Organization of the cockpit?
 

I realize this will differ for different bikes, but I always find this complicated. For my electric cargo bike I like to have my phone and Garmin 1030+ and I have a pouch for water (two)

For the folding bike, I have a little handlebar bag I put my phone, etc and I have pouches.

Now I have this Surly Ogre with a Jones Bar. I already know I will want my phone. My Garmin 1030+ and my new (not used yet) Insta 360 camera. And of course, I'll want things like a place to put my gloves, sunglasses, chapstick, etc. and I'm not sure how I want to deal with water/drinks yet. How do you all set this stuff up? How many duplicate mounts do I need, Etc?

Liquids go in water bottles and into bottle cages attached to the frame. Phone goes in a jerseys pocket along with my camera. Snacks like a Cliff Bar and tube of sunscreen can fit back there too.

I don't wear bike jerseys almost ever. But it is true, I do wear a bike/hiking fanny pack and carry my wallet and stuff in them, but I try not to carry things on my body. Maybe that makes me weird, but I don't find it comfortable to be on a bike for hours and hours carrying stuff.

It comes down to the space you have and everything you want and where you want it. With the Jones or Moloko bar you have the ability for a bag in that inner space. Surly makes a fine bag but there are some really nice Jones/Moloko bags out there if you want more space. Sunglasses I will generally wear or many modern helmets have provisions for holding sunglasses in them. Gloves I will generally wear as well and the only gloves I have separately are going to be a set of nitrile gloves for various purposes but that is in my saddle bag with my tools. If I am touring I will usually have space in my pannier if I need to store extra stuff.

For water those go in water bottles and I usually have three cages and two of those have bottles for drinks and the bottom one underneath the downtube will usually carry my fuel bottle if I am carrying that, if not another water bottle. I could add one of those snack/bottle pouches that a lot of bikepackers might use but I don't really need it only my electric bike I have bottle mounts on the head tube so my standard top mounted down tube cage is now being used for a lovely Snow Peak flask and custom cage from King Cage (don't drink while riding save it for the campsite)

For mounts I would just need the mounts for those specific items I wouldn't carry multiple mounts unless I bought ultra cheap mounts but I wouldn't do that as I want reliability over just initial cost.

Set it up the way you think you want it and then try it out for a ride and change things as needed.

I use drop bars, I have no clue how your bars would work with a handlebar bag.

I have a separate bike computer (wheel sensor and cadence, no GPS) on the stem, a HRM, a bubble inclinometer, and of course a GPS (general recreation type, not cycling specific). And of course, a bell to let people know I am approaching.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...458a11c28d.jpg

Photo below, different bike but the same bag, GPS, etc. Nice place for small items to get lost. My phone is typically off or in airplane mode when riding, that is in the handle bar bag.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...45e61a8d01.jpg

I prefer to mount my handlebar bag lower and closer to the steerer tube. I use a second stem to do that, more on that at this post:
https://www.bikeforums.net/21946274-post4.html

I like a handlebar bag that easily disconnects so that I can keep my valuables in it, and take that in stores and restaurants with me on a tour.

More on this topic here:
https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/1...r-cockpit.html

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7857ae9859.jpg

This has always been my ultimate touring bike photo. I used to be able to follow his blog.

LHT's are excellent touring bikes. A riding buddy of mine got me on to them. His longest tour was from central Ohio to NW Georgia, I forget how many miles, maybe around 5-600. That gave me some inspiration to do the long distance cycling also (I was already in to backpacking, and had been for years, so it was a pretty easy transition there).

Here are some pictures of how I have had the bike set up before. With some creativity you can get a lot of stuff on a bike. The key is balance - keep the center of gravity low. The lower you can get the bulk of your weight the better for stability. If the weight is too high it will be a nightmare trying to ride it. Weight down low - you would be surprised what you can ride with comfortably.

There is a break down of all the "stuff" in a video I put together after my Ohio to Erie rides. The first part of it goes over the stuff on the bike (including the stuff mounted to the handlebar etc, the "cockpit" if you will).

Here is a major trick - if you have the space on your fork where the stem mounts (what the handlebars are mounted to) - you can add a 2nd stem underneath the one for your handlebars and add a 2nd "dummy bar". This will allow you to put accessories (including a handlebar bag) on the 2nd bar and free up your handlebars. My bike has drops and it is critical for me to use the whole bar. I get circulation issues in my hands when I ride and the only way to keep my hands working is to move them around constantly. If I stacked up the drop bar with my accessories I would loose a lot of hand positions that I need.

When I bought my bike I got it new and it had not been sized yet. When I told the bike shop what I wanted with the fork extra long they really pushed me to not do that. However, it was the best idea I could have done at the time. I did have the idea of the 2nd dummy bar/stem at that time, but I did not know how much I may end up tweaking the positions. With the tall fork tube and a lot of spacers I can do just that. See the pictures and the video link below.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...77f65157b9.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1e73df8712.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b78d68ad46.jpg


Video link:

The walk through of the "cockpit" area is around the 3min 44sec timestamp on for a couple minutes.

Where does your fanny pack go other than on your body?

Mams99: I have this bag on my Jones bar. Nothing fancy, not waterproof, not expensive.not exactly for getting things easily while riding but doable. I like bags that stay contained in the event of a knockdown.

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

KC8QVO: How’s the rear wheel holding up?

I have not had any issues with it. The cones, bearing balls, and axles are original in both hubs, though I do service them from time to time. I have not broken any spokes while riding. It would be hard to estimate how many loaded miles I have on the bike. Though not nearly to the level of what you see in the pictures, on a lot of my day trips I would have panniers with me with gear too. I definitely don't "go light". Loaded I'd guess maybe in the 2,000-3,000 mile range.

Well, THAT I will have on my body - sometimes, but it's much more removable than stuffed things in my jersey. If I go to town, I can wear it on my shoulder, or swirl it around and the weight/pull/tug of it is WAY different since it's more ergo and has cooling/air vents.

I mounted one of these on the top tube. It holds snacks and my bluetooth speaker
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ae24885ed8.jpg

Well done, I’ve loaded my 26” wheel LHT w groceries to that level but not for long.

Rode my light touring bike today, gave me an opportunity for a photo of the cockpit. It is very similar to the previous post with a photo of my heavy touring bike. This one is derailleur, bar end shifters.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...799eea4afd.jpg

That is the best bell

"Kids today. They take out everything. Radar. Sonar. Electric toothbrushes."--Cpt. Quint