bendo
Viscount
Posts: 538
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Post by bendo on May 10, 2015 22:20:48 GMT
Commuting for me is a constant battle of two things: clothing and bags. Because my trip is a reasonable distance (12-15km each way) and I don't want to spend forever getting there, I ride briskly, i.e. cadence of about 90-100rpm. This means I get sweaty. Which means I need to have a change of clothes. Which means bags. And so on. Also, there's the common problem in cold weather of needing more clothes at the start of the ride than half way through, and being able to take bits off to cool down but still be warm in other bits. Which means bags where you can get at them. I used to find I killed a lot of cotton t-shirts by wearing a backpack: they would get really sweaty under the backpack and never dry properly, then they'd get that smell that never disappears. So then I started carrying all my stuff in bags that hung on the bike. This works well because I find a load on the biek to be less noticeable than a load on my body. By far my favourite position for bags is up front: you can get at them, and the weight distribution is better. In fact with my next bike, I'm planning on having only a handlebar bag and low-rider panniers on the front forks, with nothing on the back wheel except my weight. But this will be a custom made randonneur, not a Viscount. How many of you have tried using handlebar bags? They can be tricky and need their own attachments. The latest option I've seen is this: It looks a bit flimsy but a good size. They're made by a London company called Goodordering. Anyone seen? b
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Post by triitout on May 11, 2015 0:57:11 GMT
I'm not able to commute by bike, so my front bag is mostly for styl'in. It's NOS 70's from the same place where one of our colleagues picked up the skip tooth NOS freewheel on ebay. I've got it attached by its straps to the front rack and it's fine for light items like a change of clothes if I was in your shoes. It's the first time I've put anything up front and I think it does make the handling a bit wobbly when I put some weight in it. Back in the 70's I was fine with the rear panniers so I'm not a big fan of the weight up front from my limited experience. Cheers, Michael
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Post by whippet on May 11, 2015 10:48:01 GMT
Here's a picture of my tourer on Douglas Prom on the Isle of Man a week ago ( gale force winds, 1°C... ). I'm using a duck cotton Carradice Super C bar bag that also has a clear map section on top that's handy for the audax I was doing that day. Easy to remove with KLICKfix bracket that stays in place. Handy netting side pockets for energy bars etc.
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Post by velocipete on May 11, 2015 12:15:41 GMT
Kev, well done,but that photo has just confirmed my opinion of the masochistic tendencies of the Audax rider! Cheers, Pete.
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Post by 54roadie on May 11, 2015 16:14:42 GMT
Whippet, Chapeau! Gale force winds and 1°C? Speaking only for myself, "back to bed."
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,379
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Post by Jem on May 11, 2015 19:16:57 GMT
Bendo- I followed a link on another web site the other day and saw those bags. I was tempted but not totally won over. But I am with you on not wanting much weight up front, I really don't like it. And I am not keen on a back pack either.
I have the same Klickfix system as Kev and have it on 3 bikes now, with a 'large-ish' Karrimor handlebar bag with map holder on top , and then a smaller Karrimor for a few tools etc. They are well designed bags and the Klickfix system is solid and never let me down.
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bendo
Viscount
Posts: 538
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Post by bendo on May 12, 2015 10:19:55 GMT
Here's a picture of my tourer on Douglas Prom on the Isle of Man a week ago ( gale force winds, 1°C... ). I'm using a duck cotton Carradice Super C bar bag that also has a clear map section on top that's handy for the audax I was doing that day. Easy to remove with KLICKfix bracket that stays in place. Handy netting side pockets for energy bars etc. That weather is out of control! BTW Son 28 front hub? b
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bendo
Viscount
Posts: 538
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Post by bendo on May 12, 2015 10:44:55 GMT
Bendo- I followed a link on another web site the other day and saw those bags. I was tempted but not totally won over. But I am with you on not wanting much weight up front, I really don't like it. And I am not keen on a back pack either. I have the same Klickfix system as Kev and have it on 3 bikes now, with a 'large-ish' Karrimor handlebar bag with map holder on top , and then a smaller Karrimor for a few tools etc. They are well designed bags and the Klickfix system is solid and never let me down. Actually I'm a big fan of the front load, but for a heavy one you might need specific frame-fork geometry. My 650b handles a heavy handlebar bag easily, partly because of its geometry and partly because it has a strong rack attached to the fork crown and canti bosses. The bag itself also has quite a deal of stiffening which helps. There's a very interesting school of thought that says if you fix a rear rack to your bike at the usual points (seat stay and rear drop out) you create another triangle that increases the rigidity of the rear of the frame and changes its performance. Also, there's 60-100kg of rider already over the rear wheel and almost nothing over the front, so it makes sense to balance the weight over the front wheel. An alternative to rear panniers is to have low rider racks on the front forks, but mounted to a boss on the fork blade, not the fork dropout eyelet. This avoids the same triangulation problem as with the rear racks: forks absorb a lot of road shock if they are able to flex (especially if they have a well-made curve). Interestingly, when you purchase a tubeset for a custom frame, most often the standard fork blades are a sturdy wall thickness compared to the main tubes. b
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Post by whippet on May 12, 2015 13:54:29 GMT
Here's a picture of my tourer on Douglas Prom on the Isle of Man a week ago ( gale force winds, 1°C... ). I'm using a duck cotton Carradice Super C bar bag that also has a clear map section on top that's handy for the audax I was doing that day. Easy to remove with KLICKfix bracket that stays in place. Handy netting side pockets for energy bars etc. That weather is out of control! BTW Son 28 front hub? b Good spot, it's the Son Deluxe. Pretty much zero resistance.
