gauvins

Received the Ultimate 6 Compact today, and I am... Underwhelmed...

The mounting bracket is well designed. Easy to install on the handlebars and interfaces very well with the bag.

But the bag is a 2.7L pouch, without any organizing feature, not even an elasticized net to put bank cards and lock key. The opening is front facing such that I have to lean over the handlebars to (try to) see what I am doing when fishing for a granola bar, somewhere at the bottom of a tall and narrow hole...

Surprising. A brand of such reputation and paying top dollars, yet I may try to retrofit the bracket to my humble Decathlon bag, a third of the price, much better design, BUT lousy mount and water "resistant".

Maybe I'll come to like the minimalist design, but I think I need help. How are we supposed to organize the content? (Cards and keys, bars, gloves, jacket, sunscreen, battery, etc. - and be able to find what we look for, while riding)

I like the Back Rollers. Not so sure about the Ultimate Compact...

indyfabz

Did you not research what you were buying before you bought it?

northerntier

Yeah, it looks pretty useless to me as well. The regular ultimate 6, however, is quite useful. Opens on rider side w/ magnetic clasps, good size (not too large, like the Arkels), and comes w/ dividers for organization.

gauvins

Yes I did. And actually found a comment somewhere criticizing the design. But this in a concert of general praise.

See this or this or that for example

I (still) assume that Ortlieb knows more about bike bags than I do and that there is a reason behind these choices. For instance, the back roller is also just a pouch, but it works for us as we organize by stuff sacks.

So yes, my post is a real question.

gauvins

My issue with the regular is that it is much larger than what I want (7L vs 2.7 for the compact)

indyfabz

Your OP sounds like you were surprised to find out what you bought:

"But the bag is a 2.7L pouch, without any organizing feature, not even an elasticized net to put bank cards and lock key. The opening is front facing such that I have to lean over the handlebars to (try to) see what I am doing when fishing for a granola bar, somewhere at the bottom of a tall and narrow hole..."

djb

To be honest, I think I held one in my hands once, but as as I had no serious interest in one, I didn't really look at it closely.
What I take from your situation is the importance of actually visiting stores and having X object in hand and comparing in hand with possible various options of different brands and models before making a decision. Actually feeling build quality, or lack thereof, actually seeing and comparing features.

Certainly brings up the age old expression of "Buyer Beware".

fietsbob

Re state your question in German.


So put your things in a Crown Royal bag , then you can pull the bag out and riffle through it.

makes a OK Purse I Guess .. give it to your Wife.



actual proper Bar bag has options , dividers X like and a padded camera liner. DSLR cradle-dividers,

top of the line has electrical connector in bar mount & bag, to use hub dynamo power leads..



DIY? sew, Or hire it sewn, the liner you want, attach it with sticky back velcro you have attached to the shell..

gauvins

Two things. First, I routinely buy on Amazon and other sites, items that I usually research for feature set, " independent " reviews and customer evaluations. Online purchases for things like a TV, or major camping gear. Never seen before in a physical store, yet generally satisfied.

Second, my mind isn't made, yet. Being new to touring I don't trust my expectations blindly. If the ultimate compact garners excellent scores, and since it is made by such a reputable brand, maybe I don't know how to use it properly. For instance, I now put my cards and key inside a small stuff sack that I nest between the bag's shell and armature. Does it for me. So the answer could be to use a mixture of stuff sacks and containers.

And the spartan design may prove more durable than others.

Just asking. Well, had I been ecstatic, I wouldn't have asked

gauvins

Gibt es eine Ortlieb Designer im Publikum?

saddlesores

what is the interior material of the bag?
if it's cloth...or cloth-like....maybe you could
get some velcro to stick.

in that case maybe check the castoff bins
at a photography store. camera bags
often come with velcro-tabbed dividers,
that just as often get tossed....or
could also buy spares.

if not, buy some velcro tape.
glue some strips along the inside.
sew/glue the matching velcro bits
to whatever you choose to use as
removable dividers.

keys? i sew a plain key ring to the
side of my hbar bag near the top.
house key keyring clips onto the
sewn-on ring. always on top.

