tyler_fred

That is great workmanship and so cool!!

pastorbobnlnh 

Thank you @tyler_fred!
@The Golden Boy try doing the work by hand stitching to begin with. Going slow is key to success.

mixteup

If anyone's interested in this (and obviously some are) there's a really good forum that has a huge amount of info and help on leather working, and hand and machine sewing of stuff like this :

https://leatherworker.net/forum/?_fromLogin=1

southpawboston

Not to mention, you'd be supporting a US-based independent craftsman who will work with you to make the bag to YOUR specs, a true custom.

Vintage Schwinn

aaravika 99.7% LOCATION: India on the Bay
Makes handmade LEATHER seat bags and other handmade leather goods. The design of most of them are simple. They have a classic appearance and the quality appears to be good. They are very inexpensive. You may wish to acquire one of these leather bags as a functional bag that you can further customize, or just enjoy the simple design and excellent craftsmanship of it as it is. For just one example, see #162853798821 on the Bay-------(aaravika) is located in India.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Real-Leathe...rms=ispr%3D1&h
aaravika has several designs that are very attractive and handmade from leather. The seventeen dollars total cost with shipping is a bargain!

fliplap

Never noticed this thread. I've made a handful of bags for various bikes and trips. I mostly use Cordura, ripstop nylon and x-pac, but I tend to use whatever I have on hand. Fortunately I have a local upholstery shop that stocks a good selection of technical fabrics and general bag hardware.

This was one of the first I made, a 6"x11" barrel style handlebar bag. 1000D Cordura exterior, VX21 X-Pac liner. Interior and side pockets. Not a great picture of the bag, but the only one I had on hand.



I needed bag for my basket, but I couldn't find anything for sale that had all of the features I wanted, so I made this one. Again, Cordura exterior, with a 2.2oz ripstop interior. Rolltop closure, rear zip pocket. I've used this for commuting and a couple short tours



Here it is, overstuffed, along with a half frame bag I made for a short dirt tour of the mountains around Prescott, AZ. The frame bag held nothing but tent poles and a 3L camelbak bladder, which was essential for this trip. I also made the little roll top saddle bag you see tucked under the seat.




I've made a couple of these stem bags. I initially made them as bottle holders for my Brompton, but I mostly use them as drink or phone holders on the back of a basket now.



Here they are mounted on the back of the bag frame on my Brompton during a tour of the Netherlands




I made this randonneuring bag and seat wedge for my wife's bike. Here it is in France a few days before PBP. Despite this being a dry PBP she still got the chance to try out the water proofing the day before when I sat out in a soaking drizzle for 3 hours. Bone dry inside!



I made these hookless roll top front panniers for a short tour through Colorado last month (more about said Colorado tour, including lots more photos). I also made the randonneur bag, though it needs some tweaks, so I'll be taking it apart shortly.

Korina

Dang, I forgot about this thread! I wanted a smallish handlebar bag to carry my keys/phone/wallet as well as snacks and what-not. I did a lot of looking, and Road Runner Bags' Burrito Supreme fit the bill, and was a steal at only $70. Still, for me that's a lot of money, and they didn't have a good brown. So I stol um borr er was inspired by it and made my own. No easy access to a machine, so I stitched it by hand; it's wonky but sturdy and it's mine. Still deciding if I want to use the same fabrics to make a feed bag.

I've since changed the handlebars to VO Porteurs upside down. The cables are still ridiculously long; I'll shorten them when I strip her to the frame for rust treatment and cleaning.

Mr. Spadoni 

In the design world, when you draw from someone’s work, it’s called a homage.

fliplap

Steal, borrow, copy, take inspiration, pay homage. Any project I've ever completed, in any domain, came from copious study of prior art. Truly original design is rare, bordering on non-existent.

We all stand on the shoulders of giants.

iab

Not a "bike" bag, but a feed bag nonetheless. At the start my piece count was 8/hour, by the time I finished the 45-ish mussettes, my piece count was 12/hour. A 50% increase, not too shabby.


Mussettes by iabisdb, on Flickr

Korina

Thanks, @Mr._Spadoni and @fliplap. I'm proud of it, warts and all. I should take better pics; this thing is plush verging on decadent. Only the best for the Princess.

Korina

{zombie thread bump}

Has anyone been building bags during the plague? I'm trying to talk myself into sewing a tool roll; stupid simple, I know, but my motivation has been lacking.

