Handlebar Bag Stand-Off?
 

I recently bought one of MSR's bikepack tents (the Hubba Hubba Bikepack 2-Person). It has straps with stand-offs to mount about 1 inch / 2 cm in front of the handlebar. It also has an adjustable loop of shock cord at the rear. It is clear that I need the bag to sit forward of the steer tube by about 3 inches / 8 cm if I don't want the tent to drag on the tire. What are other people doing to hold bar bags forward? (I know there are metal gizmos that mount between headset spacers, but I leave in two days, which doesn't leave much time to have something shipped.) What am I supposed to be doing with the loop of shock cord? It seems like whatever solution I choose will have influence how much rubbing happens at the front of the frame.

(The spool of wire in the photo is just something I had handy that was about the right size to demonstrate the amount of stand-off I need.)


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...621157d176.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...afe83f8bd8.jpg

Update: I am paying for overnight shipping of a Restrap Bumper Bar. Let's hope it arrives in time and it does the job. Yes, I know, I should have worked this out weeks ago.

One thing you could do is find a small rack, a porte-paquet as the French call it, which is designed specifically to support the bottom of a handlebar bag. Nitto, Dia Compe, Velo Orange, and others make them. Here's the page for VO's racks. https://velo-orange.com/collections/front-racks

How about adding a center strap to lift the center bottom of the pack over the tire?

Might be a problem with the cables on the OP's bike.

How about putting a smaller dangling handlebar pack backwards under the stem and behind the tent pack?

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...fde8a6a08f.jpg

how many spacers do you have on your headset?
how much steer tube is available?
have enough room to mount an additional stem?

or part of a stem?
what about modifying one of these with an angle grinder?
your spacer is just an offset, not supporting any of the weight, correct?
https://gripandpedal.co/wp-content/u...erstemred1.png

remember the old-fangled handlebar bags that would mount with a solid rod
you had to pretzel around the stem and bars?

you could easily make something similar from a length of steel rod with thin plastic tubing to
protect your bars and stem. available at home depot, cost about $5. time required: 20 minutes.

consider this.
https://www.euroasiaimports.com/Prod...ter-p17710.htm
https://www.euroasiaimports.com/Prod...33_general.jpg


https://www.pinterest.com/pin/511721576393416573/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/nos-ro...0347402063166/

This is what what you need.
Instead of mounting it above your handlebar you mount it below, behind your bag… stands it off at any angle you want. Works great!


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...409ae89ed.jpeg

I am only posting this for future reference, the OP has ordered a solution.

The Nitto brand one shown by Saddlesores in his post above mine, use something like that as an example to make one. Or, buy that one.

Years ago I used that older type of handlebar bag, but the steel wire support for it did not fit on my threadless stem, so I made my own support. I think it was 1/4 inch steel, not even sure if I still have it somewhere as that was a decade and a half ago. I sprayed it black but some of the paint did not bond to the galvanize coating.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d37c0de989.jpg

More recently, I used a piece of 5/16 inch diameter aluminum rod to make a support for my small Carradice bag to hang on the back of my road bike. I used a stem with appropriate shim and wood dowel sprayed black to support the DIY support. Also used some plastic tubing over the aluminum.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...18f0f81bf5.jpg

My point is that if you have access to a big vice and some tools you can use to bend some steel or aluminum rod, you can make a support pretty easily. It may take a few hours, you have to be careful to plan out what you are doing first and be methodical in the process.

I am not saying put it behind your saddle like I did, I am only showing that as an example.

looks like it should solve the issue-- I would add to be aware of watching for the tent to perhaps sagging a bit as you ride, or going further down than you'd think over big jolts--so play it safe either with a strap to raise that part of the tent bag a bit, or along with a strap, put a bit of plastic in the "potential tire rub" area (like cut out a bit of car windshield wiper fluid bottle or something) in case the occasional rub could happen.

