riverdrifter

Does anyone make a simple bag for saddle mount or handlebar, to carry a large DSLR? I've googled a bit and only found one, by Iberra, that doesn't look too great.

Thanks!

tyrion

You can get an Ortlieb bag and an Ortlieb camera insert for it.

https://ortliebusa.com/product/camer...andlebar-bags/

riverdrifter

Thanks, looks awesome! I was just hoping for awesome and cheap.

fietsbob

cheap would be just using your phone camera..
buying a DSLR is already showing you have money available..

maybe you can find a camera bag in your price point
and figure out a way to put a front basket on the bike to put it in?

riverdrifter

That may be what I end up doing. I've got an old LowePro shoulder bag that would be the perfect size for a handlebar bag, if it could be retro-fitted somehow. Or it would fit perfect on a Blackburn bootlegger.

WhyFi

I'm just more comfortable with the weight on me, rather than on the bike, so I use a small Kata 3-in-1 with the straps in the backpack configuration.

SashaSolitaire

I tried doing the same thing for about 10 yards, before i realized how "potentially" bad this could be. The vibrations in the basket, even though padded by the bag, can move the sensor or the lens elements out of alignment. I now hang the camera over my back and roll it forward when I need to take a picture or some.

tyrion

I carry a DSLR in a camera bag insert in a messenger bag in a Wald basket.










It's solid and the camera is well protected but it's fairly heavy (messenger bag weighs 2 lbs.).

Darth Lefty 

All this time I've been jamming it lens-down in the bottle cage.

riverdrifter

Sy Reene

Pics or it didn't happen

Darth Lefty 

ok, busted. I'd stage it just for fun but I gave my old DSLR to my BIL, and if I tried it with my wife's she'd kill me then divorce me

Sy Reene

The problem is the neckstrap.. keeps tangling in the spokes

Darth Lefty 

That's a really low quality photo. You should have used a DSLR

riverdrifter

canklecat

I use an AGU handlebar bag, made in Holland, the Qyoto 820, weatherproof, with top mounted velcro detachable map pocket (I mostly use it to hold my phone -- the touch screen can be operated through the transparent plastic).

I don't have a recent photo of my current setup for that bag/bike combo, but here's a product brochure photo that shows how it sits:



AGU Qyoto 820 weather/water resistant handlebar bag




That particular 2013 model is no longer made but the current bags are very similar. Plasticky finish ballistic nylon, fairly stiff sides and bottom. Hinged top opens away from rider in saddle position, with bungee closures, so it's very convenient. Comes with a KlickFix mount. At the time it was on blowout from Nashbar for only $20, an incredible bargain. It would still be a good value at full price. Seldom seen in the US though but can be ordered from Holland.

It's a canteen shape and coincidentally the same size and shape as one of my favorite old camera bags, a Beseler canteen bag made of a cotton material that's not quite as coarse as Domke canvas, more like a rugged smooth heavy denim. So the same padded inserts from the Beseler bag fit the AGU bag when I use it to carry camera gear on the bike. It'll hold my old full size Nikon D2H and midrange zoom, but I usually tote the smaller Nikon V1, lens, flash and accessories so there's plenty of room for other stuff as well.

So far I've used it only on my old Univega which has been converted to a sort of citified roadster, with swept back albatross bar. When I'm on my road bikes I just stuff a little Olympus Tough Cam in my jersey pocket.

Much as I liked my old Kirtland Tour Pack handlebar bag from the 1970s, the AGU is a better design. However the zippers aren't as rugged as the Kirtland's. One of the AGU bag's side pouch zippers pulled apart and can't be closed. I use that pouch to hold my USB battery for recharging my handlebar mounted video camera on the fly, and a bit of Gorilla tape to hold it shut. The other zippered pouch works okay but I don't use it often. I consider the side pouches superfluous and mostly like the bag for the main compartment and handy hinged lid.

Here's a demo video by a European dealer from a few years ago. The video doesn't demo the drawstring inner pouch or the shoulder strap. The strap uses velcro so it's quick and easy to detach so it doesn't flap around while riding, and reattach for carrying into a shop. I also use it for quick grocery errands. It'll hold a 7 lb bag of Iams, the only food my picky cats will eat. And I've stacked way too much stuff on top of the bag for short trips home -- no problems. I just secure it by tying the grocery bag flaps or use a spare bungee cord. The KlickFix mount is really strong.

Google around for other photos of how the KlickFix mounts work (very quick, easy and secure). The only drawback to the KlickFix mount isn't the mount itself but how high the bag sits relative to the handlebar -- it blocks most bar mounted lights, cameras, etc.

But I'm satisfied enough that I'd consider ordering another AGU bag from Holland if I was more serious about touring, or just needed another handlebar bag.

KraneXL

I hope that's a joke? Otherwise, a terrible idea, unless you're made of money? Photographic equipment needs to be handled with kid gloves unless you have the proper shock absorbing safety housing. DSLR and bikes just don't mix. Action cameras being the obvious and more appropriate exception.

FYI, my action camera clamp broke and my GoPro fell onto the road and was run over by a tailgating car. I saw the camera falling but if I had stopped immediately he would have run over me instead of my camera. Just another reason why I HATE TAILGATERS!

canklecat

Here's the AGU bag on my Univega. The inserts from my Beseler, LowePro and Domke camera bags will fit.

This just shows the little Nikon V1 inside, but my full size D2H with mid-range zoom will fit as well.

This model isn't made anymore but the current versions are similar.



AGU Qyoto 820 handlebar bag with KlickFix mount.


AGU Qyoto 820 handlebar bag with KlickFix mount. Lid opens away from cyclist from saddle position.


AGU Qyoto 820 handlebar bag with KlickFix mount. Enough room for a full size dSLR and mid-range zoom, depending on insert used.