Touring - D-rings are great on saddlebags

After 8bits excellent ultralight list and desire to go to a rear bag and a handlebar bag I thought I'd post a few pictures of my new setup. I've gone to a larger handlebar bag so that I can fit my sleeping pad and cooking gear in it and eliminate the front rack. I've found that a Carradice Junior bag makes an excellent handlebar bag. The other thing that I've done is copy the Acorn Bags (www.acornbags.com) idea of having D-rings on the saddlebags so that a strap can be used to carry them off the bike. A couple of bucks on some webbing and 4 D-rings and an afternoon of rather amateurish stitching and I'm happy with the results. The D-rings make it easy to carry either bag around town and as I always take the handlebar bag with me when I leave the bike it's proved to be a useful bit of handicraft.

Awesome! I would like to try something like this in the future. Where do you put food that you buy along the way? I like to carry peanut butter and jelly supplies on tour. Great cheap bike food, but the two jars and the bread take up a ton of space.

Awesome! I would like to try something like this in the future. Where do you put food that you buy along the way? I like to carry peanut butter and jelly supplies on tour. Great cheap bike food, but the two jars and the bread take up a ton of space.

There's space in the handlebar bag and the top flap of the saddlebag can be extended to hold extra stuff. I'll buy pita bread as it's flat and either PB or honey to spread on it.

congrats, we need more of this. I'd love a picture of those on the bike.

I've been playing with a similar setup for a while (we have the same tent too), but the hardest part is getting my sleeping bag to fit. Which one of those is your sleeping bag??

congrats, we need more of this. I'd love a picture of those on the bike.

I've been playing with a similar setup for a while (we have the same tent too), but the hardest part is getting my sleeping bag to fit. Which one of those is your sleeping bag??

My sleeping quilt is in the greenish bag immediately to the right of the grey Contrail tent. It's the first thing I pack in the saddlebag. Here's a picture of the bags on my bike, I don't have the tent on there as this was a weekend trip, but it usually goes under the saddle.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2129/2534144700_b72a6e8859.jpg?v=0

Love the set up.

Love the gearing set up too. One mid sized ring for 90% of riding and a bail out granny ring, enough range but still makes you work.

is that a triple crank with just the inner and outer rings?

is that a triple crank with just the inner and outer rings?

Yes it's a triple, but with a 42t ring on the middle and a 26 on the inner. With an 11/34 cassette it gives me 103" down to 21". 90% of my riding is done on the 42 ring, except in the hills when I'm glad of the 26

Ostrich touring front handlebar bags, (Big, Japanese green canvas handlebar bags evocative of the Berthoud front bags) come with D rings and a shoulder strap stock, release a strap underneath the bag, two on the bar or holder, and you can take it with you. very conveinent.

modifying gear can sweeten the deal, that's for sure...... i'm in process of adding pullouts and stake loops on a silnylon tarptent I recently purchased to increase ventilation and foot room...

Ostrich touring front handlebar bags, (Big, Japanese green canvas handlebar bags evocative of the Berthoud front bags) come with D rings and a shoulder strap stock, release a strap underneath the bag, two on the bar or holder, and you can take it with you. very conveinent.

modifying gear can sweeten the deal, that's for sure...... i'm in process of adding pullouts and stake loops on a silnylon tarptent I recently purchased to increase ventilation and foot room...

I've seen the Ostrich bags and they look very nice. I would have bought one if I didn't already have the Junior bag. I normally use it on the saddle, but as it doesn't have pockets I figured it would fit nicely on the handlebars, sure enough it does. The annoying thing was carrying it off the bike, that's where purpose designed handlebar bags are good as the Ostritch, Ortlieb etc come with a shoulder strap. Still $4 for the D rings and webbing and a couple of old straps and I now have the same functionality. Being able to carry the Nelson saddlebag with a shoulder strap is also very convenient

Yes it's a triple, but with a 42t ring on the middle and a 26 on the inner. With an 11/34 cassette it gives me 103" down to 21". 90% of my riding is done on the 42 ring, except in the hills when I'm glad of the 26

What is the advantage of doing this over having a triple? Is it so you don't have to deal with weird chain rub when on the middle chainring of a triple? I want to switch to a double for that reason, but I am still trying to figure out what makes the most sense. I don't have any experience messing with these things on derailer bikes.

its what you call 'oldskool' :D I bet nun will tell you about cross step gearing....

What is the advantage of doing this over having a triple? Is it so you don't have to deal with weird chain rub when on the middle chainring of a triple? I want to switch to a double for that reason, but I am still trying to figure out what makes the most sense. I don't have any experience messing with these things on derailer bikes.

It's more personal preference than anythingelse. A triple will give you better chain lines if you use it properly,
but I realized that most of the time I ride somewhere between 50" and 70" and didn't need the complication of a triple.

My way of doing things is the opposite of half step gearing as my who philosophy is to reduce the need for front ring changes.

Nun, I have to say you're the one that inspired me to settle on a Nelson LF and a Junior.

I have panniers (REI Commuter) and a good rack (Jandd Expedition), but I think the simplicity and waterproofness of the bags, coupled with the ability to lash larger items (such as a tent, Hennessy hammock, sleeping bag, etc,) onto the LF and the Junior (using the handlebars as the lash point) make them a simpler and more sensible solution. That, coupled with the durability of Carradice. It's a win win! Thanks for inspiring me in this direction!

Nun, I have to say you're the one that inspired me to settle on a Nelson LF and a Junior.

I have panniers (REI Commuter) and a good rack (Jandd Expedition), but I think the simplicity and waterproofness of the bags, coupled with the ability to lash larger items (such as a tent, Hennessy hammock, sleeping bag, etc,) onto the LF and the Junior (using the handlebars as the lash point) make them a simpler and more sensible solution. That, coupled with the durability of Carradice. It's a win win! Thanks for inspiring me in this direction!

It's good to be inspirational ;). I've been doing a lot of credit card touring with my set up the last year or so. I've found that for "fully loaded" touring with my sleeping bag, tent, pad and cooking gear it's best to have small front and rear racks. The frontrack has my pad and cooking gear strapped to it. Putting them in the Junior put a bit too much weight directly on the handlebars and it was a pain to carry them around whenever I took the junior off the bars to walk around town etc. Also it's nice to have a bit of extra room in the Junior for random items I buy and for food etc.