I got this not-bad-quality and just-the-right-size handlebar bag from the co-op, and I like it a lot, except for the way it hangs on the bike:





I'm thinking that a handlebar accessory mount, like the Minoura or the Topeak Barxtender mounted sideways on the stem (actually a threadless adapter, but whatever,) would correct this. Yeah, the "T" part would sit vertically, but that doesn't seem like a deal killer.

Unless there's a part specifically made for this?

--Shannon

I purchased a DFsuccess handlebar extender from Amazon (<$9) to “push” my Giant (brand) handlebar bag out away from the handlebar on my Miyata TwoTen touring bike. The extender isn’t exactly designed for that purpose and I’m going to add a bag support beneath the bag to reduce the tendency for the bag to pull the extender handlebar attachments down. I’m thinking that if I keep the weight of the stuff in the bag to less than 3 or 4 lbs, I should be OK. The nice thing is that moving the bag away from the handlebar allows me to grip the bar anywhere from the stem out.
I haven’t mounted the support piece yet but will post a pic when I do.

I use a carbon accessory mount bar with my front pack. Also strapped my dry bag on there alone without a harness. Works fine and inexpensive too.

The F-16 by Nitto, of course!

Be aware that if the bag rubs on the head tube like that, it will eventually rub through any paint and logos (yes, I have past experience with that ).

Yep, that's exactly the right answer. It's incredibly well-made, really pretty, and does exactly the job it's designed to do and nothing else. It's elegant. I want one.

It's also 75 bucks, and the bag in question was free, so it's totally the wrong answer.

There are bags that deserve, nay, require this thing. My bag is not one of those bags. I mean, I like it quite a bit. Enough to spend some money to fix my only complaint. But the Topeak looks like it will totally work, and I can get one for like $13. Yeah, it's uglier than homemade soap. So's the bag.

--Shannon

You need to wrap something around the headtube strap in order to hold the bag outward a bit. From your photo, I can't get a good view of the strap, so am not sure...But perhaps a piece of pipe insulation -- which would be cheap and very light. Just cut it to an appropriate length and wrap it around the strap, and it'll hold the lower part of the bag outward a bit.

Dude, you rule!!

Run both sides of the velcro stem strap down the middle of the pipe insulation, which I have scrap of in the shop at work, like so:

HT.............. Bag
|................. |
(|)=====()|
|........^........|
......Strap
(Dots are only for alignment, because V-Bulletin ignores strings of whitespace.)

I will try this on Monday.

--Shannon

Your diagram looks spot-on. Let us know how it works!

back when I was an impoverished student, faced with the same problem, I ran a light cinch strap between the bars just below the brake levers. Acted as a sort of sling that ran across behind the bag and kept it off the head tube. Worked fine and cost almost nothing.

https://swoodcycles.bigcartel.com/product/t-rack

(currently sold out)

That looks like a bike that might have fender eyelets in the fork dropouts. If that's the case, get a pair of skinny bungy cords and stretch them from the bottom of the bag to the dropouts on both sides.

Oddly enough, considering its great sport-touring geometry, (73 parallel, 43.2 cm chainstays, 50mm fork rake,) there are no front eyelets. Rears, yes. Fronts, no. Weird.

--Shannon

P-clamps?

This seems like it would do it and is easily available. Mount it just above the headset bearing, pushing on the back of the bag.

https://www.treefortbikes.com/Minour...ory-Stem-Mount

Polyethylene, HDPE, from a kitchen cutting board. Drilled 7/8” holes first, then cut in half, drilled pilot holes with a Dremel drill press. #8 by 2•1/2” T25 deck screws. All kinds of fun with these, fairings are my favorite.

I make “collar clamps” out of polyethylene cutting boards. If you can find thicker cutting boards, it will work better. You could drill all the way through and use washers and hex-nuts.

So, inspired by Koyote, I tried the pipe insulation trick. Didn't work, as the only stuff I had in the shop was for 2" pipe.

But I did find a 1/2" PVC "T" and a stick of 1/2" pipe. I drilled a good-sized hole in the middle of the "T," so as to run the velcro stem/headtube strap down the middle and out the back. Nope, strap's too short.

Undeterred, I used zip ties.

I measured it out, looked like I'd need about 4" from stem to bag. Drilled the biggest hole I could get away with through the center of the 1/2" pipe, then cut the pipe off halfway through the hole, leaving a "c" cut for the stem to sit in. Two zip ties, through the long side of the "T" and around the stem, pull tight, and cut off the ends; thread the stem strap through the "T," pull it tight... and Bob's yer uncle:





We'll see how the zip ties hold up. Since everything rides on the turn-y parts, there's no relative motion, so I have some hopes.

Happy hacking, y'all!

--Shannon

Yikes. There’s something to be said for resourcefulness and ingenuity, but there’s something more— and damning— to be said about poor design from Jump Street.

Oddly enough, given that I'm an 80s kid, I don't grok the Jump Street reference?

That aside, yeah, it's a hack, and it looks like one. Still, it solved a problem that was annoying the crap outta me, (the bag tilted far enough forward that I've actually had things fall out of it while packing the bike to go to work in the morning,) it cost me zero dollars, and it was pretty fun to do. Since I started the thread in the first place, I figured I'd close it out by sharing the hack. (Hacks that are not shared are not hacks.)

For a small handlebar bag that will only have wallet, keys, phone, snacks, and maybe a compact camera and/or binoculars, I actually like the velcro-to-bars attachment, as it keeps everything below the top of the handlebar and doesn't block my headlights or my close-in sightline. I don't find that the straps interfere with my hands when I'm on the tops, as I don't wrap my fingers all the way around the bar in that position. The quick-release bags all sit way too high, and a front-rack-and-decaleur arrangement only makes sense to me if you're using a big front bag on a bike designed for one... for a small bag, it's overkill.

Something like the Nitto shown above, or the old Cannondale "tuning fork" mount, seems to me ideal for the size of handlebar bag that I'd want to use. For cleanest mounting, maybe something that's held on by the stem's faceplate / pinch bolt(s), but the coat-hanger attachment isn't a bad idea... at least you don't have to try to accommodate every stem in existence. (You can also easily remove it from the bike, but I've found that once a bag goes on a bike it tends to stay there, so that may not matter as much.)

--Shannon

ShannonM , I hope it works on the road, and nothing comes loose. Looks like a good solution: light, cheap, simple.

Probably not of particular interest to you, but there is at least one exception to that, which is made by Route Werks.

As you can see below, the top of the bag sits just below the top of the handlebar, so you could keep the headlight above the bar, but the bag does have mount points on the side which are probably better suited for the light because then it’s out of the way of bag access and you don’t have to worry about glare or reflection off the bag top. There are other neat features, too, like the handlebar mount stand-off and bag shaping which preserve bar handhold area, and that the latched lid is hinged at the front for quick and easy access while on the bike.