Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Acorn Boxy Rando Bag

My Acorn front bag arrived this weekend (http://littlecirclesvt.com/?p=194). I'll get some more photos up soon - but I think the bag will be ideal for longer brevets (and everyday riding) - I've been searching for something to keep my goodies up front.

http://littlecirclesvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/img_7767.jpg

http://littlecirclesvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/img_7770.jpg

I've had 2 short(er) rides with the bag. I haven't had much need to carry bike specific gear - but after some texts from the wife and a stop @ the grocer on the way home I can say that this bag will hold a ton of stuff - cleaning products, food, and some replacement plastic food containers. So far no serious handling issues with my IF. The geometry is a 'club racer' setup - somewhere between a touring and racing rig. I was able to cruise no-handed at speed with no wobble or shimmy - I had my u-lock, tools, extra layers, and camera up front on the ride. Fully loaded with probably more weight and bulk than I would carry on a brevet with groceries I still rolled no-handed - I just wasn't as confident as I had an unbalanced load with stuff sticking out of the top and hanging over the side.

I'm planning on adding a VO decaleur to keep things a bit more stable than the current loop chords afford. It works really well with a light load - but with more weight the bag flops around a bit - which you can feel in the bars.

I really like the quick elastic lashes on the main and front compartment. Not so certain on the swivel locks for the small pockets on the back - but I'm still wearing lobster mitts up here. I do like the side 'envelope' slots - I think maps and other goodies will fit here.

I have an Ortlieb that is a great bag - but I do not like how high it sits on the bars. A friend has a GB and a local shop has an Ostrich. I nearly bought a medium sized GB until I confirmed that I could get into the sales lot from Acorn. I did not like how floppy the Ostrich was... and the quality of the construction seemed lacking. I'll get some comparison pics up if I have time...

The fit, finish, and craftsmanship on the Acorn is fantastic - and I'm hoping the long term durability will be excellent. Customer service was stellar.

Nice bag!
I have to wait for mine until 2d week in April, but I am also getting a large saddle bag that was revised with new mounting system that does not require a bag support.

I really like the looks of the Acorn front bag. The idea that it stands up by itself is attractive.

Nice bag!
I have to wait for mine until 2d week in April, but I am also getting a large saddle bag that was revised with new mounting system that does not require a bag support.

nice. i went with the medium saddlebag. for long events i'll be keeping my tools and road gear in there, and lighter, but more hands on stuff up front.

It looks sharp. I'd like to get something a little roomier up front myself, but I think that particular bag would block my headlight. I notice on Acorn's website, they have little pockets where you can get your camera and cellphone out while you ride, and that's a neat idea.

It looks sharp. I'd like to get something a little roomier up front myself, but I think that particular bag would block my headlight. I notice on Acorn's website, they have little pockets where you can get your camera and cellphone out while you ride, and that's a neat idea.

roomier but you don't want to block your light? put your light on your fork or rack...
its large... not as big as the ostrich or the large GB... but big enough - and it allows over stuffing.

thx for the review, seems like a nice bag. what do they go for?

i like my ostrich bag, but it's almost too big for most of my rides.

thx for the review, seems like a nice bag. what do they go for?

i like my ostrich bag, but it's almost too big for most of my rides.

$150.
Should get in a long ride or two this coming weekend...

I really didn't like the Ostrich, as another user who has one commented - "it's like a dead cat flopping around up there.." (or something)

I really like my Loan Peak H-100 bag. Good size main compartment (10x8x6") with a separate pocket inside, and a separate zipped front compartment (9x7x2.5"). 25 ounces including the mounting bracket. $76 shipping included. Found it recommended by Nick Bull somewhere.

I like how it mounts up higher so I can reach in and dig around pretty easily. And with a flip of the blue toggle switch the bag comes right off. I can park my bike and grab my bag and head off to eat sleep, reorganize, or whatever.

--
SharpT

http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL362/677161/15775683/312379781.jpg

http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL362/677161/15775683/312180661.jpg

thx for the review, seems like a nice bag. what do they go for?

i like my ostrich bag, but it's almost too big for most of my rides.

Are you bringing your Ostrich on the 200k this weekend? I'd like to check it out in person. I've been looking to replace the setup I've got up front now (Nashbar rack and bag, modified to work as a low-mount); Ostrich and Acorn have both been on my possibilities list.

Are you bringing your Ostrich on the 200k this weekend? I'd like to check it out in person. I've been looking to replace the setup I've got up front now (Nashbar rack and bag, modified to work as a low-mount); Ostrich and Acorn have both been on my possibilities list.

you betcha - i plan to have it stuffed with too much crap, including spare socks/gloves, jacket, ensure, and whatever else i can think of.

