I am looking for a handlebar bag for a cross country tour. I looked at bags by Avenir and Topeak but both were mounted rather high or the bags themselves stood high... The Ortliebs looked to be a little better in this regard but if possible I would want something even lower. Are there bags that are almost flush with the handlebar? For a cross country tour should I have a medium or large bag? What else should I look for in a handlebar bag?

Thanks,

-Mike

Jandd and Lone Peak are couple others to look at. What do you consider high? And why does it make a difference?

I use the Lone Peak H-100 it is ~650cu in, I have had slightly larger bags in the past, but had a tendency to over load them. I would try and stay under 800 cu in.

Options are personal, I prefer to have the mesh side pockets, and a map pocket on top. Rain covers can be a plus if you plan to carry small electronics and other valuables in.

Aaron

I've got a large Arkel handlebar bag. It is a bit on the heavy side, but a great performer. The zip-out liner is handy when stuff gets spilled (or you forget that you had a banana in there and it gets destroyed). The zipper has worked without any problems for a couple of seasons now. I had a cheap Cannondale bar bag years ago and the zipper failed within a few months. The map holder is useful, but not actually something that you can use while riding. You'll still need to stop and step forward to lean over the bag, and sometimes to just remove the map from the top slot entirely.

One characteristic that was important to me was to be able to open the main compartment while riding, which means that I need a bag with a lid that opens away from me. Most bar bags open towards you. That makes accessing the bag while pedaling very difficult, and sometimes just impossible.

"Waterproof" bags are overrated. Water will seep in there anyway. And the rubberized bags just hold moisture in, never letting it evaporate. My advice is to ignore claims of water resistance. Just get a normal bag and be sure to wrap electronics very securely and keep clothing and such in plastic bags (trash compactor bags work especially well).

The lower-mounted bags (sometimes referred to as "porter" bags) look like they would offer greater stability, but in practice it seems to have no effect. Setting the bag lower does allow you to have a larger bag that doesn't extend too high. A bag that rests just a bit above the handlebar will make accessing the contents while riding much easier. If you don't intend to access the bag while pedaling, though, that may be of no value to you.

Another thing to consider is a small bag that mounts to your top tube, close to the stem. That is a good place to store snacks, sunglasses, a small camera, or other very small items that you would like to be immediately accessible.

I can say without reservtion and from a lot of wet weather riding that Ortlieb handlebar bags and panniers ARE waterproof. Holding moisture in" has never been an issue. My camera was in my bar bag on a trip this summer where we experienced 35 days of rain. My camera never got wet, was handy , and is still working great. My wife carried our netbook in one of her rear panniers and it was kept dry throughout the trip. I'm posting this with that netbook

Hiding out under the bridge this summer waiting for the rain to slowdown.



Oregon Coast after my wife was literally blown over twice, and it is literally raining sideways. We did take our bar bags off because they had all our valuables in them and we were going inside where it was warm!
the orange cover on my saddle is the useless rain cover from my old bar bag

Having done two extended tours in a lot of rain I too can attest to the absolute waterproofness of Ortlieb handlebar bags... and panniers without any seeping. We plan to use them again.

Ortlieb seems to spend a lot of energy improving their handlebar bag in particular. They are on the 5th iteration. Personally I tilted my bag higher in front, giving me a dashboard effect so I didn't have to look all the way down to check the map.

In my opinion people drink the Orlieb kool-aid for good reason.

Ortleibs and similar Rixen and Kaul quick release fitting are the best way of fixing a bag. Nothing else comes close.
My Carradice bag is tough and practical with opening in the correct direction for access, a map holder on top that really speeds up navigation and QR buckle closure than can be overloaded. I have one internal zipped security pocket and 2 organiser pockets and the whole bag is really a rigid correx box covered in fabric.
Size should fit the bar style and size. I dont like really big ones, they encourage you to carry too much in the front. Ortleib is about as big as you should go.

I've never ridden with a handlebar bag or even looked at them that closely but in photographs they seem to be riding so high. I think the bike would look and feel sleeker if they were lower. Just a personal preference I guess or maybe I'll change my mind once I actually ride with one. I'll check out the bags you mentioned. Thanks.

How are the zippers on the latest models of the Ortliebs? I read in a couple of journals that they can a be a bit sticky. Also, how high is the top of the bag in relation to the handlebar? Thanks.

