Rando Bag Recommendation

[Lanterne Rouge]

So I'm looking for a bag to sit upon a Nitto M12 or similar canti boss front rack.

Nothing too big, nothing to small - I'm think kinda 10" x 10" x 5".

Also not to retro-grouchy and nothing too expensive - You can easily drop $150+ and ideally I'd like to spend much much less than that. Actually as little as possible.

Any ideas?

[plattyjo]

I personally like Acorn Bags (http://acornbags.bigcartel.com/), but Rivendell (http://www.rivbike.com/) has some other options. Swift Industries (http://builtbyswift.com/products/5) makes nice ones, too. If you want fancy, you could go Gilles Berthoud. More utilitarian is Arkel, Banjo Bros, Topeak, Ortlieb.

[MerckxMad]

The VO Campaign bag is okay for @$100. It works better with a decaleur or better still with a rackaleur. The Riv medium Sackville trunk sack works well too. It's a bit smaller and costs a bit more.

[ColonelJLloyd]

You can't really buy a proper rando bag new for less than $150. The small Sackville is a nice bag as well, but will not offer any of the advantages of a proper rando bag. Ideally the bag height should correlate to the size of your headtube and handlebar setup.

[gone]

I've got an eogear 6.8 and 8.0 and like them both. I used the 6.8 on a 1200K and it was more than adequate in terms of space with the caveat that the weather was fairly mild and I'm not one to haul all kinds of crap. Here's what I had in it:

Rain jacket
Arm & knee warmers
Reflective vest and ankle bands.
Small container of chamois cream
Spare cables & fairly large multi-tool
Night glasses
Powdered energy mix (Hammer) in a zip-loc bag
Two 1/2 PB&J's

If the weather had been colder I'd have taken the 8.0 and substituted a heavier jacket for the rain jacket and perhaps tights rather than knee warmers.

I did use the 8.0 for a multi-day self contained credit card trip. It easily held 3 pairs of bibs, a pair of nylon shorts, briefs & shirt to wear in the evenings and toiletries. Probably more besides but it's been a while.

Both are well within your price range. They attach to the saddle rails firmly and it's hard to tell they're there when riding (they don't hit your legs at all). Maybe a little sway with a fully loaded bag when you're out of the saddle but that's about it.

Happy with both of them and would buy them again.

[ColonelJLloyd]

^ Cool. I wasn't aware of that company. I think the OP is looking for a front bag, however.

[Lanterne Rouge]

Wow, great. I'd not come across eoGEAR before. Thanks.

And thanks to the rest of the suggestions. I'll have a dig through the suggestions.

I've got an eogear 6.8 and 8.0 and like them both. I used the 6.8 on a 1200K and it was more than adequate in terms of space with the caveat that the weather was fairly mild and I'm not one to haul all kinds of crap. Here's what I had in it:

Rain jacket
Arm & knee warmers
Reflective vest and ankle bands.
Small container of chamois cream
Spare cables & fairly large multi-tool
Night glasses
Powdered energy mix (Hammer) in a zip-loc bag
Two 1/2 PB&J's

If the weather had been colder I'd have taken the 8.0 and substituted a heavier jacket for the rain jacket and perhaps tights rather than knee warmers.

I did use the 8.0 for a multi-day self contained credit card trip. It easily held 3 pairs of bibs, a pair of nylon shorts, briefs & shirt to wear in the evenings and toiletries. Probably more besides but it's been a while.

Both are well within your price range. They attach to the saddle rails firmly and it's hard to tell they're there when riding (they don't hit your legs at all). Maybe a little sway with a fully loaded bag when you're out of the saddle but that's about it.

Happy with both of them and would buy them again.

[Lurch]

These guys make some nice bags in your price range I believe: http://www.revelatedesigns.com/

[Orrery]

Ordered a bag from Swift today, now I just have to wait a month to get it. The small rando bag should fit my smallish frame pretty well. Will report back when it arrives.

[Cat3roadracer]

I highly recommend the Acorn products. Had the boxy model on for Deerfield last week and it was secure and stable.

[Wilkinson4]

Acorn, but they sell out so dang fast. Swift, too. But check out Dill Pickle.

http://www.dillpicklegear.com

mIKE

[Lanterne Rouge]

Thanks for all the replies guys but I still can't find what I need.