Tourist in MSN

My handlebar bag is usually half empty, the only disadvantage of a bigger bag is the extra weight. But I am willing to accept that extra weight for those times I wanted to carry a bag of donuts or an article of clothing or last week when I put two chocolate milk shakes in my big (non-Ortlieb) handlebar bag. A note of caution, milk shake lids fall off quite easily when you hit pot holes, thus not recommended.

The other disadvantage of too big a bag is if you use brifters and if it is too wide for you to make your shifts, mine is close to the limit and if I used narrower bars I would have had a problem.



Keys are one of those things that you want to make sure are very hard to lose. I am not sure what you mean by armature, but just make sure that a big pot hole will not knock them out.

A friend of mine put his keys in one of those little under-saddle wedge packs last year, after 30 miles he found the zipper on the pack was open, no keys or wallet inside.

mm718

I pack on the lighter end of the spectrum (<25 lbs) and find myself easily using all of the space of the full size ortlieb handlebar bag. It's nice to have easy access to snacks, sunscreen, sunglasses/reading glasses, maps, camera, mp3 player, phone, pen and paper, wallet, the odd item of clothing, etc. I also keep my Click-Stand in the handlebar bag, which is easier than having to continually attach and detach it from the bike.

fietsbob

Great, now Email the Manufacturer directly.

djb

Gauvins, the one thing with the smaller size is ease of carrying, and they don't look like camera bags.
All the best improvising something that works inside.

rm -rf

Yes, a mesh pocket would have been useful.

From a google search for the bag:

at bikebagshop.com
It seems to be more for carrying on errands while biking, instead of supporting a tour.

nickw

Two of your gripes were specifically called out in one of the reviews:

Whilst its size is one feature that my wife prefers, the lack of dividers or an interior pocket is a major downside for her. Small objects will naturally descend to the very bottom of the bag. You could fashion a stiff divider yourself of course and also hold some contents in small bags inside too to overcome this issue.

and

It opens towards you while you are seated on the bike putting the long flap between you and the contents. Not a major point but viewing inside is a little awkward due to this.

seeker333

I use Amazon for all kinds of purchases, down to disposable razors, low cost being the main reason followed closely by time/vehicle fuel savings and general convenience. Their Prime membership allows one to make returns at no cost, and I have returned a lot of things that didn't fit, were inaccurately described or misrepresented on the website, damaged in shipping, defective or otherwise unsuitable. Free Prime returns have saved me from owning a lot of useless junk.

Doug64

I don't know about the Compact, but I like the Classic that I have been using for several years.

Phone, Wallet, Passport, GPS, notebook, keys, spare camera battery, camera filters, thank you cards,notebook, pen, pencil, paperback book, snacks,sunglasses, and bandana. Camera goes in the orange case in the middle.

MixedRider

Its 2.7L. That is basically a small dry stuff sack.

How long have you owned it? How are you organizing what you put in there? Once you have a system, things will work themselves out.

Instead of a handlebar bag, I use a 5L dry stuff sack strapped to my rack for short day trips. I really don't need access to a lot of stuff while riding.

Glad you like the backrollers.

Tourist in MSN

I do not use this handlebar bag any more, but this photo makes my point when I said above that a big bag can come in useful when you want to carry a sack of donuts. They were convenient for quite a few miles that way.

veganbikes

Eich Bin Ein Ortlbien Designinplatzenheimer

gauvins

str

it is what it is, a empty Ortlieb bag

for better stuff here:

https://builtbyswift.com

and here:

Parsley Bags

Philly Tandem

The Compact is really designed as an around-town bag, for commuting and the like. More of a shoulder bag than a touring handlebar bag IMO. My wife has one and likes it a lot, as it carries nicely off-bike with the shoulder strap. I assume that's the reason it opens in the front, too: to mimic a purse's function.

Most of the "regular" Ortlieb HB bags open to the rear, and are better for touring. But, when carrying them off-bike, they are kind of a pain to access as it would be nicer to have them open to the front when on foot.