eom 

Details please.

nlerner

https://routewerks.us/products/the-handlebar-bag

tiger1964 

That's kinda neat, although the website does not show extra clamps to move the bag from bike to bike, and both the mount and the bag look somewhat anti-C&V.

no67el

Someone is selling a lot of pre-orders for a similar bent-tubing-hooked-over-the-stem rack---- easy to transfer from bike to bike, and looks big enough to support a pretty big bag:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jack-the-bike-rack#/

Pretty pricey for some tubing and straps, but it looks well-designed--- might be possible to do a DIY version if you feel up to bending your own tubing.....

N

gugie 

Man, I gotta start a gofundme...$400k raised to make something that costs $80...with low volume...

tiger1964 

Looks ideal pretty good, maybe Plan C if Plan A (Cannondale support I just bought) or Plan B (bend-it-yourself) does not work out.

noobinsf 

Wow, that's pretty nice. I might get one, but I imagine looking at it in 20 years like some of the neato NOS products from the 80's circulating today, never having used it. That's more a comment on my riding than the quality or design of the product, both of which are pretty impressive.

El Chaba

I have been an adherent to “The Rules” from before they were published…just obeyed. However……Sometimes you have enough stuff to,stow on a longer ride that a bag is a better solution than overstuffed jersey pockets. If you have to use a handlebar bag, you might as well plan for it. The end of that rabbit hole is designing an entire bike around the handlebar bag in question. I use this bike/ setup when I think that I will need to stow a jacket, arm warmers, some food, and a few other items. A small bag will generally do along with three jersey pockets. I tried to avoid a larger bag largely to avoid the use of a decaleur, which is French for “ descent into hell”. So I had this old TA bag that I thought I might as well be able to use should I need to carry a little more. To use without the dreaded decaleur, I made a stiffener by constructing a box of that light, strong, corrugated plastic material. It takes up,less space than it looks like in the photo….I then glued felt to the plastic just to improve the look and feel of the setup. The whole setup is very stiff and very light. Granted, strapped to the handlebars it largely takes away the bar top hand position, but the sides - my main position- are completely unencumbered…and everything is clear of the operation of Ergopower levers. As a coincidence of my bar height/position it all fits rather well and is quite tight and secure. Of course, I still prefer to,have the smaller bag with no interference whatsoever…

Classtime 

What is that smaller bag? Narrower, shorter is good for not getting bothered by it.

El Chaba

It is a Gilles Berthoud “ Alex Singer” bag….

Road Fan

Andy and Gugie, I want something like that to support my wide vintage Carradice low-profile saddlebag! With my low saddle height the bag always sags to rest on the fender or drag on the rear tire. This bag would probably need a bigger tubing stock because of its width.

I haven’t bought the Carradice solutions. They are about 10” wide (my estimate), and my bag is 18” wide. Even though it has that big dowel going all,the way across the top. I’ve tried it with a Jim Blackburn rack and the bag bottom sags badly at the ends.

El Chaba, what thickness of board materiel did you use, and did you rigidly fix the bottom to the sides?

El Chaba

The material is 4 mm thick. I believe that it is called coroplast and is often used for signs. I did fix the bottom to the sides which may be overkill, but it did stiffen and add strength to the whole structure.

gugie 

Coroplast is often called "plastic cardboard" as that's what it looks like. I have an endless supply of it from work - semiconductor fabs don't allow paper or cardboard in them for particle reasons. It's also commonly used for small yard signs, such as election ads. Some bag makers that I know use it to stiffen their bags. If the bag has little to no stiffness it's a good way to give shape to the bag.

The cloth and leather bags that I have don't really need them, IMO. The important thing is to keep the opening square. An internal bag stiffener works well - you can make your own from material available at most any hardware store.

so-ichiro

Thanks for this thread and this post. I have a small Ostrich front bag, but when strapped to the handlebar, it takes away the top horizontal section of the handlebar position so I never used it. Reading this thread, there are so many commercial options available, but I figure it would be more fun to make one. The 1/4 in tube is bent as described above, and is connected at the end with 1/2 in dowel. It still need something like a bungee cord to strap the rack to the headtube and a mount for the bag. Thanks again for inspiration!

eom 

That looks great!

Prowler 

A wee bump on this thread as you folks inspired me to "get on with it" too. I purchased the tubing bender that gugie recommended at Harbor Freight (with 30% coupon of course). I've had a nice old Cannondale bag but I've struggled with what use it for. Did not suit me for a seat bag and in front it it hangs down against the cable housings. I was looking to use it for just my "picnic lunch" for those halcyon summer days when I'm piling on the miles exploring and planning to stop somewhere for lunch: sandwich, carrot, some chips. So I read this thread and "hey you" says I, " make one with your new tubing/rod bender.

So and dug out a length of 1/8 steel rod. I have lots of that as the local politicians that litter the roadsides with "vote for me" signs seem to struggle with the notion of private property. I also have a nice supply of "corrugated plastic" courtesy of those same politicians. Bent the center U with the tubing bender then the over-the-bar curves as well. Slid a length of clear plastic tubing on that then designed and bent the rest using the tubing bender and the blacksmiths vice. Cut a bit of corrugated plastic to span the ends, for some rigidity, and bob's your uncle. Years ago I sewed a length of nylon cord to the back of the bag which will tie nicely around the stem or head tube to further stabilize the bag. I'll have to wait until spring to ensure it's AOK but I'm confident.






The width of this bag only impinges on the tops a small amount so it will not "crimp my style", such as it is.

gugie 

Excellent use of recycled materials, looks good!

Korina

This looks perfect for my needs! Now I just have to wait for primary season.

madsgorm

Where can I get one of these - or something similar?

Thanks for any help.

mrv 

I should have paid attention sooner.
i also need to read all the posts yet.
I bent an aluminum small diameter bar to stand a drop bar off the canti cable.
Some of my bends were not thought threw- through- so things were not going right.

As a temporary measure I used a piece of pvc.

i need a stand off close to the cable, as the shifter housings are wrapped ring the bag.
not a great set up, but it’s mine!

gugie 

Invent a time machine or check eBay often. That's a vintage part.

But this thread showed you that you can buy a tubing bender for cheap, get some stainless steel tubing and roll your own.

madsgorm

Well I guess I going eBay hunting Thanks for your reply.

non-fixie 

I have a few of these, and they either came with a bike I'd bought or from swap meets. I think the latter are your best best.

On second thought, a WTB on these forums might work even better.

plumberroy

Just for information filling tubing with sand is only helpful on very thin wall tubing. Most hobbyist don't have the tools or skill to bend anything that thin.
I have the skill but not the tooling.
I have a couple of small handle bar bags but only use one on my Surly Steamroller for longer day trips . I don't tour most of my bikes that I would ride distance (20-60 miles) have topeak racks and a trunk bag carries enough for my needs

Paul Waque 

Here is a rack and bag at the value end of the spectrum.
The rack made out 1/4" hardware store steel rod mainly covered with surgical tubing. The bag is a common Dutch Military Haversack with the addition of a few tri-glide sliders and velcro straps to attach it. Seven pounds is about the weight limit before it gets too bouncy, a strap from the rack to the headtube helps a bit. I will look for stiffer stainless or aluminum tubing to replace the steel rod.