Originally Posted by
ThermionicScott
... I bought a KlickFix-type handlebar bag (and mount) from a buddy for $20 last year, but I'm kinda torn as to whether to go through the effort of installing it and doing rides, or just bite the bullet and shell out the money for one of those small front racks and decaleurs and a good bag now. Have any of you had good experiences with a KlickFix bag mounted just to the handlebar, or should I skip it?
Thanks.
Just install it and give it a try, it's not going to be a big time-sink.
My first five years of rando I rode with a Klick-Fix type handlebar bag (LonePeak H-100):
Lone Peak H-100 & H-075 Handlebar Pack Bag
I usually also had a saddlebag, the Lone Peak isn't big enough to handle anything longer than a 200km in reasonably stable weather. Handling with the Lone Peak is acceptable. Standing up, or on climbs, you have more work to do to keep the bike tracking the way you want it. But I rode PBP and a 1000km with the Lone Peak and I know many others who have ridden 1200's with the Ortlieb Klick-Fix bag.
Then I bought myself a low-trail-ish '80's Trek to test whether low-trail would improve handling. It does. Then I bought a front rack and decaleur and moved the bag down onto the rack--handling improved again, significantly. Having gone through those two trials, I decided to bite the bullet and buy myself a Gilles Berthoud bag (GB28):
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That let me ditch the saddlebag for 200's, 300's, and even 400's where the weather is stable and I don't need lots of changes of clothes.
It's a better system--less fatigue, more convenience than having a handlebar bag and saddlebag. But it's expensive and only worth it if you're committed to randonneuring.