Someone explain to me these handlebar bags that I keep seeing
#101
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#102
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#103
stole your bike
I'm sure the bag is useful; fanny packs worn with the bag facing the front are pretty useful too.
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#107
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#108
stole your bike
And aren't "fanny" packs need to be on your fanny?
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#111
Low-rider type racks that put weight close to the hub of the front wheel can actually improve handling and stability.
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#112
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#113
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I imagine something to repair a flat, first aid kit, and phone? Maybe pain pills. Or necessary items. I mean if your going out for many miles and your alone don't you take some necessary items along? At the least you need chapstick. Or a power bar?
#114
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Again, as low as possible. And the only reason to use front panniers is if you've got the rear loaded up - the front lowriders will help balance front-to-back weight. There's no circumstance where adding weight to the front wheel by itself improves handling. And handlebar bags are the worst.
#115
Occam's Rotor
In addition to it possibly being more carbon-bar-friendly (I have my doubts, but this is what I was told), there is a valid concern that conventional handlebar bags won't stay mounted correctly when bouncing around on very rough off-pavement trails. The stuff sack mounting mechanism is a bit more robust in that sense.
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#117
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Guilty as charged!
I have a Specialized Roubaix endurance bike and I bought a small Arkel handlebar bag to hold my rain gear and a few nut bars. It beats stuffing your jersey pockets, at the expense of looking less aerodynamic.
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I'm sure there's lots of great information about all sorts of bags over in the Touring Forum - might be worth checking out if you like the loaded up look.
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#119
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That bike would handle much better if that weight were evenly distributed, and without the handlebar bag. Nobody who has done any significant amount of bicycle touring, me included, would suggest setting up your load that way. I'm not sure it's even safe. Can you imagine needing to do a full-on panic stop, especially on a downhill? Weight distribution is everything when it comes to loading a bike.
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I'm sure there's lots of great information about all sorts of bags over in the Touring Forum - might be worth checking out if you like the loaded up look.
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That bike would handle much better if that weight were evenly distributed, and without the handlebar bag. Nobody who has done any significant amount of bicycle touring, me included, would suggest setting up your load that way. I'm not sure it's even safe. Can you imagine needing to do a full-on panic stop, especially on a downhill? Weight distribution is everything when it comes to loading a bike.
I personally don't think 50/50 is ideal for a bicycle, but...
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Well I'll be damned, it's actually not that bad on my Lemond using the cheap and dirty bathroom scale method has it at 45 front/55 rear. Probably not that accurate, however.
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Silca's ideal tire pressure guesser uses 48/52 that distribution for road frames, with the 50/50 being used on Tri/TT frames, and 46.5/53.5 for mountain frames. Did you use two scales?
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If I wasn't so cheap and dirty, I'd run out and get a couple of matching scales, attempt to calibrate with a bag of concrete and then collect the data again.
#125
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