zze86

Was out at some thrift stores trying to get ideas for Christmas presents and found this leather bag which I thought would make a great handlebar bag for a lady friend's cruiser bike. @ $6 I figured it couldn't hurt to try.

Anybody know of good off-the-shelf or DIY solution for mounting this?

canklecat

Take a look at the Boreas Alite handlebar bag. In fact, just buy one for your friend. At only $30 and ready to go as-is, it'll probably be cheaper and more satisfactory than modifying a less suitable bag.

And Nashbar has discounted that bag even more a couple of times, so if you check their specials regularly it might go for even less. A couple of weeks ago I snagged a weatherproof Agu Qyoto handlebar bag for only $20, half the usual low Nashbar price (for a bag that originally retailed for more than $100 in the Netherlands). Only mod I needed for the Agu bag was to hook a short bungee cord through the shoulder strap lugs and around the stem to keep it from flipping up when I hit ruts in the gravel trail -- the Agu bag uses the Klickfix mount which allows bags to rotate around the handlebar. Not a problem for most paved roads but I wanted something for bad weather and off road rides to hold my camera gear.

Google around for demos of the Alite barrel bags from when they were introduced a couple of years ago. Clever way to mount a fashionable bag to fit many bikes with upright, flat or drop bars. If I wanted to adapt a bag to fit a handlebar, that's how I'd do it -- some bungee straps and hooks.

Another trick -- practical but not elegant -- is to buy some camera bag lens pouches that use wide heavy duty Velcro fasteners. These fit readily over any narrow available space on a handlebar. I use my old Lowepro Off Trail waist pack lens pouches this way to hold my smart phone for cycling apps, or a P&S camera, or whatever I want handy including a small set of tools and spare tube when I didn't have a saddle bag. The short pouches can fit inside the handlebar, toward the rider, without bopping the knees. A longer bag would need to go on the outside facing forward.

Andrew R Stewart 

Bag/bike racks need to satisfy many needs. The range of variables is far greater then most would think. Bar height off tire, stem extension, bar shape, cable routing, bar/lever width, fork type, headset type, stem type, caliper (IF any) type, and more. This is why custom racks are so highly thought of, and so fitting (sorry, bad pun).


I strongly agree with canklecat's suggestion to just give an over the counter bag which has a system of attachment. Andy. (who has built his own custom bag racks and now uses off the shelf stuff).

canklecat

BTW, a cruiser may have a bird's nest of cables looped across the front. That can interfere with some handlebar bags. If possible test the clearance before buying a bag.

Bikes with upright and flat handlebars often use combo brake/shifter assemblies with cables facing inward. In some cases it's possible to trim the cables shorter. In other cases it may be better to lengthen the cables to extend the loops, so the bag can fit inside the looped cables rather than mashing them flat and interfering with smooth shifting and braking.

The Klickfix mount I mentioned (came with the Agu bag) extends the bag far enough away from the handlebar that it doesn't interfere with the cable loops or the exposed front brake cable for the cantilever brakes, running vertically under tension between the handlebar and brake. Any other bag I tried that hooked directly to the bar without an adapter would rub against the brake cable.

Another option is a front rack, with the bag fastened to the rack instead of the handlebar.

tyrion

You could get a mounting bracket for that.
https://www.google.com/search?q=hand...w=1540&bih=835

I'd reinforce the inside where the mounting plate attaches with some kind of plastic sheeting (strong but flexible). Might want to reinforce the floor, too. And remember (IMO) a bag like that up high on the handlebars should have the opening latch facing back.

Will Wheeler

Have a look at brackets for baskets and see if you can find a solution there. It wouldn't surprize me at all, if you do

fietsbob

Front Basket, steel , Wald.. just put it in , use a stretch net if you think it will bounce out.

canklecat

BTW, that Alite handlebar bag I mentioned at Nashbar is another 25% off this weekend. That's pretty cheap for a good looking casual bag that doubles as a shoulder bag, and has a nifty built-in mounting method that isn't a big hunk of plastic like the Klickfix.

bulldog1935

In order for this to work, your bag would have to be 9 inches wide.

here's a custom bag for a nitto F-15 handlebar mount made for me my Ruthworks
It has two (black) leather sleeves down each side that slide over the arms of the F-15.



