Touring-curious
#76
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I have used one since 2011, and have had no issues with the original mount. I load it without thinking of weight. It had held my phone, battery pack, wallet, Canon DSLR, etc. with no issues. I now use a Fuji XPro-1, and carried it in the handlebar bag on tour, along with other heavy items with no issues. The mount can take it. Does it bounce a bit? Sure, but it isn't an issue, in fact, when it is loaded, it dampens the movement a bit. I wouldn't give it a second thought. Ortlieb knows what they are doing.
#77
I’m a little Surly
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I have used one since 2011, and have had no issues with the original mount. I load it without thinking of weight. It had held my phone, battery pack, wallet, Canon DSLR, etc. with no issues. I now use a Fuji XPro-1, and carried it in the handlebar bag on tour, along with other heavy items with no issues. The mount can take it. Does it bounce a bit? Sure, but it isn't an issue, in fact, when it is loaded, it dampens the movement a bit. I wouldn't give it a second thought. Ortlieb knows what they are doing.
#78
Senior Member
it could be that you havent followed the sequence of tightening the various bolts. Mine has been on my touring bike for a bunch of years now and has been on three longer trips, over some rough roads, and a couple of shorter trips and its been solid the whole time.
apparently its common for people not to follow the sequence properly and get sagging. Also, you don't need to tighten the crap out of the bolts, all this does is squish the cable which then becomes a real pain in the arse to take out or put back in through those tiny holes in the mount.
I learned this the hard way by squishing the cable, and afterwards did it properly and like I said, the mount has been solid for a good five years now on my touring bike.
just look up the pdf and you'll find it easily. This is the only thing I can think of going from my experience.
and no, I'm not sure how much weight I put in mine, although on the longer trips I did have a tablet, a smart phone, a med size point and shoot, and other stuff like sunscreen, pens, paper, etc etc etc all kinds of stuff.
apparently its common for people not to follow the sequence properly and get sagging. Also, you don't need to tighten the crap out of the bolts, all this does is squish the cable which then becomes a real pain in the arse to take out or put back in through those tiny holes in the mount.
I learned this the hard way by squishing the cable, and afterwards did it properly and like I said, the mount has been solid for a good five years now on my touring bike.
just look up the pdf and you'll find it easily. This is the only thing I can think of going from my experience.
and no, I'm not sure how much weight I put in mine, although on the longer trips I did have a tablet, a smart phone, a med size point and shoot, and other stuff like sunscreen, pens, paper, etc etc etc all kinds of stuff.
#79
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I've had the same good experiences as phughes and djb with my Ortlieb bar bag, which has been solid on various bikes for several years. I carry my camera, wallet , cell phone, passport, Swiss Army knife, sun glasses, extra camera batteries, maps, snacks and some other odds-and-ends in mine. I do not have any idea what the women carry in theirs, but from experience, I know that they are not light. However, they have a good mechanic
My wife and daughters did not have any issues with their Orlieb bags that I'm aware of.
My wife and daughters did not have any issues with their Orlieb bags that I'm aware of.
Last edited by Doug64; 12-22-21 at 06:38 PM.
#80
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Does it drop, as in the mount moves, or does it simply "bend" down? Mine bends down a bit when loaded, not the mount itself, but the bag, but the mount has never moved or been an issue. If it is actually moving, or rotating on the bars, then it is not installed correctly.
#81
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I have not used an Ortlieb handlebar bag. Mine is a cheaper one that has fairly flexible plastic side pieces, that flexed way too much.
I tried using two 3/4 X 1/8 inch aluminum bars as an additional support, they bent too easily. I then tried two 1.5 X 1/8 inch aluminum bars, it has been strong enough to work very well. They are between the bracket and the bag, and bent at the bottom to provide support under it.
I stretched some inner tube rubber sleeves over the ends to provide a surface that does not abrade a hole in the bottom of the bag.
My 3/4 inch wide bars eventually cracked at the bend at the bottom corner, when I bent my 1.5 inch wide pieces I used a wider radius to the bend so that the stress of bending was less concentrated in one spot which I am sure helped.
I tried using two 3/4 X 1/8 inch aluminum bars as an additional support, they bent too easily. I then tried two 1.5 X 1/8 inch aluminum bars, it has been strong enough to work very well. They are between the bracket and the bag, and bent at the bottom to provide support under it.
