tomtomtom123

I'm looking for a waterproof handlebar bag for touring that can hold a 12" tablet, that will work with klickfix.

12" tablet is around 29cm x 20cm. The reason being is that if I go on tour, I was thinking of putting all the valuables into the handlebar bag so I can quickly take everything important with me in the same bag, and if necessary leave the panniers still attached to the bike.

Ortlieb Ultimate6 L is 24x21x17.5cm at 8.5L

Rixen Kaul Ultima is 26x24x17 at 8L

Vaude Aqua Box is 28x17x19 at 6L (the newest revision)


As you can see, the dimensions don't match the volume, so I'm not sure how they calculated it.


The Ultimate6 and Ultima are both narrower at the bottom (bad design in my opinion), while the Aqua Box is straight at the sides, but rounded from front to back. The Aqua Box also has what looks like 2-3mm square cage around the top lip to keep it's shape, so it's probably narrower than stated. But either way, I don't think a 29cm wide tablet will fit inside.


Anyone know of some other bag that might fit?


Or perhaps with the Aqua Box, I could velcro the tablet to the underside of the hood so that the tablet lays horizontally flat on top of the outer edge of the lip. Hopefully it doesn't fall out though when opening the hood.

3speed

djb

lets start off with a question--do you already own the 12in tablet or thinking of getting it?

I ask because I have done a number of trips carrying a 9in tablet in my handlebar bag, and while yes a tablet is an excellent travelling device, I was happy with this size for both functionality and still being lighter and smaller than bigger ones for being able to fit into my ortlieb hbag.

will wait to hear your response on this.

re waterproofness, I can attest to the ortlieb being very waterproof. I have ridden through lots of rain with this over the years and was comfortable having the tablet and my camera in it , and never had any water getting in. I occasionally took out the tablet to confirm where I was using a gps based mapping app called maps.me and it was handy not to have it in a ziplock bag, although realistically this wouldnt be a big deal, all Im saying is that the ortlieb bag really is waterproof and does the job properly in all kinds of weather.

tomtomtom123

I already own the 12" tablet, and it's exactly 29cm wide. So I don't want to look for a smaller one. It's 1.3kg with a keyboard which is similarly weighted for most tablets.
It was a cheap refurbished one for less than $600 that included a 6th gen i5 U cpu with 8gb ram, 512gb SSD. New ones in this range would have cost over $1200.

Usually, smaller sized 10-11" tablets will have an ARM, Atom, celeron, or Y cpu with only 4gb ram and 128gb drive that you cannot upgrade. Which isn't good enough for photo editing. Too slow to process RAW files.

I took a quick look at dimensions for 10-11" tablets, and they're around 26-28cm wide. It depends on the thickness of the bezel and aspect ratio.

CreakingCrank

Given the dimensions you provided, the Rixen Kaul Ultima will work if you insert the tablet diagonally. (31 cm diagonally x 24 cm high)

CreakingCrank

Also, check overseas vendors as Klickfix is more popular in Europe. I've had great success with Bike24.com They list some handlebar bags that are more boxy than the ones you identified, like ...

Loox Varo
Loox Viro II
Brooks Isle of Skye
Vaude ExCycling Box (Roll top)
Vaude Comyou Box (Roll top)

tomtomtom123

Doesn't really work diagonally since I will have other stuff inside. The very center and 2 acute angle corners of the bag become so narrow that they're unusable. Then I'm just left with a tablet and 2 usable right angle corners.
I had a look at some the ones you've listed and some other ones on bike24. I didn't see any that could fit a 29" wide tablet without putting it in diagonally. Only the Vaude ExCycling might fit, but vertically, but it might not roll.

There was just one that was 29cm wide, the Norco Dunbury or Glenford, but the bottom gets narrower, so I'm not sure.
There was a Rixen and Kaul bag given as 30cm on bike24, but the product site writes 27cm.

