The Wheels of Chance » Bags

“Ultralight” Setup

cstandley — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:36:56 +0000

I’ve never completely signed up to the ultralight camping manifesto that requires the adherent to remove all the labels from clothes and sleep on bubble wrap, but I do like to save weight by using light weight gear and packing sensibly as long as my comfort isn’t severely compromised. Over the years my gear list has evolved and so have my bags. One constant though has been my Carradice Nelson Longflap saddlebag which has successfully carried my gear over many miles. I admit that I have an emotional connection to this saddlebag because it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling of those halcyon days of English bicycle touring, but it also works very well and has some excellent features such as the expandable long flap, the side pockets and it’s rugged dependability. It’s made of cotton duck material which is very un-ultralight and this became apparent when I recently weighted all my gear and made the spreadsheet below. The saddlebag, at almost 2lbs, is the heaviest thing I carry. So I experimented to see if I could replace it with a 20 litre 100D nylon compression sack that weighs 5.4oz. This is made of heavier nylon than most compression sacks, but I think it’s important for it to be waterproof and fairly tough. The compression feature is vital as it stops items moving around and gives the bag structure so that it can be tightly attached to the bike. There are a couple of companies that specialize in rackless compression sack bicycle bags, so check out Epic Designs and Carousel Design Works sometime and definitely look at this excellent ultralight site http://www2.arnes.si/~ikovse/weight.htm. There are also a few more links on the Gear page of this site. But now to the numbers, click on the spreadsheet images to make them more readable and if you want to copy it it’s available at

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AhZSPUeVaGV5dHplVmtST0pmZFJHZ1AxNjBlU20tcWc&hl=en

Gear weights using traditional cotton duck saddlebag vs nylon compression sacks.

The result of all this weighting and typing is that by using compression sacks and updating a couple of items I can immediately reduce the weight of my gear, bags and racks from 22lbs to 18.7lbs. I also looked at my clothes and my choice of Merino wool has a definite weight penalty, but I just like the way it feels and performs so I think I’ll stick with it. So what does this look like on the bike. Well almost the same as using a saddlebag, except that my sleeping pad is now in the rear sack. It’s quite easy to strap the sack onto the saddle and Expedition Bagman using a couple of nylon straps through the saddle loops and the front sack is equally easy to attach by strapping it to the handlebars and looping one of the compression straps around the stem to stop the bag flapping up and down.

It works after a fashion, but there are a lot of straps and I think that having to undo the compression straps every time I wanted to get something out of the bag would get frustrating. The side pockets and large top opening flap of the traditional saddlebag are far more practical. The compression sack has one advantage over the Brand V handle bar bag as it has an expandable capacity, but there’s no way to access stuff when riding. So while this approach is a good way to reduce weight I think it lacks the functionality of my traditional bags. The seat bags made by Epic and Carousel seem to have the same draw backs as my compression sack hack, but they might work for you so check them out. Carradice also make a 23L capacity Cordura saddlebag that weighs 1.3lbs, but it seems to be out of stock everywhere and I think it should be possible to use 100D waterproof nylon and come up with some ultralight bags (less than a pound) with the useful features of my traditional bags. If someone made something like that I’d buy it tomorrow.

After going through this exercise I’ve revisited the way I pack my saddlebag. By folding my Big Agnes sleeping pad in two, rather than three, before rolling it up (and putting the Nelson Longflap into Tardis mode) it now fits nicely it into my saddlebag. This makes the setup look cleaner, I never like having stuff hanging off the saddlebag if I can help it. So here it is: a traditional three bag set up using some ultralight principles that will allow indefinite, unsupported, civilized, three season touring at a weight of 22lbs. It can be installed on any bike, road, touring, mountain as it requires no eyelets and even if you don’t have saddle loops you can buy simple clamp on ones or use a quick release Bagman. If I can loose a few pounds I’m thinking of trying this setup on my DeRosa Neo Primato. That would be touring on an Italian steel bike with Japanese components and English bicycle bags. Call me crazy, but I just love the idea of all those weird juxtapositions.

