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Bar Bag for Drop Bars?

Old 01-31-19, 11:22 PM
  #1  
TimothyH
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Bar Bag for Drop Bars?

I'm looking for a bar bag for bikepacking which won't interfere with using the hoods or drops. I'd like something light and simple.

The bars have flared drops. 15" between the hoods where the hands sit and just shy of 18" between the drops. Its a pretty straightforward setup. Brake hoses and cables should clear but can be rerouted as needed. My main concern is the narrow space between the hoods and drops. Much of what's out there seems geared toward flat bar MTB.

Either size Apidura Backcountry bar bag will fit. I already own three of their products and not knowing any better would just buy the bar bag to match what I already have.

The Revelate Pronghorn looks nice - very simple and light, made from Dyneema. Size small looks like it will fit. My guess is that any dry bag could be used with the harness.

What else should I be looking at?

I know there are a lot of boutique manufacturers out there and like people who think outside the box. I'm open to suggestions. I don't mind spending the money for something nice.


-Tim-

Last edited by TimothyH; 01-31-19 at 11:27 PM.
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Old 01-31-19, 11:26 PM
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I got the Revelate Sweetroll because I was told it would be safe with my carbone handlebars. It seems to work fine, as long as you don't need to access the contents very often.
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Old 01-31-19, 11:33 PM
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Old 02-01-19, 12:50 AM
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I bought a Blackburn Outpost system and found it to be overbuilt for the job. As a result I now just use the double end drybag that came with it. I snap the drybag buckles over the bars to hold it in place and use the red safety harness that came with the Blackburn unit. Simple and effective. It's where I store my 1 man tent.

Going forward I would just buy a simple retaining harness and a drybsg the size you want for between the bars. Anything else is extra weight.

I'll post a pic in the morning.

Last edited by Happy Feet; 02-01-19 at 12:54 AM.
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Old 02-01-19, 07:56 AM
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Originally Posted by Happy Feet
Going forward I would just buy a simple retaining harness and a drybsg the size you want for between the bars. Anything else is extra weight.
This was my thought this morning.

Thank you.
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Old 02-01-19, 11:11 AM
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A Porter rack up front lets you tie any bag you want up there. I know "bikepackers" are against touring racks.
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Old 02-01-19, 12:04 PM
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I use this for drop and flat bars:
https://banjobrothers.com/collection...bar-bag-medium

I don't like the bags that leave a hard mount on the bike when I remove the bag.
This one is sold out at the moment.
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Old 02-01-19, 12:49 PM
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Use a conventional handlebar bag . I am OK with what the above poster does not like .. Ortlieb/Klick Fix do this job well..

Internationally well regarded Ortlieb keeps things dry inside but allows access as you ride , because the top opens away from you ..


for snacks , camera, cough drops , and so forth ..
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Old 02-01-19, 01:18 PM
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
Use a conventional handlebar bag . I am OK with what the above poster does not like .. Ortlieb/Klick Fix do this job well..

Internationally well regarded Ortlieb keeps things dry inside but allows access as you ride , because the top opens away from you ..


for snacks , camera, cough drops , and so forth ..
Advantages of a bikepacking style handlebar bag:

* lighter
* load is closer to steering axis
* can be squeezed down to keep things from rattling

There are good reasons why they're becoming popular, especially for off road.
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Old 02-01-19, 02:11 PM
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
Use a conventional handlebar bag . I am OK with what the above poster does not like .. Ortlieb/Klick Fix do this job well..

Internationally well regarded Ortlieb keeps things dry inside but allows access as you ride , because the top opens away from you ..


for snacks , camera, cough drops , and so forth ..
I will second that. I have used my Ortlieb for years, and it has been great, waterproof, and removes easily so I can take it with me when I go into a store or restaurant. Easy off, easy on.
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Old 02-01-19, 03:37 PM
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Topic at the top wanted an alternative to what you have a preference for, So, how does that solve his situation? [not yours].


I put my bar bag mount on a separate stem stacked under the handlebar stem it's much shorter than the bar stem ,

and so keeps it, as you describe, closer to the steering axis .. If that is your apex concern, You

Could just split things into those 2 stuff sack bag racks that go on the fork blades and have that stuff On the axis. but just a bit less convenient.






....

Last edited by fietsbob; 02-01-19 at 03:42 PM.
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Old 02-01-19, 04:27 PM
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Light and simple fellas.

Revelate Pronghorn
but $$$.

The Wildcat Gear Lion or the Oveja Negra Front End Loader with separate Dyneema dry bag are something I'd consider.

Outer Shell Adventures Stuff Sack Harness
is a great price and looks light.

Anyone have experience with these?

Anything else out there?


Originally Posted by fietsbob
Could just split things into those 2 stuff sack bag racks that go on the fork blades and have that stuff On the axis. but just a bit less convenient.
Apidura came out with these just today.




-Tim-

Last edited by TimothyH; 02-01-19 at 04:35 PM.
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Old 02-01-19, 08:00 PM
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Modern HB bags won't work for bikepacking situations because the shocks and vibration will cause the mounting system to rotate downward or break. Plus they don't hold sleeping bags or tents.

Here's a pic of the drybag only idea. It holds my one man tent and poles.
The buckles of the double ender snap over the flats of the drop bars. They do make a bump but you can refold the drybag ends to get them to lie where you want. The yellow thing is my sleeping mat which tucked in the aeros nice but does look odd. I have since put it somewhere else. The pics don't show the red retaining strap but it is just a piece of webbing that acts as a safety in case the buckles of the drybag holder open. Turned out the whole holder itself was redundant.