(the downside to the Big bags is that i always seem to fill them up, no matter how long the ride is)

Are you bringing your Ostrich on the 200k this weekend? I'd like to check it out in person. I've been looking to replace the setup I've got up front now (Nashbar rack and bag, modified to work as a low-mount); Ostrich and Acorn have both been on my possibilities list.


you betcha - i plan to have it stuffed with too much crap...

OK you guys... I want a report on the bag comparisons when you figure all of this out! I've been trying to decide what bag to get... right now I'm torn between getting the Ostrich and dropping the big cash for a Berthoud bag. Trying to figure out what, if anything, makes the GB worth the extra money... other than that I like how it looks.

OK you guys... I want a report on the bag comparisons when you figure all of this out! I've been trying to decide what bag to get... right now I'm torn between getting the Ostrich and dropping the big cash for a Berthoud bag. Trying to figure out what, if anything, makes the GB worth the extra money... other than that I like how it looks.
Just order the Acorn and you can get your money back out of it if you decide to go another way. Of course, ordering the Acorn is easier said than done. I should get my mother into this business, she makes caving clothing

Educate me.
Why is a handlebar bag not a big 'ol air brake? A drag chute that slows you down?
Serious question.

Educate me.
Why is a handlebar bag not a big 'ol air brake? A drag chute that slows you down?
Serious question.

My bar bag gives me something to draft!

Seriously... using a bar bag is much better than hanging a big ol' set of panniers on the sides of that rack. Talk about a drag chute!

According to wind tunnel testing reported in Bicycle Quarterly a few years back, the front bag doesn't make any difference in a direct headwind because it does not add to frontal area. Quartering headwinds do slow you down with a front bag, however.

Compared to panniers or a rear bag of the same volume as a typical front bag, the front bag generally creates a bit less drag, as the panniers and/or rear bag stick out enough that they do increase frontal area.

Educate me.
Why is a handlebar bag not a big 'ol air brake? A drag chute that slows you down?
Serious question.

Why is the rider's torso not a big 'ol air brake?

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0jkA5M3PGcY/ScOQRIpysxI/AAAAAAAAKTU/jg960jCCuBA/s800/IMG_7773.JPG

OK you guys... I want a report on the bag comparisons when you figure all of this out! I've been trying to decide what bag to get... right now I'm torn between getting the Ostrich and dropping the big cash for a Berthoud bag. Trying to figure out what, if anything, makes the GB worth the extra money... other than that I like how it looks.

Berthoud bag is a very expensive and a very desirable bag. It is worth getting it if you could afford the initial price . Used ones on e-bay sell for a lot of money also, so they are a good investment. They will cost you less money in a long run than a Nashbar bag that is worth nothing used, plus Berthoud looks so...good.

I really like my Loan Peak H-100 bag. Good size main compartment (10x8x6") with a separate pocket inside, and a separate zipped front compartment (9x7x2.5"). 25 ounces including the mounting bracket. $76 shipping included. Found it recommended by Nick Bull somewhere.

I like how it mounts up higher so I can reach in and dig around pretty easily. And with a flip of the blue toggle switch the bag comes right off. I can park my bike and grab my bag and head off to eat sleep, reorganize, or whatever.

--
SharpT


yep, thats about how my ortlieb mounts. i like it better with a secondary stem mounted below my primary - was able to keep the weight a bit lower and free up the tops for my hands.

the acorn comes off by releasing some velcro. super fast.

$150.
Should get in a long ride or two this coming weekend...(or something) come down to Massachusetts and do the Westfield Early Spring 200k this Sunday!

come down to Massachusetts and do the Westfield Early Spring 200k this Sunday!

doing the next 200k out of westfield, then the boston 3,4, and 6 for a rematch, assuming all goes well.
certainly behind on my miles, for sure. not anywhere near where they were when i was single and living in southern vermont and all i had to do was ride my bike and work. :eek:

Awesome picture, but who is driving?

Russ has a nice review of the Acorn and the Ostrich here: http://epicureancyclist.blogspot.com/2009/02/acorn-bag-review-and-comparison-to.html

Awesome picture, but who is driving?

same guy that is driving here, but sometimes the bike likes to drive itself...

http://littlecirclesvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/img_7784-400x300.jpg

Russ has a nice review of the Acorn and the Ostrich here: http://epicureancyclist.blogspot.com/2009/02/acorn-bag-review-and-comparison-to.html

i've seen that. good stuff.

