I want to get a bag that goes between the top tube and the diagonal tube, to carry extra clothing on long rides. It needs to be light and it needs to have enough room at least for a light cycling jacket and leg warmers.

The problem is that I don't have a whole lot of room there. I used to have a 52cm frame and squeezing a bag in there simply did not look possible. I recently went up to 54cm and it got a little better. I have about 6" from the top of the bottle to the head tube. Most of that space is needed to get the bottle in and out.

I'm wondering if anyone has this kind of setup. What bag do you use, and do you use a regular bottle cage, or did you get something special to keep it from interfering with the bag?

I don't use a triangle bag I considered one, but I had trouble finding a good one that fit (although I didn't look very hard)
Depending on how much you want to carry, you could try one of these: https://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cm...p_bentobox.jpg

I use a rack to carry extra clothes in the winter.

You might try this guy. He builds custom bags.

https://boulder.craigslist.org/bik/3535774476.html

Here're a few:

https://www.revelatedesigns.com/inde...=1&ProductID=5
https://barkingbearbagworks.blogspot.com/
https://www.deuter.com/en_US/accessor...Triangle%20Bag
https://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FFP

Rack would be overkill, but, on the other hand, the bag in the pic looks like it would be too small.

Yes, that's pretty much what I have in mind.

Now the question is, what to do with the bottle.

How come you're looking at a frame bag instead of a handlebar bag?

I just assume that a handlebar bag would be pretty bad for aerodynamics.

I don't know; it seems like it's in front of your body which blocks the most wind.

You can get one of the cheap ones from Performance for $25. It might not fit your jacket but it should be big enough to free enough back pocket space for it.

As you've mentioned your bottle needing space to be pulled out of it's cage, have you considered mounting your bottle cage so it is vertical, on the seat tube? Then bulky bags also become an option, if smaller ones won't do.

I have bottle cages in both places, and two more behind the saddle. The point of having a bag is to support longer trips (e.g. if I'm leaving home when it's 50 F and it gets to 70 F later in a day) and I need as much water as possible.

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...63_-1___202379

Does that go on the top tube and the seat tube?

Sounds interesting, but does it stay clear of the knees and quads?

I use that bag on my Madone as you really can't (or shouldn't) put racks on carbon frames or seatposts. I like it, its light and holds just enough. I use it for long rides as I live in a remote location so I need to carry some provisions i.e. energy bars, fruit etc. You can stuff a light jacket and gloves into it when the weather gets cool. Yes, it goes on the top tube and seat tube. No clearance issues for me, even when really stuffed. You can no longer use a bottle holder on the seat tube, but I can usually fit one in the bag. Price is great so its worth the risk even if you only use it occassionally.

It goes wherever it fits best and is fairly narrow. I've never used one but have seen others that did and they seem to get by fine.

So. I got Jandd frame pack from the link above ($35), and Specialized Zee side-access bottle cage ($20).

At first sight, it looks like it will work. The bag is quite big and it makes the bicycle look a bit weird. I put my jacket into the bag and there's still room left. Bottle placement is tight, the mouthpiece of the bottle ends up rubbing against the bag, but, since the cage is side-access, it should be tolerable. Maybe I should have gotten size 56 frame, then I'd be completely in the clear. (But then I'd have serious jewel clearance problems. You win some, you lose some.)

Haven't yet been able to put this to a test, because the bottle cage is unusually thick, and I have Di2, which means that there's an extra quarter of an inch of distance between the cage and the downtube, which means that none of my bolts are long enough to actually mount the cage A trip to Home Depot scheduled for tomorrow.

https://www.revelatedesigns.com/

get some side loading cages

room for light cycling jacket and leg warmers = jersey pockets

I would suggest asking the question in this forum:
https://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl...urance-Cycling

The randonneurs have dozens of different configurations for carrying items on the road. They (we) do rides of between 130 miles and 750 miles completely unsupported, so different bags are needed for different rides -and the folks in that forum know them all.

Ok, we're up to 4 people who decided to reply without reading to the end of the thread (and therefore missed my post #15). Anyone else?

Tagged for interest.

