreciate and am following this thread. My black (now grey) Carradice bag still fits a laptop, but on the other hand, there is no reason for me to carry a laptop anywhere these days. Bags change with needs. I also like the idea of jettisoning the front bag concept now that GPS toys have superseded map holders. 

Bradley Hawkins
composer, arranger, & cellist 

hawkinsmusic.com
206.417.5000

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