TheatreME

I am beginning to take longer and longer rides, and I like it. I went out with a buddy a few weeks back for a nice 45 mi ride, up Skyline drive near Front Royal, VA. It was basically a 20 mile climb, which wore me out.

He has been on tour and only brought his handlebar bag which really caught my eye, and I think would be outstanding this summer as I work up to my first century.

Any suggestions?

CliftonGK1

Many of the riders on this forum (who use front bags) prefer a rack-mounted "handlebar" bag. It keeps the weight low and stable, and doesn't interfere with mounting other things on the bars.

Racks to consider:
- Nitto M12
- Nitto Mark's Rack
- Velo-Orange Randonneur
- Nashbar Front Rack (cheap, uglier knockoff of the M12, but not as well designed)

Bags to consider:
- Velo-Orange Campagne
- Acorn Boxy Rando
- Ostrich (aval. through V-O)
- Gilles Berthoud

Depending on the setup, things can get pricey for bike luggage. I'm using the Nashbar rack and a heavily modified Nashbar handlebar bag, and I spent less than $50 total on my setup.
An expensive rack can run upwards of $150 and I've seen front bags that cost $400... so it's all a matter of what you require and how much you're willing to spend on it.

CMC SanDiego

I just ordered a Velo-Orange prototype bag (off their Specials page) for $60. It looks to be much like what they are selling as the Campagne bag, and was probably the first or second iteration of the design before it was finalized. According to the description the differences are minor, but there are differences. I figured I couldn't go wrong at that price.

https://www.velo-orange.com/prvobarbag.html

I'll use mine with randonneur bars, mounted low on a front rack.

late

Not much room.

https://www.wallbike.com/carradice/barley.html