How are non-waterproof bags? A lot of the raincovers I see don't have a clear top for the map case either. Just the Vaude raincover has a clear top. But a reviewer said his Vaude bag got soaked through from the back side in heavy rain.

3speed

saddlesores

does it have to be a handlebar bag?


how about a pair of smaller front waterproof panniers with locking quick release?


might could have more luck finding a front bag that will hold a tablet that size. use one as your take off the bike with valuables bag.

djb

well, if you are set on working on raw files, and you own the thing and its 29cm wide, doesnt sound promising for a waterproof hbag.
Editing on something that is capable is nice, but at a point you have to make compromises of what you carry, both computer thingee and camera thingees in terms of weight, size and value that could end in tears if worst case scenarios happen.

guess I come back what I said before, if you are still set on taking this with you, and will be travelling alone (ie not having a partner to always keep an eye on bikes when in stores etc) then good luck on finding something that it will fit into properly. Do take into account also the "beat the crap out of it" aspect of being in a bouncy environment, yes solid state stuff is very diff than hard drive stuff, and generally I find tablets to be a big step up from laptops or cameras for being more robust just from not having moving parts and pieces, but its still a valuable item, both in money and using the thing, so padding it up inside a pannier will mean less shock going to it.

dont know how much youve toured, but at a certain point, one has to limit the stuff we take, and if you want to shoot and process raw stuff from a nice camera, all this stuff takes up space and worry space too, depending on where you are travelling. On this note, heck, even going to the bathroom or showers in a campground if alone entails worrying about leaving valuable equipment in your tent or whatever. Ideally yes, a hbag is great to be to able to bring with you.

to put things in perspective, I worked in the photo world for a long time, but on bike trips just didnt want the worry bother etc of taking nice equipment, so point and shoots and later in the digital age, still stuck with pt and shoots and a simple machine like smaller, not expensive tablet. Sure I was just working on jpeg files and using a somewhat limiting camera, but simply lived with the limitations as I made the decision not to deal with more valuable stuff. No, I didnt want to be held up at gunpoint, or deal with a theft nonetheless, but it wouldnt have been the end of the world, not fun for sure, but I just didnt have much money or desperate need for the doo dads I had with me.
Comes down to being realistic about the space and weight you want to carry, and realistic about having to be protective of your stuff and the worry factor, especially if travelling alone.

tomtomtom123

I looked at the Comyou Box again, and the spec says 25 x 32 (30?) x 18 cm. So it could fit a tablet. But Amazon reviewers say that it's a soft bag without a rigid backing, so it will sag when loaded.
Someone wrote he inserted something inside. Would require disassembling the back plate and sandwiching something in between. What type of plastic is used in the ortlieb bags? Perhaps I could buy a sheet and stick it inside the Comyou Box.





This guy used double walled polypropylene:
From a Camera Bag to a Camera Handlebar Bag - BIKEPACKING.com

But it doesn't seem as if he tightened the screw in all the way that the 2 plates would compress against each other (crushing the double wall sheet), so the bag is hanging loosely from the 4 screws. I wonder if this would tear the fabric. It's probably better to use a single wall sheet and tighten the screws. Probably using a drop of seam seal around the holes.

I do have a pair of Ortlieb front rollers that I'm not using. The tablet will fit inside vertically. I'd have to install the klickfix adapter plate, but not sure if there's enough room in between the hook and rails. It will still be a little floppy though, and since the front roller is pretty high, I'd have to reach in down deep into the bag. It would be a little more stable if the tablet was oriented horizontally.

I have an old Aquapac waterproof camera bag which is a roll top. It was too high and the floppy lip would get in the way while I tried changing camera lenses, so I trimmed the top off to only roll it 2 times.

djb

have to ask again, have you done any bike touring and with a handlebar bag? Your front roller idea would be pretty darn bulky and potentially rather heavy when you talk about camera equipment also.

comes back to saying all the best with finding a solution and one that is both secure, dry and doesnt affect the handling of your bike too much.

