Bar bags

I’ve been looking at bar bags to help carry a little more on long road rides. Warmers, more food, proper jacket and so on.

I don’t need something large, probably a couple of litres. The Rapha one is probably about the right type of thing and I’ve seen a few others of similar style that look good but are quite pricey at £45+ Has anyone come across anything cheaper?

Requirements are 2-3L capacity. Simple strap attachment. Easy to access (zip) ideally on the move. Readily available in the UK (as plenty are USA based) Barrel shape or at least not a complete square wind block. Any obvious choices?

Decathlon, £13. https://www.decathlon.co.uk/100-bike-handlebar-bag-25l-id_8355750.html

Have a look at Carradice zipped roll bag. Class act, well-made, the right volume? £36 online an come in diff colours/designs.

It’s essentially a saddle-bag yet also perfect for handlebars. Carradice sell spacers for that purpose. Though tbh they (spacers) look entirely DIY, just four small blocks of HD foam.

Alternatively – screw Klickfix QR bracket/attachment plate into it and lose the straps.

Any good?

Gnaro

I prefer a stem cell and a topeak saddle bag (aero wedge I think, size medium). The stem cell contained my essentials, food, gels, phone. Warmers and waterproof in the saddle bag. I can’t ride pulling warmers on so made no difference about them being accessible.

Not as on trend as a roll style bar bag, but I find it more convenient to easily organise your on the move gear and your stop and faff gear.

I haven’t got one or seen one, but I do remember noticing Aguille have a handle bar/bum bag combo. Made in England too:
https://www.aiguillealpine.co.uk/product/rucksacks-bags/bum-bags/handlebar-contour-bag/

Now that Aguille bum bag is genius^^ and all their kit has a reputation for being well made in the UK. Not getting you stuff nicked from outside the caff either.

If you want to go cheapo the planetx basic roll bag (not the fancier one piece 20 quid one) with a dry bay with Velcro in a wrap round harness that comes up for ten or twelve quid works Ok but might be a bit long with a drop bar and claims to be 6 litres.
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/BAPODWHBB/podsacs-waterproof-handlebar-barrel-bag
Just checked and currently out of stock at 20 quid. Harness would take another roll bag. Just need a bit of sticky Velcro on it to stop it sliding out sideways.

For “soft” luggage I’d second the Gnaro. If you want something quickly removable from the bike for security/convenience then I’ve used an Ortlieb bar bag, you fit a mount to the bike and the bag fits to that. This: https://www.ortlieb.com/uk/ultimate-six-compact-free+F3322. I’ve commuted with it so you can get plenty in.

Thanks, some good options there. Will have a think. Quite like the idea of something that has multiple uses.

Or, https://alpkit.com/products/analoko
Mate has an ebay cheapy copy and tbh it’s fine too.

Rickshaw make nice stuff with lots of colour options; their bar bag has handy side pockets (they also make a smaller version which doesn’t have them):
https://www.rickshawbags.com/handlebar-bag

Order yourself a Pipsqueak at the same time, they’re ace:
https://www.rickshawbags.com/pipsqueak

I’m curious about that Aiguille bag… it doesn’t show how the waist strap folds up when it’s in use as a bar bag. Without seeing it I’d tend to assume that fitting it was a faff and/or that the buckles would rattle against the bars…

What about a small frame bag like this, more aero innit

Frame bag – Small

If you want to go cheapo the planetx basic roll bag

I’d give the PlanetX cheap Podsac harness and drybag combo a swerve TBH. I’ve got one and had to make improvements to make it fit. Just because it’s cheap, doesn’t mean it is good valve for money.

How do I best fit this bar-bag?

I’ll add to my own post.

I wonder if this would be better than the Aiguille bumbag as you can remove the straps.

https://www.aiguillealpine.co.uk/product/watersport/storage-systems/e0334/

Lomo do a bike packing bag which is cheap

https://www.lomo.co.uk/acatalog/3l-bikepacking-handlebar-bag.html#SID=152

I’ve had a carridice saddle pack since 1997.

Its taken snacks, jackets, phones, keys, thermorests and other gubbins on any ride longer that 5h for me.

Its out of the wind unlike the bar bag I use for bike packing.

Its a 6 litre one, but you can squish it down using the straps.

The fact its still being made in what looks to be EXACTLY the same form after all that time says the design is right ; )

£42 so as reassuring expensive as rapha. British made and mine is signed by the maker.

Bag

Sports Direct sell a Karrimor washbag which is a small version of their copy of the classic expedition duffle bag. It has webbing loops down the sides and can be bar mounted with some velcro straps or Voile straps. It’s £8 – https://www.sportsdirect.com/karrimor-wash-bag-784006

miketually, yes, I had seen that. But, sports direct 🙁 the north face equivalent is more expensive so I might just spend the extra and go for a bike specific one.

I did wonder if anyone else did something similar. I had a look at travel wash bags and a quick google for boot bags but came up with nothing. A dry bag with daisy chain on the side would work but the ones’s I found were massive.

Does any one have the restrap canister bag? What’s it like and would you recommend? How much stuff can you actually fit in? I like the look of the Chapter 3 version currently On pre-order.

For cheap options, anyone tried the Rockbros bags?
This one with a roll top closure, looks rather similar to the Ortlieb accessory pack. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000453513824.html
Or a barrel style, with zips. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000155478026.html

I had a Rapha bar bag, bought as an interim as the larger custom bag I’d ordered was delayed due to the poor guy making it coming off his bike and breaking his collarbone badly.
The Rapha bag was neat and well made and didn’t let any water in during a very wet day of audaxing. Not massive; I could fit a spare jersey, mitts and cap in the main compartment and a flapjack and jelly babies in the front zipped section.
Can spot it dangling off the front here.

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Quick bananananana stop before the last bit home. #usk #fromwhereiride #trekcrockett #wales #headwind #uskbridge

A post shared by Thom (@thomthebike) on Mar 15, 2020 at 8:34am PDT

I would say though that you couldn’t access the contents whilst riding. Which was a bit of a pain. Otherwise very good.