I ordered a Carradice Expedition Bagman from Peter White Cycles yesterday and thanks to prompt shipping and the wonders of UPS I received it this morning. The Bagman is a simple saddlebag support that comes in a three sizes; Sport for small bags, Expedition for medium bags like the Nelson and Super Expedition for the Camper. They also come in a quick release version that lets you use your saddlebag on a saddle without bag loops and they can be ordered in either stainless steel or titanium for the truly weight conscious. As I use a Brooks B17 saddle with bag loops I didn’t need the quick release option and spending $40 extra to save a few oz with the titanium version didn’t seem to make much sense, so I simply ordered a stainless steel Expedition Bagman for $47.50
Stainless Steel Expedition Bagman
The Bagman clamps to the parallel rails on your saddle so there has to be space behind the seat post clamp for it, you’ll need about 5/8″. The wonderful thing is just how simple the Bagman is to install, a single 6mm allen screw holds the clamp tight, although I would like to see a lock washer on that allen screw for some insurance against it loosening. It took me 20secs to get the aluminium clamp aligned with the rails and the screw tightened. Contrast this to the minutes of fiddling with screws, nuts and P-clamps required to install most racks. There have been some reports of the rack’s steel frame loosening from the block that attaches to the saddle rails as it is held in my a couple of set screws that can loosen over time. The Bagman I received has blue Loctite on those screws and I’ll keep a close eye on them. I also put a dab of superglue around where the frame enters the mounting block as some insurance. We’ll see how things go.
The Bagman attaches to the saddle rails with an aluminum clamp and a 6mm allen screw to
6mm allen screw under the saddle
Once the clamp is tightened the Bagman provides a very stable, minimalist platform for the saddlebag. The bag attaches to the saddle loops in the normal way and the bottom leather strap is buckled around the vertical section of the Bagman
The bag is held in a horizontal position well back from the saddle and when you stand back from the bike you can’t even see the Bagman giving the whole setup a wonderfully lightweight appearance. The bag is cantilevered out over the rear wheel and seems to float, I think we can all appreciate a good cantilever.
The Bagman is not an all purpose rack as it doesn’t have places to attach straps and has a small platform. But it does one thing superbly and that is support a saddlebag. In fact it does this so well that you can’t even see it doing it’s job, now that’s stylish!
I got my touring gear together just to see how it would go on the bike without my normal small Nitto racks. Without the front rack I had to strap my sleeping pad and cooking equipment to the top of the saddlebag, but that was the only change. The bike rides very well as all the weight is close to the center of gravity ie me. I estimate using the Bagman will save me about a pound in the weight of my gear. Of course I could easily loose 20lbs myself so maybe I’ll work on that next.
No visible means of support
First of all, I love your site. The writing is great, and I love your approach to bicycle touring.
Quick question about the Bagman: I’m about to get a Nelson Longflap and am wondering how the Bagman compares to something like the little rack on your Quickbeam in the England 2009 photos (by the way, what is that rack?). Would you recommend one vastly over the other? You go over the pluses & minuses in your writeup here, I guess I’m wondering if YOU would lean more toward using the one or the other now that you’ve tried both.
Thanks, & please keep up with your blog, it’s wonderful!
Thanks for the praise, I’m glad you like the site!
The small rack that I used on my Quickbeam is Mark’s Nitto rack from Rivendell.
http://www.rivbike.com/products/list/bags_and_racks?a=1&page=3#product=20-108
It’s very versatile as it will mount front or back, it works with side pull or cantilever brakes and comes with lots of hardware for mounting to braze ons and P-clamps to clamp it to the stays. If you’re looking for a general purpose rack you can’t do much better. It is a bit pricey at $97, but it’s well made and looks great. It’s good for carrying those boxy front bags, a basket and saddlebags.
The Bagman is an entirely different animal as it’s only good for one thing and that’s supporting a saddlebag. If you have a Nelson and that’s all you want to support and don’t need versatility the Bagman is the simplest and most elegant solution. I haven’t tested it on tour yet, but I’m going to try it as it saves me about a pound and it just looks cool. The bike looks very clean without the support struts of the Nitto rack. For credit card touring I’d definitely go with the Nelson Longflap and Bagman combo.
Thanks for the reply and extra info! I ordered a Bagman Expedition & Nelson Longflap from Wiggle, as you suggested. Already got the Bagman (to the Pacific Northwest — *really* quick shipping from the UK!) but the Nelson is backordered. Their prices on Carradice stuff are, um, VERY nice.
Thanks again!
A bag setup like that seems it would also allow a non-touring bike (assuming a brooks saddle with bag loops) to serve as one for light use.
What a nice way to bring along a change of clothes and personal items on a bike without a rack.
Yes that’s definitely true as it doesn’t need need any rack braze ons. The Bagman is speced to carry up to 10Kg so it’s perfect for lightweight touring. Put one on a Specialized Roubaix and away you go. You don’t even need a Brooks saddle if you buy the quick release version. FYI all Carradice stuff is a real bargain if you buy from Wiggle even with shipping to the USA