hello,

i'm looking for saddlebags, preferably durable in a natural drab color (like olive, brown, beige) that don't look like they come from an sports store, and without leather. i used to have some great ones on my previous bike (since stolen) and i haven't had any luck in replacing them. this might sound like a neurotic request, and granted, it is, but i can't stand the modern sports aesthetic. i'd prefer something that's more in the vein of army surplus. does such an item exist?

Try an army surplus store.

Frost River carries what you are looking except they have some leather straps and cost a bit more than army surplus prices.

http://www.frostriver.com/images2/pannierslg.gif

try rivendell http://www.rivbike.com/products/list/bags_and_racks?page=1


or

wall bikes http://www.wallbike.com/carradice/carradicesaddlebags.html

good luck

those are all very close to what i'm looking for, except for the animal bits.

Frost River carries what you are looking except they have some leather straps and cost a bit more than army surplus prices.

How do they attach to the rack? Can you easily take them off if you need to carry them into a store or had to leave your bike unattended? These are nice looking bags, I'd expect them to be thief magnets in NYC.

I will second the Carradice bags. I also like the fact they are made out of waxed cotton which is a renewable resource and can last a long, long time if properly cared for.

Aaron:)

And I will third the Carradice bags. :D

And I will third the Carradice bags. :D

Are they waterproof?

Yes. They're waxed cotton, so you can get the re-proofing wax and touch it up whenever you like. The best part is that they're both waterproof and breathable, so nothing ever develops that PNW musty smell. Bragi, if you ever want to view them in person, Citybikes (http://www.citybikes.coop/) in Portland has them in their store. I understand they're the only physical shop west of the Rockies where you can actually physically see them.

I've got the Bike Bureau and the Shopper. My brother was impressed enough with the Bike Bureau that he got himself one, too.

A couple of years ago, I bought some amazing waterproof panniers (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442618864&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302693397&bmUID=1188095396003) through Mountain Equipment Co-op. They've kept my gear dry during a number of good drenching rains. They come in black, coal or red and while they don't have the olive drab look you're after, in terms of practicality, they are great.
http://images.mec.ca/media/Images/Products/Cycling/5010454_v1_m56577569830584023.jpg

How do they attach to the rack? Can you easily take them off if you need to carry them into a store or had to leave your bike unattended? These are nice looking bags, I'd expect them to be thief magnets in NYC.

They are old school, not separate panniers but proper one piece, waxed canvas, saddle bags. They hang over your rack and attach with a button and buckle strap that you tighten at the bottom of the rack (where the rack meets the rear axle). They are easy enough to remove, just unbutton the bottom strap on both sides.

I would expect them to be gone if left unattended in any high crime area.

hello,

i'm looking for saddlebags, preferably durable in a natural drab color (like olive, brown, beige) that don't look like they come from an sports store, and without leather. i used to have some great ones on my previous bike (since stolen) and i haven't had any luck in replacing them. this might sound like a neurotic request, and granted, it is, but i can't stand the modern sports aesthetic. i'd prefer something that's more in the vein of army surplus. does such an item exist?

If you can afford it, a Carradice saddlebag might just be your ticket. They're beautiful bags, made to last a lifetime. I have the Super C.

Brooks makes a nice line of bags. Some have more leather than others.

Carradice!

are you guys taking the piss? i really don't want leather. no dead animal parts of any kind.

:(

Check what Paul Woloshansky (http://www.bikechina.com/tb1.html) did for his panniers and homemade racks. Ken Kifer (http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/touring/bags.htm) has some information on homemade panniers on his site.

are you guys taking the piss? i really don't want leather. no dead animal parts of any kind.

:(
You'll want to email Carradice to check, but I'm looking at my Bike Bureau and my Shopper here, and I'm not seeing any leather at all. They're black, but they've got reflective bits in the right places, and they do not look "sporty".

if you go to an army surplus store, look for the rubber/canvas dutch grenade bags. They are about $10 and are nukeproof construction. You can mount them on racks, seats, handlebars or over the shoulder.

my mistake...

i sort of mis-associated carradice bags with one of the links. i'm paranoid, you see.

they're not bad, but way too expensive for me.

if you go to an army surplus store, look for the rubber/canvas dutch grenade bags. They are about $10 and are nukeproof construction. You can mount them on racks, seats, handlebars or over the shoulder.

you wouldn't happen to know of a link to an online surplus store that carries these do you? my searches aren't turning up anything.

they're not bad, but way too expensive for me.
I set aside $10-40 per month for several months and bought mine one at a time. Knowing they'll last a lifetime made it worth it. :)

I bought a set of horse saddlebags to use for a while. They are canvas, but waterproofing spray does well with them. Slight mods are needed to get them nice and secure, but they do well and hold plenty.


http://www.outfitterssupply.com/prodinfo.asp?number=WSB300

Something similar to this...

you wouldn't happen to know of a link to an online surplus store that carries these do you? my searches aren't turning up anything.

here you go my cycling friend, olive drab,sonically welded seams, heavy duty pvc rubber, and this is the CHEAPEST price you will get these for new!

http://www.fcsurplus.ca/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=10497

http://fcsurplus.ca/army/images/311709.jpg

there are buckles on the back that you can JOIN two of these together with, and then put them on the rack, or handlebar, or seat.

Wow! the dutch army bags look real cool. and at a good price.

wow. christ. cheap.

they have a lot of other nifty stuff on that site as well. how do you go about securing them to the rear rack?

you just join the bags rear rubber canvas straps together around the rack tubing, using metal webbing hardware like these:

http://www.jontay.com/hardware/Single-Bar20Slides.gif

i'd post a pic of how i attached mine to my city bike, but they got nicked a while back :D

those are swell bags, I almost just bought one but the shipping plus minimum $24 purchase turned a $5 bag into a $50 bag! still thinking about it, since I could use some binocs as well. Great site though, inspires me to look around at some army surplus stores for bags.

you just join the bags rear rubber canvas straps together around the rack tubing, using metal webbing hardware like these:

http://www.jontay.com/hardware/Single-Bar20Slides.gif

i'd post a pic of how i attached mine to my city bike, but they got nicked a while back :D

neat.

i ended up getting these from the same site:

http://fcsurplus.ca/bags/images/310065b.jpg

i'm not sure how practical they'll be, but they're just so cool, and i like that the cover flap doesn't extend too far. the straps are removable, so i'm wondering if i can work out a way to attach them without straps. they would make nifty guitar straps.