Always looking for the perfect bar bag…

What I want is a bag for gravel touring, to carry valuables and a bit of food/clothing (civvies, tools etc will be in a seatpack). Something which:
– will fit on drop bars without getting in the way of hand positions (I could maybe compromise a bit on the tops)
– will attach and remove without faff or frustration
– will be stable and quiet at speed on rough terrain
– has a few litres’ capacity
– allows easy access to a camera or phone while riding
– if possible, is weatherproof

I like Klickfix attachments for road use (see below), but touring on some proper off-road last week tested the limits of both front and rear bags somewhat. Normally I tend to dislike strap-on bar bags because they block hand positions and the ones I’ve used have tended to be either unstable or to point downwards when the rear strap is done up tightly enough to stop them flapping around. But I guess this is probably the only way forward.

Currently I regularly use the following on road and gentle off-road:
– a Rickshaw Pipsqueak (holds camera, cards, phone; easy to access but only any use for day rides)
– a Podsacs bag hacked onto a Klickfix mount (for big days when you want to add food/clothing, copes with various conditions, but fiddly to get stuff out of and not as capacious as it might appear)
– an Altura Sonic (carries a decent amount, but unsuited to off-road)

The closest I’ve seen to what I want is the Apidura Racing Series bar bag, but at £115 it’s quite spendy (and I don’t dispute the value, because it seems really well designed, I’m just tight) and it seems to still employ the three-strap system which I’ve never found particularly satisfactory. Maybe I’ve just tried bad implementations of it.

The ability to easily access a phone or camera seems to be a bit of a showstopper. I tried positioning the Pipsqueak on the side of the stem or the rear of the bars but it just sits awkwardly and gets in the way of my knees when standing. (I don’t want to keep these items in a jersey pocket because they’ll die from being steamed with sweat.)

So, conscious that I’m the fussiest git in the world, I wonder what alternatives there are. Any thoughts?

Anyone had a custom bag made which ticks a load of my boxes?

And any experience of how well the Apidura sits on the bars? (Birthday’s coming up so it could be an option somehow…)

Ultimate – Porcelain Rocket Nigel

Nearly as good but not 100% waterproof – RoadRunner Burrito supreme or Wizardworks Barrel bag

I’ve the Alpkit Gnaro. 3L in size and fits between the drops. Does have a front pocket but I think you’d struggle to get a camera in there, maybe a phone. If the bag was full then access to the pocket would be more of a faff.

For road touring I’ve an Ortlieb bar bag – https://www.ortlieb.com/uk/ultimatesix-compact – has a mount that you attach to the bars then click the bag to the mount. Quite a hard case so you need to pad things out inside to stop them rattling around. I’ve road toured in Scotland with pretty much what you describe in it – get to cafe, press the release button and you take your valuables with you. I’ve also commuted with just this so you can get quite a bit in there. Evans sell them in the UK.

Ultimate – Porcelain Rocket Nigel … Nearly as good but not 100% waterproof – RoadRunner Burrito supreme or Wizardworks Barrel bag

Thanks.

Nigel looks like a nice bag but functionally it’s the same as my Altura but in three-strap form. Can’t see any easy access for phone/camera. I’m guessing it’ll work out a similar price to the Apidura, too.

Burrito is too small, and with a forward-facing zip any access while riding is liable to result in stuff falling out.

Having trouble searching for the Wizard Works one…

I’ve the Alpkit Gnaro. 3L in size and fits between the drops. Does have a front pocket but I think you’d struggle to get a camera in there, maybe a phone.

Mm, I’ve seen that one, and might have given it a go but it always seems to be out of stock. Figured the pocket looks a little tight, and for a bar bag I’d prefer a flap opening rather than a roll-up. I don’t mind rolls for civvies etc where I’m going to be accessing it when I’m off the bike.

Same applies to the Altura Vortex bar bag… both seem like maybes, but the pockets both seem too tight and hard to access on the move.

For road touring I’ve an Ortlieb bar bag

Yeah, I had one of those briefly. Like a small equivalent of the Altura, or a slightly larger quick-release Pipsqueak, depending on how you want to look at it. Not quite what I’m after here, but ta.