I'm using three different frame bags for general cycling. I like having some storage on the bike that is accessible while riding. Yes, handlebar bags offer storage that is easy to reach, too. Frame bags have the benefit of holding heavy items without effects on the handling of a bike. Frame bags also add storage space to the bike and can complement front and rear bags.



The largest bag is the Revelate Tangle frame bag. The bag is sold in 3 sizes. The largest bag fits my size 60cm size Soma Double Cross easily. The Soma frame has a slightly sloping top-tube that is 604mm long. The headtube is also very tall. The bag is held along the top-tube and allows the use of two water bottles. The bottles fit well enough, but removal and re-installation require contact with the bag.

The bag is very well made. It should be very durable and highly water tight. zippers are on both sides and an internal panel divides left and right side pockets. I put tools and spares, including a large air pump on the left side and I store my wallet, phone, food and sunscreen on the right. The bag is secure and does not sway. Plenty of storage.

I would imagine that the bag might restrict the placement of water-bottles with smaller frames. But the bag is ideal for large frames with near horizontal top-tubes.

https://www.revelatedesigns.com/inde...=1&ProductID=5

Sizing:

Small : 15"-18" mountain bikes, or larger Aluminum frames. Some 4 bar full suspension.

52-56cm road / cross bikes

Top length 17", Height 4"

Medium - 17"-20" Mountain frames, 55-58cm road & cross bikes

Top length 19.5", Height 4.5", 1" of height at head tube.

Large - 20"+ steel mtn frames, 56cm- 62cm road & touring bikes.

Top length 21", height 6", 1.5" of length at the head tube.

The second bag is the Jandd Frame Bag.



The smaller size of the Jandd Frame bag and more moderate material quality make this bag more affordable. The bag looks durable and well made, I expect it to last many seasons.

https://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FFP

The bag has good volume and can hold a large 14" hand pump. The bag offers enough space for personal items, phone, wallet, tools, spares and a few snacks.

The bag fits my 59cm size Cyclocross frame with room to spare. My bike has a 160mm headtube, the bag should also fit touring bikes with 140mm headtubes easily, but smaller bikes with short headtubes might not fit.

The last bag is the Nashbar frame bag

This is a nice low cost bag that will fit most bikes. The quality is good and mine have lasted many years. The bag is very secure. Space is also generous.

The bag does eliminate the seat-tube mounted water bottle. Here it is on a size 51cm Cyclocross bike.

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...2_167563_-1___

This is the setup I went with



Jandd frame bag: $35
Specialized side-load bottle cage: $20

You can see that it's a bit tight, but livable. As I said above, this is a 54 cm frame. I already went on a few rides and I'm satisfied that the bottle cage is accessible and it keeps bottles in place even on bad pavement. Already put the frame bag to a practical use. I got a new saddle under warranty and I had to return my old one to the bike shop. The bag is big enough to hold a standard road saddle and a cycling jacket. (I could probably squeeze more stuff in there, but I didn't try.)

P.S. I also have a standard seat bag but it just happens to be off in the picture.

It looks pretty nice, Hamster. Do you generally drink from the bottle on the DT? I do, then switch in the bottle on the ST when the DT bottle is empty, but don`t know if that`s standard or just my weirdness showing. Anyway, if the DT cage is the one you`re in and out of, I wonder if you`d be a little less cramped by turning the frame bag "backwards". Not sure it would be beter, but seeing your bike in the picture makes me wonder how I could manage one of those bags on my even smaller frame and that`s what keeps popping into my mind.

Barrettscv, thanks for your "on bike" pictures, too. They`re a lot more helpful than static pics on vendor webpages.

The bag can go backwards, but it would actually be worse that way. Just look at the bottle in the picture and move it mentally onto the ST. You'll see that there's less room above the ST bottle than above DT.

If I didn't have the battery on the downtube, I could move the ST cage a couple of inches higher and the DT cage a couple of inches lower, this way both bottles would be in the clear. (Not sure how exactly I'd go about doing that, cage mounting holes on the seat tube are very low, I'd need some kind of cage extension, I guess...)