Most companies use their own proprietary handlebar fixings. Because I already have a Nitto M-12 rack all I need is a plain black bag that sits on top of it.

The altnernatives that have been posted are so nice but so expensive.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Unless you find something used for a song, what you seek doesn't exist. That's why you're not finding it.

[RFC]

Honestly, a bag is a bag. If you want to go cheap, buy a $20 camera bag (there are MANY styles to choose from) and affix to your front rack with Velcro pressure straps. When you look at camera bags, look for those that have exterior loops or straps that will allow you to strap it down.

[Lanterne Rouge]

Unless you find something used for a song, what you seek doesn't exist. That's why you're not finding it.

It must exist. Basically what I want is this:

http://www.bikeman.com/store/graphics/00000001/product_images/BG/BG8122.jpg

That will fit on a Nitto M-12 front rack.

[ColonelJLloyd]

It must exist. Basically what I want is this:

http://www.bikeman.com/store/graphics/00000001/product_images/BG/BG8122.jpg

That will fit on a Nitto M-12 front rack.

Well, the small Sackville trunk bag from Rivendell has already been mentioned.

When I think of a rando bag I think of a boxy bag that opens to the rider and has two small pouches on either side of the head tube. That's the traditional long distance bag, but as others have posted in this thread there are lots of other options. You just have to decide what works best for you.

[RFC]

Here's a version of the camera bag suggestion:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/RCopple/IMG_0440r_zps3970dbe5.jpg (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/RCopple/media/IMG_0440r_zps3970dbe5.jpg.html)

If what you are looking for is a trunk bag, Performance has some very functional ones cheap. May or may not be too long for your rack.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b384/RCopple/IMG_0105r.jpg (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/RCopple/media/IMG_0105r.jpg.html)

[jmoore]

Acorn, but they sell out so dang fast. Swift, too. But check out Dill Pickle.

http://www.dillpicklegear.com

mIKE

Emily at Dill Pickle will do you a nice bag for sure. And she's a BlueSkewer member so you are supporting a one-person shop of a fellow cyclist.

[NHAero]

I have one, and two mounts so I can switch it easily between bikes.
http://www.klickfix.de/?lang=en

[Ssalmon]

Here's a newer American made bag company : http://www.ironweedbp.com/orpington-front-bag.html http://www.ironweedbp.com/dolliver-trunk-bag.html I don't know if this will help.

[etu]

A lot depends on why you want a handlebar/front loading bag. I've tried to stop using my handlebar bag (rivendell) because I thought it was weighing my bike down too much :confused:. I can not stop using it because it is so convenient being able to just grab stuff out of the bag while riding.
I don't know what your style of riding is, but I can tell you I knocked off 30+ minutes of overall time on an 80 mile ride because the bag kept me from unnecessary stops minimized my off-bike time. You're not going to buy that type of speed from any aero wheels or ceramic bearings! :banana:
So even I would say a good bag that fits your need is well worth it. Also I have the small trunk bag for my other bike and it's a bit small for carrying a load and harder to reach down for stuff.

[Orrery]

Got a Swift Ozette (small size) a few months ago to use on a Nitto M18 front rack. Overall I quite like it, it is well constructed, and very attractive (I got the waxed cotton upgrade). It should see lots of use next season so I'll update my review then.

[goonster]

So I'm looking for a bag to sit upon a Nitto M12 or similar canti boss front rack.

Nothing too big, nothing to small - I'm think kinda 10" x 10" x 5".

Also not to retro-grouchy and nothing too expensive - You can easily drop $150+ and ideally I'd like to spend much much less than that. Actually as little as possible.
$29.95 too much?

Jandd Briar bag. (http://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FRR-B) 6.25" x 11" x 6".

Attaches via long velcro straps, which is simple, secure, and adaptable to different racks.

[jamesutiopia]

My stoker now makes rando bags for my singles and tandem (Cordura, coroplast, and sized to fit the bike/rack).

If you have a bike that can use them, I have some Berthoud front bags (I think they are the largest/tallest size) that are now surplus to my needs, if you are interested: the grey one has a saggy cardboard reinforcement and has seen a lot of use (including a PBP), but the black one has never been out of the box. They are both the model with string closures, which is what you want.

