Mounting a Carradice Camper Longflap on a rear rack.

[Danneaux]

Thorn accessory bar. Bag supported on rack.

Sure would like to do this on all my bikes, Brummie. Worked well enough on my frames where I could lay the bag's bottom atop the rack, but not on bikes where the needed vertical gap was unavailable (paralleogram suspension seatpost, see photo; bike model ended production in 2008, equipped with one of two Thorn Sherpa Mk2 forks in different rakes).

I love Thorn's T-bars and uplift, but tariffs make it impractical to equip every bike in my fleet!

As you might have guessed, this topic is near and dear to my heart...and my lightweight CCL camping setup...
https://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=11787.msg85858#msg85858

Best, Dan.

[martinf]

On the topic of doing it yourself with aluminum rods and bars, it is my experience that the bar and rod stock that I buy at the hardware store is much more flexible than the metal parts that come on manufactured parts. 

Thus, my home made stuff is often weaker with lower weight capacity than commercially made components when using aluminum.

Maybe. I think the chap that made and sold these Lord uplifts probably compensated for any possible material weakness by using thick plate and rods. The uplift and the support that fits to the saddlebag weigh over 400g, nearly as much as the Tubus Fly steel rack.

[Danneaux]

Returning to Ian's original question, I have successfully screwed Ortlieb mounting rails and quick-release hooks to the bottom of handlebar bags so friends could attach them directly to small front racks in lieu of a more traditional decaleur. In another instance, I used the hooks and rails to secure the bag to the decaleur, then one more hook on the bottom to secure it to the rack to prevent swinging or shifting. I lined the bags with Colorplast to prevent distortion as George has described and screwed the rails and anchor bolts thorugh the Coroplast. This resulted in a secure handlebar bag that could be mounted or released as quickly as rack-mounted Ortlieb panniers.

I think something similar would work nicely to attach Ian's CCL atop his rear rack.
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As for my own quest to have a saddle-mounted CCL with quick release, I explored using Ortlieb pannier hooks and rails to attach the CCL to an Ortlieb aluminum rack arm mounted transversely across the saddle's rear rails, just below the Brooks bag hooks. The Ortlieb hook rail woudl be mounted to the CCL's hardwood dowel or an alumunum tube replacement.

Unfortunately, the saddle rails diverge as they travel upward and so can't retain a straight rod unless the clamp holes are angled. The saddle rails are parallel where they exit the seatpost clamp, but a transverse rod there would interfere with pedaling. It also wouldn't be convenient to have a rod to catch a leg when throwing a leg over the saddle.

I'm so close to finding my ideal solution! I came up with a way to mount my Ortlieb Underseat bag to my Brooks, described here in words and photos...
https://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=4523.msg86243#msg86243

I still think my best bet is a rubber-coated sandwich clamp for the saddle rails, made from half-inch aluminum billet and secured with a seat collar q/r. That way, the bag is pre-adapted to fit a variety of saddles and nothing on the bike needs modification. It would allow me to keep my special Ortlieb mount and would work with a sus-post as well. Standoffs for the lower bag are easy to construct.

Best,

Dan.