I have the small Arkel handlebar bag mounted on my Salsa Fargo via a second stem below the primary stem for the handlebars. In the lower second stem I have a hacked off old handlebar stub that has the Arkel mounts. With that setup, the handlebar bag is just slightly lower then the handle and very convenient. I also used that setup with my Surly LHT w/trekker bars. On my Salsa Casseroll, the bike has a small front rack mounted to the fork blades and crown. I have a Velo Orange bag that sits on that rack, so its well below the handlebar. In that position its a little harder to get items out while riding, but the weight is much lower.

Thanks, I didn't know about the second stem. I guess I'll start with the traditional set up with an Ortlieb 5 and see how I do with that and go from there. It's nice to know I have options... This will all be on an LHT. Still deciding weather I want a front rack with space to load stuff or to get a rack like the tubus tara without the cargo space.

LHT with Tarus front rack and Ortlieb bar bag

Thanks, for the photo Doug. I think I am going to go with the Ortlieb. It's a nice looking bag and you can't beat the waterproofness... The only complaint I've heard is about the zippers sometimes being sticky. Have you experienced any problems? Is the bag in the picture a medium or a large?

Thanks.

..only zippers on Doug's gear, (or at least, mine, ) is the internal organizer pockets,
against the back stiffener..

and given the large is black and black only ...

I have a third generation and have had no problem with the zipper on the exterior mesh pocket. There are no zippers on top. It is fastened by snaps. I keep mine just a little higher than dougs above.

Thanks everyone for the great info. One final question... Is it true that the Ortlieb attachment system isn't reusable once removed from the bike?

The cable does get sort of mangled but I have used the same cable a few times mounting and remounting the attachment. Same as with the Rixen & Kaul mounts too. You can buy new cables if needed.

Correct-- but damage can be minimized by not tightening the set screws too tight. It does not take much pressure to hold the mount in place.

The bag is a medium, Ultimate 5 classic. The map holder is pretty handy. Camera slides into orange case iin the center. Wallet, passport, bandana, extra thumb drives, sunglasses, book, pen and pencil, notebook, bike lock key, train tickets, Swiss army knife, GPS, and snacks are all handy--everything, I can't afford to loose.

To determine the size it depends what you want to carry in your handlebar bag. For my TransAm ride I started with a small Novara top bag and a front top bag on my surly nice rack, but later ditched the front rack and needed something bigger to hold my DSLR.

Ready for a price saver? I picked up a Schwinn handlebar bag en route at Wal-Mart in Wichita Kansas for about $15 complete with map sleeve - https://www.target.com/p/Schwinn-Hand...k/-/A-12309349

Worked great with a couple extra zip ties to remove any bounce and when it rained hard I simply moved my electronic valuables to my Ortliebs. Tons more pics of it on my site, best of luck in your choices!

I wore a lot of the stuff, TC. money, CC and passport under my clothes,
in a Money belt.

so stuff in the handlebar bag was reduced.

Acorn makes several handlebar bags that are nice alternatives to those already mentioned, if you want something very functional with a classy appearance. They are probably more expensive, however, and can be difficult to order. I really like the medium-size Acorn handlebar bag because it has a couple of pockets you can access from the backside, and it is not overly large, which affects handling.

https://www.acornbags.com/

NB, Klick Fix HB mounts let you mount Ortlieb bags, but not the reverse ...

Ditto for me. A second stem / bar not only lowers the CG of the handlebar bag, it also keeps the main bars free and clear. Personally I didn't cut back the second bar radically because my lights are mounted on either end and the beams clear the bag.

we both have Arkel big bar bags, keeps our photography stuff, some food / goodies and more (kindles, maps etc.).

The Arkel Large has always been good to me. When one of the clamps broke (my fault) in Hungary, they 3-day parceled me a free one for a very reasonable shipping charge. I believe shipping would have been free in North America. Customer service was super responsive and helpful.

I use mine as a camera bag, with the Ortlieb Camera Insert, which fits perfectly and is on the table in the photo below.

just dont forget that with The Kitchen Sink et al on ones bike, ones average speed is not very high, so the sleeker-faster doesnt really apply (plus just behind any barbag is a big bag of flesh and bones that blocks the wind rather effectively anyway)

Also, when looking at bags, you will notice a fairly large diff in weights of them. For me this was a factor in choosing and when I replaced my 20 yr old cordura bag, I went with Ortlieb for the waterproofness and the fact that it was quite lighter than some very well made, but heavy models by other companies. (plus I have had excellent use from Ortlieb panniers over a long period of time, so for me its worth putting out more money for their products)