3speed

tomtomtom123

Eh.... I'll just leave the tablet somewhere around the rear rack...

djb

whatever solution you find, using clothes and whatnot to provide vibration insulation is important, just as with your camera gear. Surrounded by softish stuff and not up against the rear rack or whatever that will transmit a gazillion vibrations to it.

saddlesores

steel bookend works.

jitenshajin

A handlebar bag is great for carrying valuables, money, documents, maps etc. However from the experience of my first tour, which was a long distance tour using camping only. I found almost straight away, that the less weight in the bag, the better. The more the weight, the heavier the steering and the more tiring it was on the hands. From then on, I carried as little as necessary in the handlebar bag, and problem disappeared.

djb

J, youre the troll size question guy.
Re handling, yes in general this is true, I prefer less heavy hbag than some, but there are factors that come into play--how far hbag is away from bars, and the bike itself. My troll steers and handles great with a reasonable front load, not tiring at all, one of the many reasons I love that bike.

But yes, a less heavy hbag is generally better, that's a given, and part of my concern for this fellow and all the weight possible going into a hbag.

Oh, handlebar bag weights empty vary a lot, another reason I like Ortlieb, some larger arkel models weigh a lot lot more empty, which put me off.

jitenshajin

Aber natürlich!

I forgot to mention that I was using front pannier bags, as well as rear bags. Therefore, as there was already enough weight at the front. The less weight in the handlebar bag, the better, as far as I am concerned.

Personally, I would not want the extra weight of a large tablet to manage on the handlebars. A light, computer, and bell on an extension bracket, with maybe a GPS unit, and a lightly packed bar bag is more than enough to handle. With maybe a tablet in one of the pannier bags, if you really can't manage without modern technology.

fietsbob

Plan to buy one under 10" and it may fit in the typical bar bag,

If bigger, it has to go in a pannier.


So, 12" nope..






....

tarwheel 

Rob_E

Seems like it would be very close, but the Ortleib Accessory Pack seems like it might be close: https://www.ortlieb.com/en/Accessory-Pack/

Of course it's not made for the klickfix system. When I carried a full-sized tablet, I would put it in a pannier pocket. But when I had to replace it, I switched to a smaller one specifically because I thought it would travel more easily, and it does. It fits handily in the Accessory Pack and in my commuter bag.

I don't find that carrying a load on the handlebars makes handling suffer unless you put a lot of weight up there. I'm sure it depends on the amount of weight and the bike. When I ran two, large panniers up front, the bike had a very different feel when loaded vs. unloaded, but it wasn't a bad difference, just something to be aware of and adjust to. Now I use a handlebar roll as well as the accessory pack, and it works fine for me.

tomtomtom123

I will put the tablet somewhere on the rear rack.
I chose the Ortlieb Ultimate 6 L, and the Kalahari (Ortblieb brand) camera insert, which seems to be similar dimensions as the Ortlieb camera insert but with the addition of a padded top flap which is very important. The camera insert could be 2cm shallower as I have a mirrorless camera that doesn't need that much depth. If I had that extra space, I could have fit something else like maps or a book. But oh well. The Kalahari Small insert was 15 € at the local camera store. I used my own internal dividers.
https://www.kalahari.de/accessoires/...eins%C3%A4tze/

But I couldn't figure out the purpose of 3x velcro strips that came with the Ortlieb Ultimate6. Any ideas what I'm supposed to do with them?
Also, the magnets can be turned 180 degrees, and the manual says to do this to lock or unlock, but I don't see any difference whether I turn the magnets 180 degrees or not. What's supposed to happen?





What are these velcro strips used for?

fietsbob

Use your imagination ... they double sided? maybe anchor stuff inside the liner?

tyrion

Wald basket with your choice of waterproof messenger bag. IME the handling is better than a handlebar bag because the load is a few inches closer to the steering axis.

But you need a front mini-rack to tie the basket too.