Traditional setup, but now the Tardis like qualities of the Nelson Longflap have allowed me to pack the Big Agnes pad inside

New loaded touring setup

cstandley — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 18:58:12 +0000

I’m always thinking of ways to improve my loaded touring setup and I recently bought a new front bag from Rivendell to give me a little more space for snacks. I’ve been using the Acorn handlebar bag for a while, but I’ve found that it’s just a little bit small and Rivendell’s Brand V bag’s two liters larger capacity sounded just right. The bag is very simple with a single compartment closed by a rear zip. It’s held onto the bike by five velcro straps; two around the bars; two around the brake hoods and a single strap around the head tube. The bag is light and the waxed cotton material will be hard wearing and the only criticism I have is the rear zip is hard to open when the bag is on the bike as it is right against the handlebars and it gives poor access to the contents s you end up feeling around blindly for items inside. On the back of the bike I’ve gone over to the Carradice Expendition Bagman as my only rack and I now strap my sleeping pad to the top of my saddlebag. I did try strapping the pad to my top tube, but there was too much leg rub and I wonder how much of an issue that is on the setups that use internal frame bags. My tent is strapped under the saddle and the straps looped around the Bagman so that the tent is tight up against it which stops any leg rub.

Traveling with the Tardis

cstandley — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:41:10 +0000

There comes a time for every cyclist when they have to face the trauma of putting their bike into the care of a baggage handler or porter. To be parted from your bike is a big deal! I certainly worry about the adventures it has when it’s out of my sight and being flung onto conveyor belts. If a cyclist says they don’t worry about their bike then they are either not a true devotee or they’re an unfeeling bastard who should be shunned.

So a bag to carry and protect your bike while traveling should be part of every cyclist’s gear. The bags available range from simple heavy duty plastic bags to hard sided cases with built in wheels. My criteria for a bag are as follows.

It should protect your bike enough to give you peace of mind
It should be light and easily stored, carried or shipped
It should fit in a taxi
It should have room for other gear

Let’s take that first criterion, just what level of protection do you need. The most paranoid will choose a hard sided case. These do give good protection, but they tend to be heavy (20lbs) and eat into your luggage weight allowance on a plane. They are also hard to deal with once you reach your destination. A soft sided case will give enough protection and will be lighter than a hard sided case. However, there are many soft sided cases that have so much padding and internal frames that they are very inconvenient to carry and won’t fit easily into a taxi. Heavy duty plastic bags are sometimes recommended, but they lack pockets and easy ways to secure the wheels. They also don’t come up high enough on the protection scale for my psyche. So my bag of choice is a soft case with just enough padding made by Ground Effect and called the Tardis (http://www.groundeffect.co.nz/product-detail-TAR-BAG.htm). I’m not sure about the copyright implications of using this name on a commercial product, but it’s certainly appropriate as the package I received seemed too small for a bike bag, but it works fantastically. I was skeptical that it would fit my 56cm bike along with my gear as folded up the bag was the size of a phone book and weighted around 3lbs.

The weight stayed the same when I unpacked the bag, so no breaking of physical law there, but the dimensions of the bag did seem to expand as I laid it out on the ground. Below you can see a picture of the Tardis packed with my bike and gear for a one week credit card tour. The total weight was 40lbs so while not exactly featherweight it was easy enough to sling the bag over my shoulder and the bag was easy to take on public transportation and taxis.

Here I am with my baggage waiting for my cab to Logan Airport

The bag is made form heavy nylon Cordura and has a handle and shoulder strap. There are two external straps to tighten the bag around the bike. Inside there’s a zipped pocket for tools and two pockets for the wheels that have a little padding to protect the hubs. The bag also comes with spacers for the front and rear drop outs. The lack of padding may seem to be an issue, but the idea is to use your gear and other baggage to pad the sensitive areas of the bike. This is best done by putting clothes etc onto plastic bags to stop them from getting oily.

I packed this so I must be able to put it all together

The manufacturer recommends using cardboard for some extra protection, so I cut a few pieces to fit inside the bag, but I found it to be unnecessary and after my first trip I now just use my gear to pad the bag. The most critical thing to do to protect your bike is to remove the parts that stick out, wrap them up and stow them inside the bag. So after taking the pedals of I also remove the crank and the handlebars and stow them in the center of the bag.