Listed then on Craigslist when I was moving from Boston last summer, but had no nibbles. Now they are located in SF area

[palincss]

What do you want for those bags?

[ptourkin]

Emily at Dill Pickle will do you a nice bag for sure. And she's a BlueSkewer member so you are supporting a one-person shop of a fellow cyclist.

Mine came today. This is just a quick attachment, the loops on top will hide under the hoods, the Barfly will be flipped over and the straps will be even. Great looking piece of work.

[Lanterne Rouge]

What do you want for those bags?

I wanted (past tense) to put in my essentials for commuting and use it for storage for longer weekend rides. Unfortuantely the rack and bike that was going to seat the bag was stolen about 6 weeks ago :mad::mad::mad:

Although I am going to replace the bike over winter and I do like these:

http://www.ironweedbp.com/uploads/3/0/8/9/3089502/9986177_orig.jpg

That was posted to Ssalmon

[muz]

I also vote for an Acorn bag, this is one place I would not go cheap. It attaches securely with 4 velcro straps at the bottom. It has kept the contents dry in 24 hours of non-stop rain. The top flap makes it easy to use while riding, wind closes it when you let go of the flap. Hard to find fault with it.

[lukeheller]

I have been running the cheapo $110 VO for 2 years now. Actually, I've been running two of them... not because they're so awesome that I wanted two but because the inner lining that holds the stiffener tore out within the first week. I called VO and they sent me a replacement. Same thing happened... then I had 2 bags with ripped out liners. I replaced both liners with chloroplast election signs and have been satisfied with them for the most part.

However, they are cheaply made. The buckles are junk. They are totally rusted over and ugly. I should replace them but I'm just not sure that it's even worth the effort. The edges of the "leather" are ripped/worn and not holding up the way quality leather should. The canvas is in great shape. I have no complaints about the material - it's sturdy and relatively water resistant... except on particularly ducky days.

My biggest complaint is the size... I want more. I want bigger. I've got a low-trail frame so I want to load the front down with gear instead of using a saddle bag.

Finding what I want for under/around $100? Impossible. That's why I bought the VO in the first place. It has worked well enough for the time I've used it but if you want quality, you'll have to look elsewhere.

I have been looking high and low for the bag I want and I'm pretty sure it'd cost me at least $250 as a custom job... probably more than $300. That's silly to me.

If you're handy and know how to sew, there's always the DIY route (http://ifihadabikeblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/diy-handlebar-bag.html). Now that winter is starting to settle in, I think I may give this a go.... Looks solid to me.

[mossman]

too bad those ironweed bags open the wrong way.

I never liked the acorn-style draw string handlebar attachment system -- gets in the way of my hands.

berthoud makes the best bags, but they're heavy with all the leather and look a little too precious & frilly. but then again, cordura + a vinyl liner is even heavier.

swift makes nice bags, but they're heavy.

waxed cotton is durable, but heavy as well.

plain duck cotton is the way to go. durable enough, water-proof enough.

I'd like to see a non-waxed duck cotton bag that's the exact berthoud design but with velcro on the pockets (and underneath to attach to a rack) and no leather. elastic cord to hold the top down and with d-rings for a shoulder strap and a small inner zipper pocket. designed to be used with a decaleur. I'm still surprised no one sells this...custom is the only way to go.

[palincss]

After around 20,000 miles and 8 or 9 years on the road those Berthoud bags look a bit like one of your old movie cowboys - tough and weathered and anything but "frilly" or "precious". The leather holds up to abuse a lot better than cloth, they put it on the wear points for just that reason.

[lukeheller]

too bad those ironweed bags open the wrong way.
+1 agreed. Seriously? Why would I want my bag to open up from the front... where I cannot reach... unless I'm off my bike. ??


I'd like to see a non-waxed duck cotton bag that's the exact berthoud design but with velcro on the pockets (and underneath to attach to a rack) and no leather. elastic cord to hold the top down and with d-rings for a shoulder strap and a small inner zipper pocket. designed to be used with a decaleur. I'm still surprised no one sells this...custom is the only way to go.
My experience is that I haven't needed to attach the bag to the rack when using a decaleur. That's the beauty of the decaleur: grab and go. If you're using a shoulder strap (I don't, just another strap to clutter my bag), then I would think the underside velcro straps would be just yet another hassle and unnecessary.