And stays in place by a single strap to the back of the F-15 rack



A shoemaker could add that to your bag.

wphamilton

DIY - I've been experimenting and have finalized on this concept. I have it on a rigid fiberglass bag shell but the concept should work on a regular bag.

You only need a slight hook on top and something hold it down. I decided on magnets sewed into an elastic strap, which loops around the bottom of the bar. It's very solid in practice.


A rigid strut extends from the bag bottom to under the stem, with another strap to hold it. Key is to have a rigid connection somehow between the strut and the hooks, which you can attach to one side of the bag. Configured this way it works pretty well even when the stem length and angle is varied.

If while DIY the fiberglassing bit is too much trouble, the same thing can be accomplished with 1/8" steel rod, bent approximately like the red line below and attached to the bag. This was in fact my very first try and it was satisfactory - I just wanted to simplify the design. The advantage of all of this is that the bag goes on and off in literally a second or two with no tools, no brackets, and nothing stays attached to the bike. You just take it off and the bike is just a road bike again.

bulldog1935

another idea would be to bolt a decaleur mount to the bag



Here's a head mount decaleur at VO
VO Decaleur Kits

We did this to a wicker basket on my daughter's upright and it worked out very nicely.

ColonelSanders

I don't know if that bag would fit into the PDW Takeout Basket which has the following measurements:


Inside of basket dimensions: 155mm x 255mm x 105mm


But if it did fit, that would be a very elegant solution, albeit one that is perhaps too expensive.

zze86

I appreciate the suggestions for an off-the-shelf bag. It certainly would be easier and possibly cheaper as well, but I'd prefer to get this leather bag working if I can. The coloring is spot on with her bike's color scheme and it is such a nice looking bag. The Klickfix mounts looks like a possibility.

zze86

Thanks for the search. Some interesting looking setups there. A lot of them seem to be proprietary setups though, i.e. need to buy their bag to work with their mount.

Thanks for the reminder on the latch setup. I'm contemplating whether to put the mount on the front as you suggested or on the back. It would look cleaner with the mount on the back and she doesn't really ride all that far but it would be far more useful while riding if the mount was on the front...decisions, decisions...

zze86

I thought about this as well, but was looking for a more elegant and more personal looking solution

zze86

Very nice looking bag setup but wow! that bracket is expensive!

zze86

I'm sorry, but the pics are a little dark and I'm not quite sure what I am looking at. Unless you're planning on marketing and don't want to give away your idea, maybe some pics with better lighting?

zze86

Oh, this looks like an elegant AND inexpensive fix! Much appreciated!

zze86

As I replied to fietsbob, I thought this may not look all that elegant but y'know, this solution actually looks very nice.

canklecat

Let me know if you get the Klickfix mount working with that bag. If so, I can think of other bags that I'd like to adapt to the Klickfix system too. It would be a fun way to concoct some unique bike bags.

wphamilton

Nope, just showing a way to DIY the mount. It's radically different than other suggestions, but in some ways better.

Shown on the bike (sorry it's kind of misty that day)

And an earlier version, that may be more clear what I'm getting at.

bulldog1935

you can get the Nitto F15 for about $65 and another $12 or so to ship from Japan
https://alexscycle.com/products/nitt...ag-supporter-1

Whatever you pay for Nitto stuff it will always be worth it.
I ran a Nitto big rear rack for 3 years and then sold it for exactly what I paid - listed for just a couple of hours and sold.

woodcraft

This is a bag & frame that I made.

The frame is from aluminum bar stock, & attached to the bars with hose clamps.

The bottom strut keeps the bag off the tire, & forms a hook for the shock cord closure,

with a leather block where it rests against the brake bolt. The stand-off gives room for the hands

on the bars, the whole thing is accessible while riding, & the bag is easily removable.

Probably cost less than $10 in 1973, & went many thousands of miles.

fietsbob

Rixen and Kaul 'Klick Fix' of Germany makes what you want, then..

Bezalel

I haven't had much luck with brackets that rely on handlebar torque to keep them in position. I eventually settled on a Velo-Orange Decaleur and lowered my bag so it rested on my front rack. An advantage to having a lower bag is the ability to mount a headlamp on the handlebar.