The light weight and small packed size of the Tardis means that it will fit under the longflap of my saddlebag, but it’s also easily stowed in a luggage locker or posted to yourself “General Delivery” to be picked up at the end of a tour.

Carradice Expedition Bagman Review

cstandley — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 02:44:46 +0000

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.

http://www.fallingwater.org/

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

My “Loaded” Touring Gear

cstandley — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:45:45 +0000

After getting lots of questions about my touring set up I decided to do a short video to show what I take with me on tour. This is everything I take apart from the clothes that I wear on the bike, the bike itself and two, 1L water bottles that fit in the standard cages. If I need to carry extra food or water the flap on the saddle bag can be extended

Here is a fairly recent photo of the bags loaded onto my Rivendell Rambouillet. I’ve replaced the Thermarest and it’s orange bag on the front rack with the a Big Agnes sleeping pad and it’s black bag and I’m now using a smaller rear rack.

Rivendell Rambouillet set up for long distance touring

Acorn Handlebar Bag Review

cstandley — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 03:18:53 +0000

Acorn is a two person company that makes bicycle bags in a style reminiscent of the English company Carradice. They make the bags in small numbers using cotton duck material and leather. What they’ve done very well is to fill in the gaps of the Carradice line and produce some similar bags with subtle improvements. These will appeal to the retro grouch cyclist out there and hopefully to some regular cyclists who just want some practical bike luggage. So when they came out with a simple handlebar bag I had to give it a try.

I’ve long searched for the ideal handlebar bag. It needs to be small enough to be easily carried off the bike, but big enough to carry all the personal items that I won’t leave on my bike when lock it up and I go off for a meal or a few beers. Acorn makes 3 handlebar bags; a small bag similar to the Carradice zipped roll; a boxy rando bag that needs a front rack or decaleur and the medium sized handlebar bag that draws a lot of inspiration from Rivendell’s Hobo Bag.

I waited about 6 weeks for Acorn to make and deliver my bag and I was very please with it when it arrived. The stitching was neat, the leather was thick and the whole finish of the bag excellent. The bag has a main top zippered compartment that measures 3.5″x7″x11″, two rider facing pockets of 2″x3.5″x4″ and a front pouch suitable for documents and thin things that is 5″x11″. The bag mounts to the handlebars with two leather straps and there is a wooded dowel. al la Carradice, for support. There are two D-rings on the top of the bag for a shoulder strap and two on the bottom of the bag with cords that can be tightened around drop handlebars for lateral stability.

So far so good , but before I get too critical let me state that this is a great bag and it’s just right for my style of credit card and ultralight touring. So now I can complain. My first gripe came when I tried to mount the bag to my handlebars. The leather straps supplied are thick and have large buckles that make it difficult to tighten them sufficiently against the bars. So I took a couple of thinner Carradice straps and used them. The greater flexibility and smaller buckle of the Carradice straps was a great improvement. The pockets facing the rider have a nice rotating closure that makes them easy to open while riding, but I discovered that they are very unforgiving if you try to over stuff the pockets, they just won’t close. It’s not a big issue, but I think I’d prefer to have a leather strap and buckle arrangement or even some velcro. The cords for lateral stability work well 90% of the time, but I found that they would slip off my handlebars a couple of times each day when I was riding. However, even without them the bag didn’t sway too much.

So I have three issues with the bag, but I’m being hyper critical. The bag is great and can swallow a good amount of stuff so it’s now become my default handlebar bag. Here’s a list of what I packed in it on a recent trip.

Rider facing pockets

Cannon camera,
iPhone,
chocolate bars,
bandana,

Main Compartment

eeePC,
a bag with all my cables and power supplies,
passports,
notebook and pen,
toilet bag,
gloves,
hat,
wallet,
umbrella,
leatherman juice,
maps and documents.

I take the bag with me whenever I leave the bike. It is small enough to sling over the shoulder and big enough to carry everything I need in an emergency. If I lost my bike and all my other luggage I’d be able to survive and get back home with what I have in my handlebar bag.

The brown straps are the originals from Acorn that I replaced with the gray straps from Carradice