For a camera off-road I use a top-tube bag but mounted at the seat tube end. I’ve actually got the Wildcat Cheetah but Wildcat have ceased trading so that’s not an option. So something like the Alpkit Fuel Pod mounted at the back – https://www.alpkit.com/products/fuel-pod or the Revelate Designs Jerry Can – https://backcountry.scot/product/revelate-designs-jerrycan/ which is designed to sit there.

The WC Cheetah is very similar to the Jerry Can and on easy ground I can get the camera out, take a shot and put the camera back without stopping.

The main problem with top-tube bags is that they can flop about a bit especially if your top tube is circular in cross-section – the Alpkit is fine on my Solaris but not on my Pompetamine for that reason.

Mm, I’ve pondered top tube bags. Tried one briefly—didn’t enjoy much success but maybe that was down to that specific bag (and I can’t recall whether it was simply that its strap placement didn’t work with my stem/steerer). My issue is that I don’t like my legs brushing against things, so things on the seatpost tend to bug me when I’m seated and things near the stem tend to bug me when I’m standing. Maybe I need to try more bags. Again, the Apidura Racing Series looks like a good one 🙂

Out of interest, what camera do you use? I’m wary of having one mounted too close to the frame and killing it with vibration, though I guess it’s always possible to add some foam to a top tube bag if it doesn’t have enough there already.

I’ve the Sony RX100, seems to have handled the shaking about fine for the two years I’ve had it. If it’s going to be damp then I’ll wrap it in a plastic bag but other than that I just use the Cheetah to hold it as is.

The Cheetah is approximately 40mm wide, in fact it’s narrower than the top tube on the Solaris on which it’s currently sat. The Cheetah and Jerry Can are tall and narrow rather than the usual top tube design of short and wide. Just checked the link for the Jerry Can and it’s 50mm wide.

I bought an Alpkit Gnaro but found it squashed the cables right into the head tube, and wasn’t sure if that would impact when riding, so have never used it. Maybe I should give it another go…

Thanks whitestone, useful info.

I like the Ortleib accessory bag, might be worth a look as it can be adapted/fitted to be quite stable and it’s a good compromise between a trad bar bag and bikepacking kit. I use it mainly to have one waterproof bag for the camera etc and it’s fairly fast access.

I use an Alpkit Stem Cell Dry for my camera. Easy to get camera in or out. It is kind of suspended on the straps, so should help absorb vibration etc. And usually out of the way of my knees.

I might try the Decathlon bar bag as well. 2.5l, £10. Though not sure how well it will fit on drop bars, especially if have lights etc. https://www.decathlon.co.uk/100-bike-handlebar-bag-25l-id_8355750.html

https://www.revelatedesigns.com/index.cfm/store.catalog/Handlebar/Yakataga

Might be an option. I use one on the front of my Revelate Harness but it can be fitted to bars. Not sure it would leave room for your hands but there’s an easy solution for that involving spacers.

Hmm, the Yakataga seems to be £150 though, which tops the Apidura by quite a way (and the Apidura looks much closer to what I’m after).

All good, though—some stuff here I’ve not seen before.

not sure how well it will fit on drop bars, especially if have lights etc

Ah, I use crown-mounted dynamo lights and my head tubes are 20cm or more, so that’s not a worry 🙂

Outershell? I had one but it was too small for my camera, XT1. Rather keep it in a shoulder bag any way, Inside Line Equipment photo mini.
Fine days I don’t even use that.
I found an Ortlieb top tube bag fitted my Kona Rove ST perfectly, for everything else I wanted to take for a day out.

Thanks. The Outershell is an interesting one. Trying to get my head round how well that would work for what I want. I like the external pockets.

My main cause for hesitation with the strap-on designs is my experience of them swinging downwards and relying on cables to keep them upright, which I’ve not found to work very well even with a moderate payload, let alone ~5 litres’ worth of kit. I’m starting to wonder whether it’s worth trying an accessory bar to support a bag from behind; eg:
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/accessories/thorn-accessory-bar-mk1-t-shaped-105-mm-extension-222-mm-0-deg-satin-silver/
…but the back of my envelope says that even that one will end up roughly 25mm behind my bars and only 40mm below them, so may not help keep a bag all that upright.