The bag is meeting expectations.
~80 miler in the rain and the wind last weekend and it kept things nice and dry, even the cell phone which wasn't in a baggy.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0jkA5M3PGcY/SdEcwyZGKuI/AAAAAAAAKWc/qGCCYfCwDLw/s800/IMG_7801.JPG

It appears that water seeps in the stitching on the map case, so I'll be keeping cue sheets in an Aloksak or baggie. The side slots were nice for an energy bar and a snack, and the rear quick access pockets are easy to get to on the move.

VO is out of their decaleurs for 1 1/8" steerers, so I'm hoping to have something made by a local rack / frame builder. This will free up better use of the side pockets as I won't need the stabilizing cords around the bars.

Bag is easy on / easy off with the velcro around the rack.
Capacity is just about perfect for cold weather rides, and will be great for brevets when it warms up. I should be able to carry everything I need up front for the 2 and 3. Beyond that I'll add a small saddlebag (assuming I need to carry rain or colder weather gear.

I've mounted up the saddlebag to see how it fits. I swapped out the Acorn straps for some older Carradice straps - the buckles are about half the size than the Acorns. This allows it to fit cleaner under the Brooks. (unlike a Carradice, the Medium Acorn does not have the straps come through to the inside)

Still need to figure out my Edelux mount on the Mark's Rack. Looking at making a custom washer / light bracket that will work with the struts... but that will take some time and machining.

I'd love to get an Acorn bag, however they don't ship outside of the US.

It appears that water seeps in the stitching on the map case, so I'll be keeping cue sheets in an Aloksak or baggie.

You could seal the seams with some SeamGrip or urethane glue. Dilute it down a little and either (carefully) paint on, or use a syringe or other applicator to let it soak into the threads.

Or maybe use some beeswax-related product (snoseal?) if that would match the "feel" of the bag better.

how much does it carry? (http://littlecirclesvt.com/?p=337)
plenty:

http://littlecirclesvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/img_7898-400x300.jpg

http://littlecirclesvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/img_7899-400x300.jpg

http://littlecirclesvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/img_7900-400x300.jpg

http://littlecirclesvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/img_7901-400x300.jpg

VO is out of their decaleurs for 1 1/8" steerers, so I'm hoping to have something made by a local rack / frame builder. This will free up better use of the side pockets as I won't need the stabilizing cords around the bars.

Mike,

Did you end up having a decaleur made for your Acron? Pics, thoughts, contact information for builder?

My Acorn Rando bag should be in soon. There is not much out there on the interwebs about DYI decaleurs.

Mike,

Did you end up having a decaleur made for your Acron? Pics, thoughts, contact information for builder?

My Acorn Rando bag should be in soon. There is not much out there on the interwebs about DYI decaleurs.

have a local builder looking at it.
used the bag this weekend on a fleche - 226 miles.
the straps worked ok. a little bouncy, but not a big deal.

the local guy just ordered in a bunch of tubing - but hasn't emailed me about meeting up for the design yet. i want to use a steel spacer / pipe and wrap the tubing around it.

a friend had a VO decaleur fail on a 200k last week. it broke at the weld where the U shaped tubing meets the spacer ring... so i want to design a better solution to this.

i snagged a set of a performance / nashbar mtb aerobar thingies off the web a ways back - i was planning on using them for mounting lights - but with the bag i might mount 1 to the bars with a short straight mtb bar and strap the bag to it... looks like it might work and be stable. (very similar to how the nitto lampholder would work)

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/images/products/Lights/nitto-light-bar.jpg

more later... if and when it ever happens!

Mike,

Thanks for the response and pic. I looked around unsuccessfully for those MTB aero thingies. I need to chew on this for a bit. You mentioned how a friends VO decaleur broke at the little weld. That looked like a weak spot in the design (not that I've got any brighter ideas).

There is the Minoura Swing Grip route but my guess is it's not stout enough.
http://www.nashbar.com/images/nashbar/products/large/MN-SG200-NCL-TOP.jpg

hI bMIKE,

THE BAG LOOKS GREAT.

Like I said I would have bought the acorn but I missed the order deadline AGAIN

I was on the road when the paypal buttons came up.

as you know I purchased the VO bag (not bad). mounting was trickey the VO bag has 3 thin stiffeners

one on bottom and 1 on each side Not very stiff but better than nothing.

so I put the leather loop over the marks rack and secured the side "D" rings to my handlebars needless to say it flopped around alot.


I was going to weld up a VO style Decaluer But My frame angles and distance above bag would not be a good fit for a VO mount.

SO


I then bought my cheap cutting boards at Xmart and made stiffeners for the back of bag and one for the bottom of bag, I secured them together with 2 BRASS "L" brackets/ nuts-bolts 8/32. I then drilled holes through the bottom of bag /stiffeners one on each side of bag in front and one in the back.

long story short I cable tied the VO back to my marks rack and its not moving(cant remove it fast But I have no need to as I never took my ortlieb off the bike unless I changed bikes.