Prowler 

Not I. I was busy sewing, eh, other things. Things I'm still using cuz there's still so many eejits out there. BUT, don't wait for motivation. Create success. As out in my shop, I often start with a mock up. We all now have lots of cardboard boxes so mock up the tool roll with cardboard. Check for size, adjust, make another one. Scissors, tape and glue and your on your way. Use the mock up to think about the pieces you'll cut and the assembly sequence. Be willing to fail because each failure is cheap and teaches you things.

Then take an old shirt or torn pair of jeans (only the knees are torn, the rest is pretty good material) and make a "test article". Plan to throw it away so it need not be well done but is valuable practice. Fit it on the bike. Adjust and replan. When you're ready make the "ops article" with the material you've been saving.

Hint: if you're planning to attach straps or grommets or buckles, plan how and when you'll do that. I find its often easier to attach such things before I sew the pieces together. Also plan ahead on how you'll seal the material edges. Folded seams, glue, heat, etc. Again, where and when.

Each step will teach you something and be a success. That's motivation, eh.

Roger M

My amazing wife sewed a lot of masks over the last year. I asked if she would make a tool roll. She whipped this out for me.

mattk42

Roger M Nice tool roll! And also kudos on the Nature's Bakery fig bars! Those are my go-to riding snack as well. The brand also has a brownie bar that's great too - made using date paste.

Korina

Thanks, Prowler , but really I just need to take some measurements and find some decent fabric. I’ll do what I did before and copy Roadrunner Bags’ roll; they have great designs.

Vintage Schwinn

existing mass produced bags that might serve as design inspiration, or adapted/adopted as is with minor changes to fit your particular bicycle:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/182161551435

https://www.ebay.com/itm/401966404798

https://www.ebay.com/itm/401965144283

https://www.ebay.com/itm/402436360069

https://www.ebay.com/itm/401770792026

https://www.ebay.com/itm/224141743779

pastorbobnlnh 

It's been quite some time since the last contribution was made to this thread. Here's my tribute to all who paid the ultimate price on 9/11 twenty one years ago, today.




I made this during the past two weeks while I had Covid. I created my own pattern based loosely on a current Brooks canvas bag. The material is goatskin, hand stitched primarily with a Speedy Sticher sewing awl, and coated with Resoline to provide some water and dirt protection. A 1/4 inch thick dense foam sheet is used as an interior stiffener. I need to add Velcro under the end of the closure flap. However, I'm still undecided on what will look the best.

Comments and suggestions welcome. Thanks for looking.

tgot 

I saw mention of material sourcing up thread, and curiously had just been pointed to https://ripstopbytheroll.com/ by a co-worker who has started making his own gear. He did one of the bag kits, and is considering a hammock next, and felt that their prices were good compared to where else he had seen. I have no affiliation with the company.

Beautiful bag, above. That's artwork.

pastorbobnlnh 

I've found a leather seller on eBay, seymoriss, from whom I exclusively purchase my leather. I've never been disappointed. They will send you samples on request.

Thank you for the compliment, tgot

xiaoman1 

It's nice to revisit an old thread and see all of the talent/ingenuity that member on the forum have......
Best, Ben

pastorbobnlnh 

I made this saddle bag over a month ago and sent it to seagrade in New Zealand. It was a thank you for sending me his supply of vintage Roval spokes, nipples, and a hub set (which allowed me to repair my rear Roval wheel).

As you can see it was inspired by the New Zealand flag and modeled after my earlier US patriotic themed saddle bag pictured a few posts above. As they'd say in Kiwi, "Mihi ki a koe e hoa! (Thank you my friend!)"

seagrade 

An amazing work of craftsmanship and completely unexpected by the recipient!
It was reward enough that a box of (new) old spokes and hubs would be put to good use keeping a set of original Roval wheels on the road, but this is testimony to pastorbobinnh's generosity of time and skill, and this great community I am happy to have stumbled upon...
Now I just need to get my own old Rovals back on the road under my Team Faema tribute (Alberto) Masi, but that's a story for another thread.

sd5782 

As a poor young guy in around 1980, I made due. I got some kids school back packs. To stiffen the bottom and keep the back out of the spokes, I cut up a milk crate from the grocery store. One crate did both sides. I cut it into an L shape and this also was used to mount to the rear plescher rack of the 73 Super Sport for a solo ride from NW Ohio to Southern Ohio to visit a college buddy. It was a 600 mile circle tour by the time I returned. They held up for the trip. I had a lot of weight on the back but made it okay. I still have that bike, rack, and front bag. I don’t recall what I did with my makeshift panniers.

Imaginos

My saddlebags were made by my gf decades ago for a dog. Fast forward to this year and they get a new life….and some pizzazz.

Took the ferry to the city for shopping with the new saddlebag.

17 mile beer run on arainy day.

Rock n Roll