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Planning some bikepacking bivvy micro-adventures with my 8 year old - I can get most of the stuff into a 30 litre day sack but am thinking a handlebar bag would give me the extra capacity I need without her needing to carry anything. Any suggestions?
A lot of them seem to be made for narrow drop bars over a smaller tyre but I’ve got wide riser bars and 150/160mm of fork travel that might collide with a bag.
The salsa one that comes with the anything cradle is pretty long / thin and 20L.
Suspect you can buy one without the cradle if you want.
I use an alpkit 20l waterproof one on the front of my 29" with 2.6 tyre, 160mm forks and 800mm bars. It also fits my drop bared gravel bike.
The older version of This one
https://alpkit.com/products/tivaro-20
It has two wrap around straps that go round the bar and bag, plus a velcro strap that goes round the stem to the center of the bag.
After a 13h ride with loads of rain all my stuff was still dry.
No bouncing on the tyre with the three straps.
It's rubbed the head tube of both bikes despite taping them up. I'd blame that on user error.
It fits my;
Small thermo rest
Summer down sleeping bag
Bivi bag
Small down jacket
Thermal longjohns and top for sleeping in
Spare pair of gloves.
I use a Blackburn Outpost HB. It mounts on a handlebar bracket so very quick and easy to attach and remove and has the benefit of keeping the pack away from cables and hoses.
The stuff sack is waterproof and I get my 1-man tent, sleeping mat, quilt, pillow, towel, thermals and head torch in mine.
I bodged huge bar bag with old Tri bars, cut in middle and spread apart, then hung 30l alpkit drybag on them. I gaffa tape and bar ends bunged the end that was cut.
It worked brilliantly for a 3 day off road tour.
Basic problem with handlebar bags on MTB's is that they don't have sufficient standoff to clear gear/dropper cable and brake hoses. Not such a problem when they are under bar tape but I got a cheap PlanetX harness/dry bag combo that rubbed the plastic off my dropper cable in 20 miles.
that they don’t have sufficient standoff
Most cradle/harness systems try and address this (with varying degrees of success). I have an anything cradle, which is pretty heavy, but has a massive gap for cables.
Not much stock anywhere though (usual story these days)
https://www.bikemonger.co.uk/handlebar-packs-481-c.asp
Thanks! I’d been thinking the cables etc may be an issue but I’m not expecting much mileage, we’re less than half a mile from the South Downs National Park, and she’s only small. Can always improvise some spacers in the future.
I’d been looking at that Alpkit one so I think I’ll give it a go!