I've seen folks not noticing a front bag that has sagged and getting an abrasion rub / hole happening. You really don't want that going on with a brand new tent.

and as for last minute-- you are not the only one guilty of that.....

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

The weather forecast for this weekend looks terrible, so I think I am going to delay my start by a couple of days. Even though I ordered that bumper bar, I think I am going to use the extra time to try one of these DIY solutions. The reason is that even though it seems right now that pushing the bag forward is all that will be required to keep it off the tire, I'm worried that the bag will start to sag once it has had some road use (as djb has pointed out). A solution that supports the bag from underneath seems like a reasonable way to ensure that doesn't become a problem. The way the tent bag is made, it is the poles, rather than the tent fabric, that are exposed to potential damage, and they are likely to tolerate more abuse, but I don't want my nice things destroyed in any case.

A well placed voile strap could possibly keep it securely from sagging, but you'll see how various methods you try seems best.

The poles may make the bag a bit stiffer, less likely to sag, but if the poles in the bag are a problem you might be able to strap the poles to the bike top tube instead if you have some velcro straps.

A piece of cardboard from a cardboard box can make the bag stiffer if you need the extra stiffness on the bottom. The Carradice bag I showed behind my saddle, I put some coroplast (essentially a plastic form of cardboard) in the bottom of that bag to make it less likely to sag.

With this sort of project, you need to be creative and anticipate problems before they happen.

what are the dimensions of the packaged tent?
would it fit inside a length of lightweight plastic sewer/irrigation pipe?

https://www.atfsuppliesuk.com/wp-con...pe-684x698.jpg
https://www.coastaldrains.co.uk/wp-c...93_960_720.jpg
https://www.aahplast.com/wp-content/...e388d434_c.jpg

Another option is to use a solid handlebar cradle.

quite impractical.
no room for the tent.

https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/cute...57.jpg?ct=jpeg

Hmm…. I can easily and solidly strap my MSR Hubba & camp chair or my Lunar Solo & camp chair onto my Aeroe handlebar cradle.
I’ve seen people with these new MSR, Big Agnes, and Sea to Summit “bikepacking tents” and they all seem do a mediocre job at best of securing themselves to handlebars.

I’m also all for DIY and DIY solutions and have made offset mounts out of solid steel or aluminum tubing…

I remember looking at the Aero handlebar setup and being tempted by it, looks like a good solid system.
I ended up getting a revelate cradle, it sits closer to the frame and the holding part is flexible, and I put both my tent and a 10l dry bag holding sleeping bag, campmat and pillow. It's secure, doesn't sag and no issues on bumpy single and double track.

So yes, there are multiple options this fellow could get and use, but he did already order that doohickey that should work.
Plus one or two extra straps should tighten the tent bag and move it away from the tire

He'll figure it out.

There is a huge variation in how high people have their handlebars above the front tire. Smaller riders with 700c tires have to worry much more about their luggage and tire clearance up front, and also behind for saddle bags.

I do not use a handlebar harness like those bikepacking ones, instead I use a conventional handlebar bag full of the small items I might want to use during a ride, like the bag of mini-donuts in my photo in a previous post, above. I am not sure where bikepackers carry their donuts?

indeedee --look at the scads of room I have here on my bike. As mentioned, behind the yellow 10L drybag is my one person tent wrapped in a plastic bag, and those tires are 2.1in,

plus ample room for a fender.
Oh, no donuts but I kept the Haggis and Cornish pasties in one of my rear panniers.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0f4c4a6e3.jpeg

This is a bad photo but I ride a small frame with 650b wheels and my AEROE cradle (which I mounted on the fork crown using diy hardware) can hold a larger dry bag than the 10 liter bag shown. That 10 liter bag has my MRS tent, tent poles, and other puffy items.
And with those 30” straps there’s plenty more room on top to strap other items…like a camp chair…

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8bf1b5193.jpeg

nice!

thanks, different climate, but a similar feel I suspect to some of your Spain trip photos--lots of space and very few people.