Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Handlebar bag/headlight question

I am looking for a handlebar bag. Topeak makes some nice ones but it looks like they stand pretty high above the handlebar which would block the headlight.

2 things...............are there lights that could mount below the bag.....or.....are there handlebar bags out there that mount lower down?

Please advise.

Thanks,

Paul

I read here that someone else hung a small bag under the bars, I found one, hung it under the bars, and it works great. Plan on mounting a light on top of the bar, when it gets here.

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_168317_-1_201572_10000_202599

My old Topeak handlebar bag has a plastic accessory bar that slides on underneath and lets you mount a light down there. It works ok, but is not very steady when going over bumps, so the light jumps up and down quite a bit.

are there lights that could mount below the bag

yes they do. Monoura makes something called a Swing Grip that can attach to your handlebars to create an extension so that the lights could ride above the bag. The Swing Grip will also attach to the stem and allow the lights to ride under the bag.

It creates a different look to the lights as they are throwing at a different angle. Bump type obstructions are easier to see, but potholes can look deeper than they are. Coupled with a helmet light its the nutz.

Lurking under the bag, you also have to know they are there to find them making them less noticeable to impoverished types looking to liberate goods. All in all I love the setup and it is pretty durable - have one on each bike for several years now. One hosts a pair of MS and the other a pair of Dinottes, in the past I have used 2Fish with 18650s as well. They all work pretty good.

I am not so fond of the Topeak bags. One is a hard case pod type which is really meant for a camera; the other (shown in pic) can double as a grab and go fanny pack is very nice, but a little small for the money. I wedged something under the release so that it is less likely to be grabbed an gone with someone who doesnt own it.

The fanny pack one CAN sit too high for a bar light, but you can adjust the angle some. It comes with an attachment that spans your stem which for hosting a computer or light, but it is prone to vibrate and not worth the effort. With a light on it, any sort of over-the-handlebars experience would be aggravated by a light impaling the chest.

HTH

If you have a steel fork. http://www.chubbyscruisers.com/shop/cruiser-parts/fun-extras/minoura-besso-mount

I stack 2 stems, bar bag mount on the lower one, and a headlight bracket on the fork crown
It sits below the bar bag.

Cyclocamping tour bike, a light mount on the hoop for the low rider.. Long summer days
Its a Battery light

rest of the year I ride the bike with the hub dynamo, wired headlight .

Thanks for all the help.

I forgot to mention, this is going on a 2010 Novara Safari.

I think I'm going to go with a Shimano Dynamo with a front light on the fork crown and a rear light on the rack.

Now I have to figure out what lights to get.

Your advise is greatly appreciated.

Paul