I stretched some inner tube rubber sleeves over the ends to provide a surface that does not abrade a hole in the bottom of the bag.
My 3/4 inch wide bars eventually cracked at the bend at the bottom corner, when I bent my 1.5 inch wide pieces I used a wider radius to the bend so that the stress of bending was less concentrated in one spot which I am sure helped.
Last edited by Tourist in MSN; 12-29-21 at 03:27 PM.
#82
Senior Member
the times I have ridden over really really really bad roads, especially dirt stuff where I'm all over the place, I've immediately thought that using the Ortlieb isn't a good idea, too rough on it---and lets face it, strap on bar rolls etc (of which there are a ton of options) are going to just plain work better.
Thats why all this stuff is popular and suited to real offroad and rough riding.
that said, I've been pretty impressed with how well teh Ortlieb mount handled it all--although I am not one of those people who are "breakers of stuff" because they cluelessly beat the crap out of stuff and then wonder why-slash-complain when X breaks or wears out. I ride accordingly and slow down in response to how much my handlebag is getting shaken to kingdom come, and clearly there are riding situations where a roll bag would make more sense, or a small front rack with stuff strapped to it etc.
Thats why all this stuff is popular and suited to real offroad and rough riding.
that said, I've been pretty impressed with how well teh Ortlieb mount handled it all--although I am not one of those people who are "breakers of stuff" because they cluelessly beat the crap out of stuff and then wonder why-slash-complain when X breaks or wears out. I ride accordingly and slow down in response to how much my handlebag is getting shaken to kingdom come, and clearly there are riding situations where a roll bag would make more sense, or a small front rack with stuff strapped to it etc.
#83
Senior Member
I have not used an Ortlieb handlebar bag. Mine is a cheaper one that has fairly flexible plastic side pieces, that flexed way too much....
My 3/4 inch wide bars eventually cracked at the bend at the bottom corner, when I bent my 1.5 inch wide pieces I used a wider radius to the bend so that the stress of bending was less concentrated in one spot which I am sure helped.
My 3/4 inch wide bars eventually cracked at the bend at the bottom corner, when I bent my 1.5 inch wide pieces I used a wider radius to the bend so that the stress of bending was less concentrated in one spot which I am sure helped.
i solved this with using a steel bookend from the corner stationary store.
the solid type, not the kind with decorative holes/designs cut in the panels.
cheap and effective.
steel is thin enough to use the original mounting plate bolts.
they come pre-bent, so no bending stress added to the very spot that needs to be the strongest.
and they already had little rubber non-slip bumpers glued to the bottom to protect table surfaces.
#84
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Thread Starter
As parts are coming in (panniers, rack, drivetrain, etc.), I'm starting to sort out my packing set-up.
I'd love to get a rack and something like the Surly Porteur House Bag on the Trek. However, the Trek carbon fork doesn't have midblade rack mounts and there's no information saying it's safe to put a rack on the front, only fenders.
So, 1. Is it safe to put a rack on this fork? 2. Are a lack of midblade mounts an absolute dealbreaker? 3. If the rack requires 3 mounting points (lowmount, midblade, crown), can I use p-clamps for the mid-blade? Of course, I wouldn't rely on p-clamps as a main mount support.
I like the idea of a rack / bag in the front compared to a handlebar bag because I could consolidate my sleep system and throw all the small repair items, electronics, and odds and ends in the front. 10lbs at most in the front.
I'd love to get a rack and something like the Surly Porteur House Bag on the Trek. However, the Trek carbon fork doesn't have midblade rack mounts and there's no information saying it's safe to put a rack on the front, only fenders.
So, 1. Is it safe to put a rack on this fork? 2. Are a lack of midblade mounts an absolute dealbreaker? 3. If the rack requires 3 mounting points (lowmount, midblade, crown), can I use p-clamps for the mid-blade? Of course, I wouldn't rely on p-clamps as a main mount support.
I like the idea of a rack / bag in the front compared to a handlebar bag because I could consolidate my sleep system and throw all the small repair items, electronics, and odds and ends in the front. 10lbs at most in the front.
Last edited by sdimattia; 01-05-22 at 09:53 AM.