Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Inujirushi bags

Just got a Miyata 610 to build up for randonneuring and debating the merits of various items... Genereally trying to walk the line between a nice look and actual functionality, so it is a bit of a mish mash of stuff. (e.g., the decision between hammered and smooth fenders is taking me too long, trying to determine the width to get is a whole other question, and then there are tires... it is sorta exhausting).

Anyway, anyone have any experience with Inujirushi bags (http://www.jitensha.com/eng/inujirushibags.html) carried by Jitensha? They look good, I like the Japanese provenance since the Miyata is Japanese, etc...

Anyone use them with the V-O front decaleur/rack combo? I don't know really what other options are out there for front racks with decaleurs, but it seems to be nice.

Looks comparable in size, price and construction to a Berthoud basic, with one big exception:

Berthoud bags open with the top flap away from the rider so you can actually access the stuff in your handlebar bag while you're riding. It also means you don't have to fasten the flap because the breeze from forward motion will hold it closed (as long as you're not jostling a full bag around on a bumpy path.) What's the point of having all your stuff right at your fingertips, but you have to reach over/around the front of the bag to open and close it. (try doing that after a few hundred kilometers, in the dark, when you're nice and tired.)

It should work fine with a VO rack and decaleur. Did you hit up the sale at VO and nab the chromed version of the rando rack? I couldn't pass that up as a replacement for my beat all to crud Nashbar canti-mount rack and bag. Rack/decaleur arrive Saturday, Berthoud bag gets here Monday. I can hardly wait!

Ah, good catch on the lid - I am sorta new to this and don't know really what to look for - it sounds like the Berthouds are the standards, with Watanabe's maybe being a slight upgrade and Acorn being the alternative choice (but in limited availability).

I didn't buy the sale rando rack because I was planning on getting a rack with the integrated decaleur. Another forum poster in Classic & Vintage said he managed to break his VO decaleur bending it to fit his particular bag and went and bought a Berthoud decaleur which he finds superior.

Ah, good catch on the lid - I am sorta new to this and don't know really what to look for - it sounds like the Berthouds are the standards, with Watanabe's maybe being a slight upgrade and Acorn being the alternative choice (but in limited availability).

I didn't buy the sale rando rack because I was planning on getting a rack with the integrated decaleur. Another forum poster in Classic & Vintage said he managed to break his VO decaleur bending it to fit his particular bag and went and bought a Berthoud decaleur which he finds superior.

Berthoud seems to be the most common of the platform bags I see around here. The VO Campagne is pretty nice from what I've seen; a guy with our club has one, and aside from it being a little on the small side for me, it's a nice bag at a great price. I'm not a fan of the buckles (like the Berthoud deluxe bags) just because they're more to futz around with to get into the bag. But they are a secure closure.) Acorn, if you can get one, makes the spiffy Boxy Rando which is pretty nice. I dig the turn-clasp closures on the rear facing pockets.
Watanabe bags are primo, but you're also going to drop about 4 bills on one. Maybe it's just because I ride an inexpensive production frame; but I'm not going to spend more on my handlebar bag than I did on my frame and fork.
Ostrich makes an absolutely huge front bag, but again the issue is a backwards opening top flap.

If you ride a small to mid size frame and don't have a huge space to fill between the top of the rack up to the bars, the VO Campagne might be a good option. It's about the size of a Berthoud small bag, so if you have a tall rise to your bars the mapcase might fall a little short of being level with your bars.