What about a little rando rack/ decaleur bag? Not the lightest option, but the most stable, easiest to get the bag on and off, least interference with bars. Certainly the most gentlemanly option!

If “light off road” is all it’s getting, it could be just the job for grassupthemiddle rides.

Yeah, not an unreasonable idea, but for this bike I don’t really want to keep racks on it (and the dyno light means I don’t want to keep taking them off and on, either). If it was my tourer it’d work, but that’s more of a plodding workhorse 🙂

What about a small Carradice style saddlebag like the Zipped Roll? Easy to attach to the handlebars – replace the stock straps with Voile straps so it’s quicker to remove, and use some foam rings to make it stand off from the bars so you can still use your hands on the tops. Carradice sell spacers too but you can make your own pretty easily.

@Bez you can borrow my Outershell one for a trial if you like. I’ll want it back because I love it, but I love it enough I want others to try and buy it too, so they can share the joy! Email me!

Hmm, thanks Hannah. I came to the conclusion it was too small for what I’m after in this case, and too expensive to justify as a(nother) day bag, but I’ll have a think about it… I should probably resist the n+1, though.

Intermittently doodling possible solutions for supporting a strap-on bag. I’ve got a Minoura CS-500 at home which I could try farting about with, or an Acor bracket which might work if the loops on the back of something like an Altura Vortex roll have enough slack to slip onto it sideways… (though I’m still not convinced by rolls; too much faff to get into the main compartment and too much space wasted by the rolled ends if you ask me).

http://www.cordellcycling.com have some good stuff, waiting for a fuel cell from them.

I have a full apidura set up
Yes it was spendy but when a seam failed they replaced instantly with just a photo so the customer service is excellent.

It sits great on the bars, minimal movement and very waterproof.

Mm, saw the Cordell Durum on Instagram recently. Looks nice, but smaller than what I’m after.

Apidura is certainly tempting me; I’ve been impressed with their stuff when I’ve ridden with other people using it.

My solution to this was to use two bags. An Alpkit Stemcell for the camera (plus a couple of bits and bobs underneath) and a Rickshaw Handlebar Bag (mine’s re-branded as Ornot) for everything else. The handlebar bag is great, velcro straps to the bars and a loop of paracord around the headtube, pulled tight with a toggle to hold it in place. It’s rock solid on gravelly off-road. It also sits under the bar so GPS and light fit fine.

Something like the Stem Cell (but perhaps a little smaller) might do as a second bag if it had a flap rather than a drawstring. The Pipsqueak almost works, but it’s quite a tapered shape and the top is a bit too wide to open and close easily on the stem or the back of the bars.

The Stem Cell Dry has a roll top closure, so proper waterproof. Though it now seems to be discontinued. The new Stem Cell looks like a less useful shape.

Maybe the Alpkit Lodo is better? It has a zip closure.

The 2019 Altura Vortex 2 waterproof roll bag looks the business… Can’t do the linky thing!!

What about Ortlieb Accessory Bag? It is designed to attach to their big bikepacking handlebar bag, but seems you can use it on its own. It has a few different straps to attach it to the bars. Roll top closure, should be waterproof.
https://www.ortlieb.com/uk/accessory-pack

Hmm. So… I had kind of settled on the idea of the Vortex plus the matching top tube bag for the camera. And that may yet be the choice for 3-ish day trips.

But re-reading the thread I realised I’d missed the Rickshaw/Ornot bag. I’d seen this a while ago and contemplated it. Looks fairly ideal as a day bag, other than that being Californian it’s not weatherproof. Good to hear it’s stable off-road, though. Quite tempted by that…

Something like the Stem Cell (but perhaps a little smaller) might do as a second bag if it had a flap rather than a drawstring.

Restrap have something like that, waterproof roll-top and has a lower tension strap to the fork to keep it steady.

Would like the Nigel bag but pricey and then import duty, love Apidura as well but again pricey. Then came across these guys on Instagram and look just the job and waterproof. Also can be made in colours to suit your tastes
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzkaxSbFaGU/?igshid=17man29avu8r8