One thing I like about the Revelate sweetroll is the egress pocket you can add. Those systems are nice enough but pricey for what they do.



This one held my two man tent with the poles along the top tube.

Last edited by Happy Feet; 02-01-19 at 08:06 PM.
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Old 02-01-19, 11:36 PM
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I do not mean to give offence, but sometimes think choice has killed logic in cycling. Unless you have a Brompton or similar which requires a specific bag, then you can go into a sports or bicycle shop, try, buy, and be out of there 10 minutes later, It really isn’t that hard. If there’s no sport or bike shop near you, try the internet. Unless you are a brand slave, just pick one that is the size you want.

Never spent more than two minutes on handlebar bags, which are pretty much of a muchness, given they tend to be for useful things like maps, phones, suntan lotion etc.
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Old 02-02-19, 01:16 AM
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That's great except we aren't talking about traditional handlebar bags in the first place.

While I tend to look at such purchases as learning experiences I do regret buying the Blackburn system because it was way over built for the purpose and the quick release mechanism ill suited for the task. So perhaps that experience might give another something to consider.

I like the Revelate design for light weight and simplicity but waffle a bit at the price. I admit I am frugal. Others may not be. If price does matter it's pretty easy to analyze and replicate that design via DIY.
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Old 02-02-19, 02:13 AM
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?

Originally Posted by Happy Feet
That's great except we aren't talking about traditional handlebar bags in the first place.
DIY.
We’re not?? Sorry, thought the title and fiirst post indicated otherwise. Yet another example of American English being too nuanced for me !

Last edited by avole; 02-02-19 at 08:39 AM.
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Old 02-02-19, 12:11 PM
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If you look at the bags linked in the first post you'll see Tim is looking to drybag type roll bags that are used for bikepacking. His concern is the ends interfering with the hand positions.

Some designs crowd the drop position area by butting up against the bars but this is just having too wide a drybag or too narrow of dropbars. Flared bars help but if it is too crowded you have a hard time pushing your thumbs through to use the brake levers. That can be solved mostly by not overpacking the bag and rolling it tighter. I also smush it around once on the bike.

Most commercial products clear the flats area by having the drybag mount proud from the bars via the attachment system. That can be a problem with the DIY solution I use but again, I just smush the bag around and fold it in a way that works out. I mostly ride hoods or drops now so it doesn't matter that much.

In this pic one can see that I have just a little (but enough) clearance in the drops and the other shows the red retaining strap that came with the Blackburn system.





Last edited by Happy Feet; 02-02-19 at 12:25 PM.
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Old 02-02-19, 12:24 PM
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Here's a pic when I first started using it with my butterfly bars. The system is quite heavily built but relies on a plastic quick connect attachment similar to most modern traditional HB bags. The problem is that these systems are meant more for off road and the constant jarring causes the plastic connector to rotate around the bars. To solve that issue Blackburn added a piece of cable that loops over the stem as an extra safety feature. You can just see it crossing the crown of the stem. It's a poor design IMO. Even though it is so heavily built it seems they worried the fastex buckles might fail so they also added a red retaining strap that could synch the whole drybag to the bars.




Here I have mounted the attachment system to a second stem because the main one was too crowded.




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Old 02-02-19, 02:25 PM
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I'm afraid to show you my touring rig. The handlebar bag has outlasted 3 bikes. The only changes have been those a) current technology has imposed mobile phone, maps, strava etc. or b) increasing age has imposed - inexpensive hotels (hostels went a few years ago), no tent, tendency to choose warm climates. The trouble is, touring is more fun than it used to be. I still do the cooking (yes, I know, spot the vegetarian), but, hey, the beds may be hard, but who can argue if you can take a couple of bottles of Singha wrapped in ice??
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Old 02-02-19, 04:27 PM
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also possible, use a double stem stack .. that brings the bar bag close to the steering axis ...

​​​​​​ both Ortlieb and R&K Bar bag mounts are designed for reliability on the roughest routes a German Bike tourist can find..

And those people get around to some really wild places..


Last edited by fietsbob; 02-05-19 at 11:00 AM.
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Old 02-02-19, 10:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Happy Feet
Here's a pic of the drybag only idea. It holds my one man tent and poles.
The buckles of the double ender snap over the flats of the drop bars. They do make a bump but you can refold the drybag ends to get them to lie where you want. The yellow thing is my sleeping mat which tucked in the aeros nice but does look odd. I have since put it somewhere else. The pics don't show the red retaining strap but it is just a piece of webbing that acts as a safety in case the buckles of the drybag holder open. Turned out the whole holder itself was redundant.

This one held my two man tent with the poles along the top tube.
I like this idea. Thank you.
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Old 02-03-19, 12:49 AM
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Old 02-04-19, 07:54 PM
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basic small handlebar bag from 35 yrs ago worked great for drop bars as it was suspended between brake hoods and drops with velcro straps. Don’t know why they aren’t around. You could use the bar positions with no interference.
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Old 02-05-19, 12:22 PM
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Some of the Shimano brifters had the shift cable stick out to the side in between the hoods where a bar bag would go.

A friend of mine had a solution for that, he used some V brake noodles to route the cables downward so they did not interfere with his handlebar bag.

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Old 02-05-19, 07:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
Some of the Shimano brifters had the shift cable stick out to the side in between the hoods where a bar bag would go.

A friend of mine had a solution for that, he used some V brake noodles to route the cables downward so they did not interfere with his handlebar bag.

Î mean, why do we bother?
That is not the right type of bag, as the OP ´s henchman has made clear !!!. Granted’ it is the type 99% of us would use, but it doesn’t meet the basc specs of being an expensive solution to a non-existant problem

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