teomoto

Surprisingly, I couldn't find posts for bike bags, unless I am searching in the wrong forums.

There are so many bags out there, especially to the bigger size, with various pros/cons.

How would you answer these two questions:

A. what are the features that you can't find in a bike bag/pack or always piss you off, and
B. what are the greatest features you've seen in a bag?

daoswald

That is surprising. There's a bike bag thread at least once a week around here, whether it be panniers, trunks, frame bags, saddle bags, handlebar bags, so some other style I'm not thinking of at the moment.

Anyway, there is no killer feature I cannot find in a bag that always pisses me off. If such a killer feature existed, it would be brought to market by a bag maker. But maybe I'm of simple needs: It must be waterproof. It must be durable. It must mount and remove easily from a typical rack. There are many out there that meet these needs. They're usually not cheap. I've got a pair of Ortlieb panniers that I like.

Greatest features: I guess I mentioned them already: Waterproof, durable, easy to attach and remove. My Ortliebs drop onto the rack easily, hold securely, and are removed by lifting a handle.

Also nice: Panniers and trunks ought to have a strip of reflective material on the back. I think most do have that. Some models can be carried as a messenger bag, or as a backpack when not on the bike. Most of the better manufacturers provide this capability in at least a few of their models, too.

Ultimately it comes down to deciding what you need from the bag. Are you going to be commuting? Getting groceries? Touring? Bikepacking?

Jim from Boston

Bike BagsI’m skeptical too, since you post from the so-called “Athens of America.”

Nonetheless, for a newbie as well as a compatriot, and perhaps informative to fellow subscribers, I recently posted about a specific need for a certain type of bike bag: See the links for further details, including photographs.

For my aluminum beater bike with a rear rack, I use the Ortlieb panniers.Coincidentally, just before writing this post, I had replied to your recent thread about carrying keys (link).

BTW, as I noted above, I too live in Boston as a decades-long lifestyle cyclist and 10 year subscriber to Bike Forums. FYA, I had posted to another new Bostonian subscriber:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

BTW, I don’t list my location under my avatar, but it is “D’uh” [in Kenmore Square].

Jim from Boston

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maelochs

Whenever I see a series of nested quotes, I think "it's Jim from 'Duh' again." …

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stun

My experience is that people drive differently in every city and treat cyclists very differently. The best advice often comes from cyclists that live the closest to you …

The exception here would also be Jim from Boston--anyone that can successfully commute around Boston has my full respect and probably knows how to deal with about every intersection imaginable!

dedhed

So not these?

https://www.wiggle.com/bike-storage-bags/

fietsbob

Bags for what?

UK Carradice, French Berthoud , hundreds of smaller sewing shops. , Ortlieb in Germany , many brands from Asia, Or sewing your own?

ironwood

At the top of the page there is "search", right between "new posts" and"quick links". Click.

Jim from Boston

Quote:

Originally Posted by teomoto

(posting from Boston) Surprisingly, I couldn't find posts for bike bags, unless I am searching in the wrong forums.,,

Quote:

Originally Posted by daoswald

That is surprising. There's a bike bag thread at least once a week around here, whether it be panniers, trunks, frame bags, saddle bags, handlebar bags, so some other style I'm not thinking of at the moment…

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

(posting from Boston) I’m skeptical too, since you post from the so-called “Athens of America.” …

Also posting from Boston area:

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironwood

At the top of the page there is "serarch", right between "new posts" and "quick links". Click.

teomoto

I know, of course, I did that and surprisingly I did not find bag posts, at least not recent post, hence my surprise. :-)

fietsbob

And once you have fitted a set of panniers , you have a place for your keys,,


Did You find any bike shops in metro Boston yet? one well known by forumites is in West Newton Mass,,

you can get there on the Framingham line

teomoto

Yes, there are a few places near me

ironwood

Old posts on the subject are just as good as recent posts, There hasn't been that much in the way of technological advances in bag technology. When you say "bags", do you mean bags that go on the bike such as saddlebags or front bags? Or, bags into which one puts a bicycle?

teomoto

Yes, the first; all the bags we use to put stuff in; not to cover/protect the bike.
But, yes you are right. Not many significant changes in the industry...

mstateglfr 

Jim from Boston and fietsbob in one post?!?
rockingly confusing time!



as for bags...i like everything about my bags. There are so many to choose from that you can find what you want. And if you can't find what younwant, then lower your expectations because the point is to ride and its just a bag.


I like that mine dont sway too much and that they don't cost as much as so many others available.

Jim from Boston

Here's another puzzle. While the OP, and I are both from Boston, @fietsbob is from the NW Oregon coast, yet he seems knowledgeable about a certain bike shop in West Newton, MAI too won't reveal the name of the shop, but the inestimable Sheldon Brown worked there.

Also, both he and I replied to the previous thread by the OP, "Key - issue."

Ever wonder why you don't read us on the same thread...(?) sock puppets (NO)

fietsbob

My last score from them , was some NOS Whipperman full bushing chains I have been using on my Brompton and Rohloff IGH bikes..

Juggy_Gales

I have the Ibera Pack rack system.. ToPeak has a similar system

the Ibera rack matches well to most bikes.. and the bags you can get vary.
The Panniers you can get a midrange set or a set that is about the same quality as the Ortliebs..
I like that the bags that are set to go with the Rack fit it perfectly.
I love it.. the rack looks great on my bike.. my Bike def looks like a long hauler... and is..