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Post by B-endo on May 13, 2015 4:59:15 GMT
SNap! b
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rmw
Viscount
Posts: 143
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Post by rmw on May 14, 2015 8:51:15 GMT
I was hoping to find an old pic of the Viscount with its 1982 Karrimor bar bag, but you'll just have to picture it. Comes with a wire support that hooks over the stem. I would still be using this but the new stem does not suit unfortunately. Be warned, the bag is not waterproof, as I found out when my documents turned to mush. I agree about weight on the front perhaps being a good thing. It is with our tandem, it has a Blackburn low rack, fixed with hoop things not braze-ons, and the tandem handles well with that. Small Super-C panniers. Adding a rear rack has adversely affected the handling, I now get shimmy!
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bendo
Viscount
Posts: 538
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Post by bendo on May 14, 2015 13:36:24 GMT
Like this? That's interesting about the rear rack creating shimmy. b
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Post by Stella on May 14, 2015 21:45:44 GMT
I genuinely toying with the thought of an old Carradice bag as they're brilliant for a day ride and look rather cute. Not too sold on the idea of front carrier or anything heavy on the front. I ride my mamachari with a basket I mostly overload (yes, naughty girl), and it makes for difficult steering. When I commuted 11 miles (one way) every day, I got myself a Chrome bag to sling over the shoulder. Perfectly sitting on your back without getting on your nerves, waterproof, and takes everything you need. (I got the medium bag.) However, I understand the whole: no rucksack dilemma; I wouldn't necessarily like having a bag on my back when I go for a whole day ride, even though I've done that when we went to Brighten and it was fine. Possibly not so great fully loaded.
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Post by Stella on May 28, 2015 14:37:26 GMT
Bendo! I just can't believe it. I came here to post about a handlebar bag (or panniers and other bags) of said company Goodordering which we recently got in our shop. I've already decided to get one of those for me. They're quite solid, well-made, and look great. They also seem to have quite a bit of space in them with small pockets for mobile and keys, etc. Here's one on my red flash.
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bendo
Viscount
Posts: 538
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Post by bendo on May 29, 2015 12:58:20 GMT
I've bought one as well! They work extra well if you use one of those rackaleur thingys above. Yes surprising amount of space, good pockets, etc. They come with a draw string bag inside them... not sure what for. I fitted a large lunch box and a change of clothes into mine on the first day. Recommend. b
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bendo
Viscount
Posts: 538
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Post by bendo on Jun 1, 2015 3:27:44 GMT
Some shots of the Goodordering handlebar bag: Without rackaleur: ...works well but will rub against headbadge ...also requires head tube to be tall enough to fit bag without rubbing on front tyre. on Nitto dove bars: ...works surprisingly OK. Same headbadge rubbing issue, but the bag is stiff enough and light enough not to wobble around annoyingly, even with only those two straps. side view: with rackaleur: ...much sturdier, and the rackaleur holds the bag away from the bars so you can use the tops, as well as having a platform to keep the bag away from the front wheel. iPad for scale:
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Post by Stella on Jun 6, 2015 9:43:02 GMT
I think they're smashing. Want a brown and a red one as it's more a purple and would look SO good on the Viscountess.
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robt
Viscount
Posts: 558
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Post by robt on Jul 17, 2015 12:54:53 GMT
Anyone who uses Rixen & Kaul brackets and bags (Jem?) might want to order a Klickfix locking bracket from Amazon, currently down to £6.99, half the price of the non-locking version (?). Adding a seat post bracket to your order will let you use a Klickfix handlebar bag ( such as this) as a saddlebag if your handlebars are getting a bit congested. If the middle of your handlebar is full of brake/gear cables, they also do a quill stem adaptor to mount the bracket on (functional, but it doesn't look very pretty when fitted). The fixing plate lets you convert a variety of bags, baskets etc to clip onto your handlebar or seat post bracket, though you may need to find four longer M5 bolts than those supplied with the plate. I used a fixing plate to convert a Carradice briefcase-style pannier to fit a Klickfix bracket, though the size of the bag compared with the plate means it needs something added (3-ply or another bit of old IKEA chopping board?) to damp down the 'bounce' it takes on when you go over a bump with the bag loaded up. This bounce gets quite scary when it happens on a Brompton, which doesn't have the most relaxed steering to start with. If I have mastered the technology, some pictures may appear below: Link to photos Sorry, I can't work out how to insert them as pictures. I don't see the 'BBCode' option in Flickr. A fixing plate and a couple of bottle cages might produce a cheap twin-bottle handlebar mounting solution without the forum needing to open a Kickstarter campaign, though not with the same panache as seen on the DFR3/Eroica vintage setup (sorry, I didn't catch your name or forum 'handle'). I'll get the bits in and let you know how I get on.
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,379
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Post by Jem on Jul 17, 2015 22:31:58 GMT
Thanks for tip off Rob, that is indeed a very good price for the bracket. Cheapest I have ever seen them new is about£15.
I sometimes see them at bike jumbles and have thought that it makes sense to have them on most of your bikes and then have a couple of different size bar bags and be ready for anything.
A reasonably priced a bar mounted double bottle holder would be well worth investigating.
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