Belt vs. Brooks bag-loop spacing
 

I'm shuffling some saddles around, and planning to move a leather Belt saddle onto my (non-vintage) touring bike. I very much like the feel of the Belt saddle, but the spacing between the bag loops on the Belt is significantly narrower than the loops on the Brooks it will replace. So my current saddlebag--which was evidently designed around the Brooks--fits onto the Belt saddle only awkwardly, with the straps kind of jammed together.

Not sure what the people at Fujitsa were thinking. Why didn't they just copy the Brooks spacing? It's not like Japanese manufacturers in those days had any scruples about stuff like that.

Anyway, does anyone have a good workaround for this? One option, I guess, would be to install one of those bolt-on rigs designed for saddles that don't have loops at all, but they're kind of a kludge. Maybe I could modify the saddlebag (a Carradice Camper), but I'd like to keep the Brooks option open.

It's always something. Sigh.

Not sure it's a "good" suggestion, but might some of those added-on bag loops which work for loopless saddles like the Brooks Pro work?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/202174373879

Truer words have never been spoken!

Can you add an over the saddle rails strap to the bag which attaches to the sides of the bag?

Are you using a bag support? Maybe one of those, and secure the straps around the seat rails rather than the loops (to avoid cutting into the straps with misaligned loops)? The straps would be mainly for stabilization, while the weight would be supported mainly by the, um, support.

Mind you, this suggestion is coming from someone who has only used small wedge bags, nowhere near as large as a Carradice Camper, so I am spitballing.

One approach is to mount a bar to the seat using the existing spacing then mount the bag to the bar.
A couple of my Barleys needed this help.

I'd make a piece of sheet metal like this, and maybe bend it to conform to the rear of the saddle. You could drillium it out for elegance and weight saving.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9171966fd8.jpg

I like this idea! In the past I have just made do with whatever strap space was given, think Avocet.

The tricky part would be attaching it tight to the saddle - the conventional leather straps would put to much space between the saddle and this adapter. Maybe tie it tight to the saddle loops with leather shoelaces or something.

Small bolts/nuts and washers?

Yeah, that would do it. In which case the top slots should be replaced with round holes.

I had not realized that there is a significant difference in the spacing - just measured a Brooks (4 3/8") and a Belt (3 1/2").

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https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8b4fd21c03.jpg

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Roseanne Rosannadanna -

Yeah, what's up with that pointless 7/8" difference?

Thanks for the ideas, everyone. The bolt-on plate concept is a good one.

As Edna St. Vincent Millay is said to have remarked, life isn't one damned thing after another--it's the same damned thing over and over.

Well put. If you dare to google "life is" - it is all about shopping. Who would have guessed?

Carradice Classic saddlebag rack.

https://www.carradice.co.uk/products...saddlebag-rack

To mount something as big as a Camper you would saw off the bottom shelf. This piece is an absolute copy of the Karrimor Uplift. Karrimor made them with and without the shelf. In no case use the nylon web strap. Use proper leather capestrap.

My Karrimor is totally reliable and unimaginably simple for 54 years.

I'd just accept the status quo. It works, doesn't it?

That’s what I said!

I considered one of those, but in the end I bought an Expedition Bagman--mostly because I thought the Karrimor copy would raise the bag high enough to complicate throwing a leg over the bike. (It also obviously raises the center of gravity somewhat, though doubt that it makes any practical difference.) I'm happy with the Bagman. Even though it allows the bag to hang relatively low, its presence still has to be taken into account when mounting and dismounting. I imagine it would be worse if the bag rode higher.

You do get two choices of rail on which to hang the saddle. And yes, it does make swinging a leg over somewhat different. In morning have never had a problem with that. End of day, yes in worst case the bike gets laid on ground to dismount. Some choose to mount over front of bike, doesn't feel good to me. Karrimor used to make accessory rails that stacked upwards and allowed the bag to mount even higher. Most do not have a saddle so high that there's any chance of carrying a Camper w/o some sort of lift.

Problem with Bagman is it is overstressed. Just a long lever from bag to mount. They have a decent lifespan but do succumb in end.

Good input, thanks. I had wondered about the Bagman's longevity. I'm not so young as to feel confident of outliving it. But I guess I have some hope now.

I would use thin wire to tie a small steel rod to the existing seat loops, and then fasten the bag loops to that steel rod.