Show us your Bar Bag set up

[AndyE]

Hi all, trying hard to decide on how I will mount a Ortlieb Ultimate 6 Classic Handlebar Bag to the Sherpa. Long / short accessory bar or direct to handle bars . Pros cons and a photo if you have one.

Andy

[John Saxby]

Andy, I have a small (7.5 ltr) Arkel bag on my Raven. The mounting brackets are fixed on a large Thorn acc bar (inverted). The large bar sits below a small acc bar which holds the Rohloff shifter on the right, and my bell on the left. The bars themselves remain clean, although I now have a plastic mounting bracket for my GPS, which sits just to the right of the stem clamp.

The first photo below shows the cockpit without the handlebar bag, but including the two acc bars with the Arkel mounting brackets on the lower bar.  The second photo shows the bag mounted, with good clearance for the light below. The map case on top of the lid of the bag is pretty much level with my bars.

Hope this is helpful, though I realize that the dimensions & gear may differ from your Nomad.

Cheers,

John

[mickeg]

I use drop bars, the shortest Thorn T bar setup on one bike.  Both my bikes with bar bags use zippers on the lid.  I like the zipper to be about the same height or maybe a few mm higher than the top of the handle bar.

[mickeg]

And on the other bike I use a second stem, I think 80mm, with a short piece of PVC pipe instead of a section of handlebar.

On this bike, I have since reinforced the bag with some Aluminum strapping to reduce sag, but the mount remains the same.

[Slammin Sammy]

All very tasty cockpits, fellows! I especially like the short stem approach for mounting the bar bag "in close" with drop bars - it looks very tidy as well as assisting steering neutrality. And John, your rig looks brand new! Mind if I ask who made your bell? Mine's brass, and it discolored within 30 seconds of being exposed to our oceanside air.

I'm heading home today after a month away, so will post photos of my setup (bar extensions top and bottom of the handlebar) later.

[IanW]

Carradice handlebar-bag / KlickFix mount.
The brake cables tuck underneath the KlickFix mount when the handle-bar bag is in place.

[John Saxby]

Thanks, Sam.  My Raven was brand new when I took the photos in May of this year, though my Arkel bar bag is about three years old.  My bell is from VO (Velo Orange) in the US.  It has a nice prolonged "temple bell" sound, though it doesn't work so well in the rain. (?!)  Bought it from my LBS, which stocks a range of VO items, such as my spiffy fluted alloy 52 mm x 650b fenders (mudguards).  VO also make a 90-degree mounting bracket which can be inserted between the spacers on your stem, so that you can mount the bike vertically & parallel to the stem.  I had some space on the left side of my short Thorn acc bar, however, so put the bell there. No discolouration after six months of use, and it works fine -- I can reach it easily with my left thumb.  Sometimes I ring it when no-one's around, just 'cos it sounds so nice.

[Slammin Sammy]

Ok, IanW, I've got to ask: What is the black thing held on with electrician's tape at the top center of your bar? It looks like something snaps in there, but I've never seen a mount like that. 

[AndyE]

Thanks lads for your input, It has been most useful.

Today , fitted the bar bag directly on the straight bars of the Sherpa with the supplied Ortlieb bracket and to be honest I am imprest with the quality, it's robustness & found it simple to fit. I do have a R&K Klick Fix Cordo CC-100 QR Handlebar Mount  & KlickFix Multi Clip Plus winging it way to me as I type, mostly for the KlickFix Multi Clip Plus, that in theory looks to be better suited me needs than the Ortlieb Ultimate Bar Bag Adapter. We shall see, I will post up some photos and my findings as soon as can get my sweaty hands on them!

Thanks again for your input on this and the and the other thread I started in the Luggage section.

Andy

[IanW]

Ok, IanW, I've got to ask: What is the black thing held on with electrician's tape at the top center of your bar? It looks like something snaps in there, but I've never seen a mount like that.  

Hi Sam,

It is the KlickFix mount that comes with an Abus U-lock.
http://www.abus.com/uk/Mobile-Security/Bike-Safety-and-Security/Locks/Holders/EaZy-KF

But I re-purposed it as a handle-bar mount for an ancient GPS,
mostly for use as a cycle-computer as its mapping facilities are truly ancient and pathetic by modern standards.

The electician's tape is mostly for "cosmetic" purposes (i.e. to make it look tatty and grungy).
It is actually bolted on round the stem.

But it also adds some trivial obfuscation to inhibit easy removal of the Cateye Rapid 3 light that is mounted underneath the stem
which is my front battery backup light / blinky bicycle-presence indicator.

(Of course, the handlebar bag, when fitted, obsures this backup light, but I am working on that ...)

[Slammin Sammy]

Ah, the venerable old GPS III+! Popular successor to the ancient StreetPilot series, one of which once told me in upstate NY, "Proceed two miles and make a U-turn."! I've dined out on that story for years. 

BTW, can one feel nostalgia for a GPS, or any technology for that matter?

Topic for another thread, I know...