cradduck

My commuter/everything bike is a 1986 Bridgestone 400. I absolutely love this bike in all its friction shifting, 27 inch wheel glory. I am currently using a backpack for my commute but looking for other options as the weather warms up and also wanting to start doing S24O ultralight camping trips this summer. The bike does not have eyelets or braze-ons for a rear rack and not really interested in adding one to the bike.

So I am looking at getting the Carradice Camper but I wanted to get some opinions and find out what other options are out there before I pull the trigger. I have a $200 budget so the plan was to get the camper and one of the quick release systems so I can remove my bag on my commute.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I also planning on getting the SQR Uplift since my current saddle doesn't have bag loops and removing the bag every day on my commute is a must.

jdom

You will probably want to get one of there bagman racks to go with it,otherwise it will sag.

stringbreaker

Carradice stuff is the greatest, tough and classic styling combined. I have their Barley bag and the zipped roll on another bike. I would also suggest the bagman rack to keep it from sagging and putting uneeded stress on the leather attachment straps. The canvas is surprisingly water resistant. If you get caught in the rain tie a plastic bag (something everyone should carry) around it to keep it absolutely dry. Acorn stuff is really good too but unless you get lucky enough to time your order you won't get one this summer. They are made here in the US and the workmanship is nothing short of perfect. Acorn items are priced pretty reasonably too.

cradduck

I forgot to mention that I am also planning on getting the SQR Uplift with the bag. Will this help with the sagging and/or wheel clearance issue or do I specifically need the bagman?

CliftonGK1

Don't get the SQR. Go with the QR Bagman support which has the loops built into the QR system so you can take the whole thing off the bike easily.

Best prices on Carradice and Bagman supports is at Wiggle.co.uk I got my Pendle and Bagman support for less than the Pendle alone would have cost me elsewhere.

Timber_8

I'm a big fan of Caradice, great products and a wonderful company to deal with. They will personally answerer every email. Don't forget to convert British currency to were u reside

barturtle

With the smaller to mid sized bags the SQR would work fine...the Camper on the other hand, you'll either want the Bagman or a rack to support the bottom of the bag.

CliftonGK1

Another consideration with the larger bags (Pendle and up) with the Bagman support is that as the cloth softens, you'll get bag droop on either side of the support if you don't have the bag crammed full of stuff. You can make an internal stiffener for the bottom of your Carradice bag, but keeping it in place involves modifying the bag a bit with a couple rivet holes. Or you can make a wider platform support which zip ties to the Bagman base loop and doesn't allow the bag to droop at the sides.

MVclyde

I know you're not looking for a pannier, but I can put in a good word for Carradice. I have the Bike Bureau. Awesome bag. I needed something that could carry my work clothes/gear (including a laptop) and that didn't look like a gym bag. I carry it into the office and would feel comfortable taking it to a meeting. I love the cotton duck. Not the lightest bag around, but it's durable and waterproof.

cradduck

Thanks for the advice, ideas (especially about bag support), and good words for Carradice. I ended up placing an my order with Bill at Wallingford Bicycle Parts (www.wallbike.com). Not the cheapest route, but they had what I wanted in stock and they shipped my order the same day and Bill seems like genuinely nice guy. I ended up getting the Carradice Camper in green and the Bagman QR Expedition.

Now for the hard part.......waiting for the UPS guy.

tarwheel 

I've been using a Carradice Barley with Bagman quick-release rack for commuting the past 3 years. It's worked great for my purposes. I originally got it because the bike I was using for commuting was a racing frame with no eyelets for racks or fenders. I've since gotten a touring bike for commuting but continue to use the Barley w/ Bagman because I just don't have a need to haul around a rack and panniers every day. I actually bought a rear rack and used it for about a month, but removed it and reinstalled the Bagman because it is lighter and cleaner looking.

JeremyZ

Has anyone mounted these on sprung saddles? Looks like the rack and seatpost strap would have to be foregone and just let it flop around by the bag loops. I'm thinking of the zipped roll model for a Brooks Flyer.





Someone mentioned earlier that they respond to every email. I clicked their contact link and got an error page. Can anyone post their email address for me?

alexthe1

You might want to use SQR uplift with that seat, gives the flixibility of removing the bag quickly.