I’ve been following the fashion for strapping luggage to bars, seatpost and frame instead of perhaps the more practical solution of back pack or a rack. I’m amazed at the prices people are prepared to pay for bits of velcro with sometimes a fancy name. To save you fashionistas some money in the run up to Christmas I thought I’d give you some friendly advice – Screwfix sell rolls of excellent quality velcro – £7.99 for 30metres x 30mm. It can be cut in half to double the length so you can afford to have bits dangling off the bikes of your whole family for less than the cost of a branded strap.
You’re welcome!

velcro is pretty shit i find. those rubber ski straps are way better.

Wot he said

I use the OneUp rubber ones. Never regretted the small outlay. Other brands do more interesting colours. None of them really break the bank.

Go on a nice biking holiday with MTB Beds. You’ll get one in your goody bag. 😁

There are very affordable velcro straps on eBay, I paid three for a tenner or something like that.

Surprisingly secure when holding my inner tubes on my top tube.

Think you mean 5m but yep, it’s good stuff. https://www.screwfix.com/p/velcro-brand-black-self-gripping-ties-5m-x-30mm/74887?_requestid=263015

I use it to hang whole bikes in my garage (loop through the wheel, then hang on a S-hook on a rail) and a few inches of overlap is fine for 15kg of bike.

Yes, that’s right, I do mean 5metres! Got over excited!

I **** hate velcro.

Meh, I find it hard to get worked up about this. I use this It might not be 5 metres but for £6 it has an inner and outer strap, a buckle to make it easier to get tight and and some soft, non slip rubber in the inside.

For the real STW bikepackers

https://www.rajapack.co.uk/packaging-tape-strapping/ties-security-seals/sisal-twine-500m_skuMFI63.html?priceVAT=true&cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=9232197081&cq_con=115981330751&cq_term=&cq_med=pla&cq_plac=&cq_net=g&cq_pos=&cq_plt=gp&gclid=CjwKCAiAhreNBhAYEiwAFGGKPDThfJ3P7vgYvsn4CMY5GUXT1dpb7qd3R7kb4gYpwV9TsUKOhXMxoBoCnQEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

These are handy for smaller items.

https://www.polaris-bikewear.co.uk/Fixie-velcro-fastening-straps-p/pol01-7544.htm

I carry tools in a backpack. I lend tools to friends who don’t have what they need strapped to their bikes… 😉

I carry tools in a backpack. I lend tools to friends who don’t have what they need strapped to their bikes… 😉

Why would they need to carry tools if you are always their porter?

Yeah I know… 🙄😂

I bought 12 600mm hook and loop straps for 8 quid a while ago even have a buckle so you can cinch them up good and tight. Used them for bikebacking to strap stuff to the bike and more frequently strap a waterproof layer to my full suss. Never had any problems and don’t see why you’d pay more.
Especially those one up straps 15 quid for two rubber straps?!

i remember when i took up Mountain biking mid 90s, being laughed at for having my tools hanging off my bike in little pouches. Had to buy a camel back so i could “move the bike around properly”.

Bikepacking is another one. Save weight bike packing, by just strapping bags straight to your bike. Pannier racks are unnesecary and cumbersome.
Until Some clever so and sos have innovated their way out of the bike backing bags flapping around by creating little frames, that actually attach to the bike properly, rather than with with some straps.

FFS.

Until Some clever so and sos have innovated their way out of the bike backing bags flapping around by creating little frames, that actually attach to the bike properly, rather than with with some straps.

I know!

I looked at a bike packing “pannier rack” and found it was 5x the price of my standard one, twice as heavy and poorly reviewed.

Put “bike packing” in front of anything and you can her the ker-ching! – of the price hike!!

Yes, that’s right, I do mean 5metres! Got over excited!

So, hang on, you’re telling me that my 30m of velcro from Screwfix is six times as expensive as I thought it was?

How much, etc, etc!?!?

Take it back and blame me, or, if you got 30m for the price of 5m say nowt! It’d be even more expensive if *ravel was mentioned…

WTF are you going to do with 30 metres of velcro?

I carry tools in a backpack. I lend tools to friends who don’t have what they need strapped to their bikes… 😉

You know those days when you don’t want to wear a backpack, so pop your multitool, pump, tube, wallet and phone into your jersey pockets? (Water in bottles on frame). And then the sun comes out, the world warms up by a significant amount and you decide to take your rather hefty top layer off? Can you ride alongside me to carry that layer, please? 😀

I don’t know where they came from but I have a couple of small, cheap velcro wrap things which are useful for the above, and that’s about it for me. I can imagine that other people might use them in a more imaginative way than I do.

And this:

WTF are you going to do with 30 metres of velcro?

You know those days when you don’t want to wear a backpack,

I don’t really no. I wear an Evoc back protector pack. I know how the world works. If I go for a single ride and don’t wear it, I’ll immediately have a massive crash and cut me back off on a twig or something…

Mind you, the other day I lent someone my chain get aparterer tool, one of those ones which is two tyre levers that you clip together, and I realised I’d never used it and had no idea how it went together properly.
I’m sure it’s super simple, but when you’re covered in mud and freezing cold…. 😂

While my original post was incorrect as to length, corrected by @simon_g But what could you do with 30metres of velcro tape? I use it for all sorts of stuff, fastening up and keeping tidy hosepipes and extension cables, plant ties, but also, cycle related – compressing spare clothing in my backpack.
An imaginative use would be fencing, similar to electric tape fencing but with the bonus that you might find unusual objects stuck to it in the morning!
Any other STW ideas?

WTF are you going to do with 30 metres of velcro?

Homemade bar-fly outfit?

I lend tools to friends who don’t have what they need strapped to their bikes… 😉

what obscure tools do you find yourself lending?

While we’re talking straps can someone explain how this works?

Where does the dangly loop bit go? Can’t work it out from the pictures.

It fastens round your leg just below the knee, bells attach to the loops to warn others of your imminent arrival!

SA I was expecting filth.

I bought some reasonably priced straps from banana Industries.

Ideal so I bought far too many in varying different sizes and now just keep a few strapped to each bike just in case.

Where does the dangly loop bit go? Can’t work it out from the pictures.

I think that’s for your balls.

I lend tools to friends who don’t have what they need strapped to their bikes… 😉

what obscure tools do you find yourself lending?

All the most obscure ones.
A pump – used to inflate pneumatic tyres
Allen keys – for adjusting bike fastenings.
Zip ties – used for fixing anything
Inner tubes – used for making your tyres roll.
Tyre levers/chain tool
Chocolate

You need new riding buddies.

Share your tools all you want but nobody gets their grubby mitts on my chocolate

😱

Well,a lot of the time it’s strangers or unprepared kids out for a shred. 😊🤘

Well,a lot of the time it’s strangers or unprepared kids out for a shred. 😊🤘

You can be arrested for that, you know?