The Ibera Rack isn't expensive and you can get panniers for $70 and trust me they are durable enough.. I use them for food shopping.. Ive fit tons of stuff in them..
The Trunk Bag $60 that sits on top of the rack locks in tight.. Both bags you can get rain covers.. the more expensive Pannier and trunk bags are even more durable but also More expensive Waterproof Trunk bag $80 and Panniers $140(Pair) which still isn't bad.. Just more pricey.. they come in 2 colors.. Black and Orange

ironwood

If you can't find exactly what you want off the shelf, in the Boston area you can ask Emily O'Brian at Dill Pickle , www.dillpickle.com , to make a bag exactly to your specifications. Or Dave Cain at Waxwing , Waxwing Bag Co. - Home, in Vermont. Dill Pickle bags are coated nylon, while Dave works with cotton canvas and duck.

greatscott

What kind of bags are you looking for?

If your looking for panniers the best in the industry is Ortlieb but they are expensive; the next best becomes more subjective, but for the money I think the Axiom Monsoon 45 is very difficult to beat, maybe match but not beat. The Axiom Monsoon is designed like a dry bag so it's waterproof unless you submerge it! No matter if you get the best Ortlieb you still should put things that you don't want to get wet into ziplock bags, and line the pannier with a plastic trash bag so anything that you're carrying that has liquid won't spill and stain the inside of the bag.

Handlebar bags it's tough to beat a Topeak Tourguide DX, it's large and roomy, however not waterproof so you need to spray this bag with a couple of coats of water repellant spray like Kiwi Camp Dry Heavy Duty Water Repellant, and respray every season. The Topeak does come with a rain cover but I don't think it's all that good either so you should spray the cover as well. Yeah I know spraying both seems like an overkill but you are talking about rain, and heavy rain can get into things you thought wasn't possible. Also like I said about panniers, if you have something in the bag you don't want to get wet ziplock bags to the rescue.

Seat bag, again I like the Topeak Aero Wedge, these come in I think two different sizes and can expand, again they too will need spraying. There is another cheaper alternative on Amazon for just $12 called the BV Bicycle Strap-On Bike Saddle Bag/Seat Bag/Cycling Bag; I bought one because over 2,000 people have given it 4 1/2 stars and what I found is that it's made of the exact same material as the Topeak! I haven't had it long enough to see if it will last as long as the Topeak but it should and if it does I won't over twice as much to buy the Topeak anymore; I also sprayed this bag too.

Toptube bags, a lot of the bags I looked at used very thin material which didn't inspire confidence for durability, but the two that I saw that did inspire confidence was again a Topeak brand simply called the Fuel Tank; Timbuk2 Goody Box which is a tad too small for me but it looks well made; and the Specialized Burra Burra Top Tube Pack; I ended up with the Specialized because it was a tad larger than the Topeak, both said they held .75L but the Specialized was a bit larger? Someone was wrong in their size measurement. But all the three that I mentioned did have waterproof liners inside, the Timbuk2 used a lid to keep water out, but the other two used a waterproof zipper; I did not spray the Specialized because the outside material is waterproof as is the liner, my phone has a waterproof cover on it so no need for a ziplock bag on it.

teomoto

Thanks for the post, but it's NOT just a bag!
You just admitted that there are a couple of features you like/prefer! YES, the point is to ride, but - to the exact point - a "bad" bag won't let you enjoy that much. That pretty much stands for every piece in the equipment, correct?? ;-)

mynewnchome

So I completed out....it didn't show me any results.

ericzamora

So to dig beyond what your two questions are, what do you need to carry and what kind of bike are you planning to mount these bag(s) onto?

I have a drop bar gravel bike. I use a Revelate Designs Egress Pocket, which mounts to the front. It is claimed to be water proof, and carries a surprising amount of stuff in it.
https://www.revelatedesigns.com/inde...r/EgressPocket This bag is not designed to be accessed while riding.

The Egress Pocket is designed to mount to the front of RD's Harness, for any future bike packing needs. RD's bag, or any dry bag of the correct size can be used with the Harness. There are many versions of this design from other manufacturers, mainly cottage industry companies. https://www.revelatedesigns.com/inde...ndlebarharness

I also have a half-frame bag from Lone Pine. It's much better quality than the cheap $12 similar bags from Amazon, but not as much $$$ as the $90+ bags from cottage industry companies
https://lonepeakpacks.com/index.php/...cks/fb110.html

I also have a Wolf Tooth B-RAD Roll-top bag for the bottle mounts at the bottom of my downtube, which carries tire repair stuff and a multi tool.
https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/...d-roll-top-bag

A handlebar bag is very handy, and Outershell's Drawcord Handlebar bag is of excellent quality. My buddy has one. It doesn't play nice with a stem mounted GPS, especially if using an out-front mount, but otherwise, a very nice bag which CAN be accessed and quickly closed while riding:
https://www.outershelladventure.com/shop/handlebar-bag

Here is a web page hosted at another site that lists a ton of cottage industry companies specializing in bike bags, most made in the USA.
Bike Bag Finder | Riding Gravel

All of my bike bag research was done at this site, and the last site i linked. Plus online reviews from bike industry sites.

eric/fresno, ca.

daoswald

I'm still unclear what you want from us. Have you looked at bags yourself? What do YOU need in a bag. Maybe you need to hire a focus group. Tell us your use case and we can help you find the right options.

Phil_gretz

Today's bags are fine. There are countless varieties. If you want to go into production and are seeking a niche, you might consider trying to duplicate a higher end bag (Carradice, Acorn, Brooks) through third world production. Change up the colors, trim piping, or some such. Sell for 30% less. You'll be a winner until their lawyers come to call...

CliffordK

Try the Commuting, Utility Cycling, and Touring, and Living Car Free subforums.

https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/
https://www.bikeforums.net/utility-cycling/
https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/
https://www.bikeforums.net/living-car-free/

ironwood

Maybe the OP could be more specific in what he wants a bag for: touring, randonneuring, commuting etc. He could also tell us which bike he wants to equip with luggage.