I commuted today with a full front load in the bag and it stayed put. the thicker stiffeners with the cable ties pulling against the siffener to the rack tightens it all up solid.

no hardware and no staps to my handlebars.

My other option would be a second stem very long and flipped down with a whole drilled in it for my brake cable to go through (Cantis)

as a modification im giong to install some grommets where I drilled through the bag.

hows your mounting project comming along??

"john"

Mike,

Thanks for the response and pic. I looked around unsuccessfully for those MTB aero thingies. I need to chew on this for a bit. You mentioned how a friends VO decaleur broke at the little weld. That looked like a weak spot in the design (not that I've got any brighter ideas).

There is the Minoura Swing Grip route but my guess is it's not stout enough.
http://www.nashbar.com/images/nashbar/products/large/MN-SG200-NCL-TOP.jpg

that would definitely be strong enough as the weight is on the rack...!
i have one but it is too short... and won't fit round my stem.

hows your mounting project comming along??

"john"

eh. did a fleche this past weekend and it was fine. a little wobbly on some high speed descents when fully stuffed, and the cords cut into my h-bar wrap... but so far so good.

i'm debating having that decaleur made, or just rigging something myself.
i actually rode round today with no bag and just the light and the rack. might even ditch the bag but for all the longest events... who knows.

i have come to like having most of my gear within easy reach... but...
two pics fully loaded on the fleche this past weekend... (before the rain started)


http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0jkA5M3PGcY/ShCjt4BQxhI/AAAAAAAAK9E/Q-K6FYDvnJk/s800/IMG_8272.JPG



http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0jkA5M3PGcY/ShCjlErJoMI/AAAAAAAAK70/1u8TxaHdwEA/s800/IMG_8253.JPG

I looked at the spacer-mounted decaleur and decided it would probably break. Am I a smart guy or what? :p

I've been using their "traditional" decaleur -- the one mounted on flat stock and bolted to the stem -- and it's stood up to some pretty severe off-road abuse. Doesn't look like it will mount to your stem, though, Mike...

Looks really nice Mike. I plan to use my Acorn Rando Box with my Nelson Long Flap/Bagman Rack in July for a three day tour from Santa Barbara to San Diego. The weather will be warn and about a -5% chance of rain in SoCal that time of year. We will be traveling pretty light, dare I say ultralight.

I've been using their "traditional" decaleur -- the one mounted on flat stock and bolted to the stem -- and it's stood up to some pretty severe off-road abuse.

Anyone know if the stem mounted decaleurs will work with a Thompson Elite X2 Road Stem? It has two bolts on the face, one on the top and one on the bottom. Seems like it would mount similar to a quill stem.

I looked at the pictures and kind of don't think so -- but I don't have firsthand experience. The bolt has to fit through the decaleur somehow, and I don't see how it can with the Thompson stem.

I was thinking it would be sandwiched in between the stem and the stem face plate. I have never seen one of these things in person so I have no idea if this would work. Maybe an email to VO will help.

This is tough to explain...

I've tried sandwiching it as you describe, but with a traditional stem. There was just barely enough room between the top of the flat plate on the decaleur and the bottom of the handlebar tube. It looks to me like there is significantly less space available in the Thompson stem.

Thanks for the help. I wish this was an item commonly carried at an LBS so I could go an experiment. Shipping two and from VO is an expensive experiment. Maybe I could find out how thick the material is I could test with something close in thickness.

Anyone know if the stem mounted decaleurs will work with a Thompson Elite X2 Road Stem? It has two bolts on the face, one on the top and one on the bottom. Seems like it would mount similar to a quill stem.

doubtful... as i think the space required is too narrow. thought about the same thing here...

I looked at the spacer-mounted decaleur and decided it would probably break. Am I a smart guy or what? :p

I've been using their "traditional" decaleur -- the one mounted on flat stock and bolted to the stem -- and it's stood up to some pretty severe off-road abuse. Doesn't look like it will mount to your stem, though, Mike...

nope. the spacer mounted one is a great idea - but i think the tubing needs to wrap the spacer - or they need to come up with a better weld / attachment method.

Thanks for the help. I wish this was an item commonly carried at an LBS so I could go an experiment. Shipping two and from VO is an expensive experiment. Maybe I could find out how thick the material is I could test with something close in thickness.

.120", according to my calipers.

.120", according to my calipers.

and don't forget the material left above the bolt hole - that may run into your bars depending on how the stem bolts interface with the body of the stem.

That's my primary concern with the Thompson stem. I just didn't do a very good job of explaining it.

Is that material something a good metal could take care of or would that make the distance between the hole and the top of the plate too small you think?