Thinking about custom framebags? Stop thinking!
 

Nick Smolinske sewed me up a custom framebag for my Surly Karate Monkey for some off-road touring, and the process was really easy and his prices are super reasonable. If you've been kinda-sorta-thinking about getting a custom framebag, this might be exactly what you're looking for:

Here's my full review with a bunch of pictures.

Here's the bag I had made:

https://maxthecyclist.files.wordpres...7/md027733.jpg

Hot damn, that's a gaudy bike!

My framebag is a dual-compartment bag. The drive side has a map pocket, and the non-drive side has the main access pockets. The internal divider folds up if I have to carry something bigger. All the contact points are padded and reinforced, as are the straps. Bombproof!

Cheers,
Max

I was planning to make one but I found an Ebay seller with some cheap new ones that were so cheap I could not pass it up. I described it at this post.

http://www.bikeforums.net/touring/10...l#post17905044

Mine does not have my name on it, but that is ok too.

Nice!

Buy your own Sewing Machine.


1) I am not into frame Bags.

I contacted Nick awhile back for a custom bag. Someday...

His price beats Porcelain Rocket's astronomical $250+ pricetag, ha.

Looks like it has a capacity of 150 + cu in. What is a normal capacity in a frame bag?

My off-the-shelf Jandd frame bag is 240 cu in (4 liters) and weighs 6.4 ounces. I'm not sure where you're getting 150 cu in. for this bag?

It can't get any bigger than the frame, and it can't get any wider than your knees.

Looks like a nice bag! I've been thinking about trying out a frame bag myself. I'll have to keep this in mind if I decide to go for it. Is your top tube bag waterproof? What brand is it?

Be careful with that. I commented on Porcelain Rocket's high pricing once and it turned into two pages of two other people talking about how my attitude is why everything is **** quality made over-seas for cheap, and how Porcelain Rocket and other "made in the USA" goods need to be that expensive and we're contributing to the failure of small business by not paying those prices...

That's fine. This one's made in America too. Porcelain Rocket was just first to the market, but the market has changed and the prices from Oveja Negra and Rogue Panda reflect that.