How to carry gear?

Ted said:

I'm going on a supported bicycle tour in Colorado in June. All my
luggage will be carried in a vehicle. I'm wondering about stuff that I
need to carry while riding. Since temperatures then to vary a good
bit, I'll need to carry extra clothing & a rain jacket. I'll have a
small digitial camera and snack bars also. I've been thinking about
either using a CamelBak - the one I'm currently considering is the
Blowfish, or maybe a large seat bag. I saw a bag that looks like it
would do the job on www.rivendell.com called the Baggins Banana Bag.

Any ideas which would be a better choice?

My preference is a handlebar bag. That way I can reach in and get things
without stopping (point and shoot camera, snack bar ....). Without one,
I probably wouldn't take any pictures. With one - I get loads of great
road pictures. And I stay nourished for the very same reason. I don't
need to "take a break" in order to get a quick refuel. I always forget
my sunblock, vitamins, and Ibuprofen (when I need it) until I'm riding,
so I keep those in there, as well. I couldn't tour without one.

--
*****************************
Chuck Anderson • Boulder, CO
http://www.CycleTourist.com
Integrity is obvious.
The lack of it is common.
*****************************

Chuck Anderson said:

Ted said:

I'm going on a supported bicycle tour in Colorado in June. All my
luggage will be carried in a vehicle. I'm wondering about stuff that
I need to carry while riding. Since temperatures then to vary a good
bit, I'll need to carry extra clothing & a rain jacket. I'll have a
small digitial camera and snack bars also. I've been thinking about
either using a CamelBak - the one I'm currently considering is the
Blowfish, or maybe a large seat bag. I saw a bag that looks like it
would do the job on www.rivendell.com called the Baggins Banana Bag.

I toured the Alps for two weeks using a Carradice Nelson Longflap
saddlebag and found it perfectly adequate but a touch small. A
Camper would have been a better choice. I have a Rivendell Hoss
saddlebag, now, which is huge- twice the volume of my Carradice, I
think.

Last year I used the Banana Bag for the RUSA brevet series and
Paris-Brest-Paris and found it perfect for that use. I strapped my
rain jacket on the outside, and inside I put my camera, tools,
spares, arm and knee warmers and some snacks. It is deceptively
voluminous.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Any ideas which would be a better choice?

My preference is a handlebar bag.

Handlebar bags have been useful for many many years. I saw a *lot*
of them in France the past couple of summers, and they make a lot of
sense for things that you want to have easy access to: snacks,
cameras, rain jackets, etc.

I don't care for the effect they have on handling with most bikes,
compounded by the current mounting systems that position the bags high
and forward. For the least effect on handling, the bag should be low-
almost on top of the tire- and as much behind the axle as possible.
This usually means a small rack supporting the bag, in the old French
style.

http://www.wallbike.com/berthoud/berthoudracksaccess.htm

http://www.wallbike.com/berthoud/berthoudbags.htm

See also the Vintage Bike Quarterly Web site (sorry, I don;t have the
URL handy but it's readily findable in Google).

My preference is for saddlebags although I have used both and both
work fine. The downside of not being able to access the saddlebag as
conveniently while riding is a factor, but I think it's outweighed by
the handling issue caused by badly positioned bar bags.

Chuck Anderson <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<BXTic.20380$cF6.832747@attbi_s04>...

Quoted message said:

My preference is a handlebar bag. That way I can reach in and get things
without stopping (point and shoot camera, snack bar ....).

I agree, but how about mounting a light, Chuck? How do you mount a
light on the handlebars? Or do you have any suggestions for mounting
a front light on a bike when you've got a handlebar bag?

Thanks.

--
Bob Kastigar; [email hidden]
Home: http://www.neiu.edu/~rkastiga Work: http://www.wgntv.com
School: http://www.neiu.edu Play: http://www.neiu.edu/~stagectr
Union: http://www.ibew1220.org (Chicago, IL USA)

(Bob Kastigar) said:

Chuck Anderson <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<BXTic.20380$cF6.832747@attbi_s04>...

Quoted message said:

My preference is a handlebar bag. That way I can reach in and get
things without stopping (point and shoot camera, snack bar ....).

I agree, but how about mounting a light, Chuck? How do you mount a
light on the handlebars? Or do you have any suggestions for
mounting a front light on a bike when you've got a handlebar bag?

That's actually a pretty easy thing to solve, but you need to do the
handlebar bag properly. The bag should be as low on the bike as
possible, preferably just above the tire. Basically no modern
handlebar bag design allows this, all of them seeming to depend on
some klunky huge plastic quick release mount, putting the vertical
midline of the bag level with the bars, rather than the top of the
bag. If the bag is positioned properly, then it's easy to mount a
light- although IMHO the handlebar is a poor location for a light
because it's too high. My headlight is mounted at the fork crown, and
with a 3 watt bulb I can see well enough for 40 mph descents with
confidence, and to literally ride all night without any problem.

The best arrangement for a handlebar bag IMHO is the old French style,
with a small rack sitting right above the tire to support the bag, the
top of which is no higher than or below the bars. The light can be
mounted to the rack, which puts it lower and makes for better
illumination of the road.

For the best examples, see:

http://www.wallbike.com/berthoud/berthoudhandlebarbags.htm

http://www.wallbike.com/berthoud/berthoudracksaccess.htm

The next best arrangement is a mounting system that puts the top of
the bag no higher than the bar. A very stable and good option for
this is available from Rivendell:

http://rivendellbicycles.com/webalog/baggage_racks/

and scroll down to the Boxy Bag and associated rack.

Bob Kastigar said:

Chuck Anderson <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<BXTic.20380$cF6.832747@attbi_s04>...

Quoted message said:

My preference is a handlebar bag. That way I can reach in and get things
without stopping (point and shoot camera, snack bar ....).

I agree, but how about mounting a light, Chuck? How do you mount a
light on the handlebars? Or do you have any suggestions for mounting
a front light on a bike when you've got a handlebar bag?

Thanks.

First; I rarely ride in the dark when on tour. I *never* plan on it.
That said, what I have done in the past when I *did* have to ride in the
dark is take my handlebar bag off its mount and bungee it to the top of
my load in back. Then I could use my normal headlight mount.

Not elegant, but you know how bike touring is. You find simple solutions
to any obstacle you meet.

--
*****************************
Chuck Anderson • Boulder, CO
http://www.CycleTourist.com
Integrity is obvious.
The lack of it is common.
*****************************

[email hidden] (Bob Kastigar) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]> I agree, but how about mounting a light, Chuck? How do you mount a

Quoted message said:

light on the handlebars? Or do you have any suggestions for mounting
a front light on a bike when you've got a handlebar bag?

Here's something I've used for that purpose, when commuting with a
rack trunk and handlebar bag. It fastens to the handlebar and sticks
up high enough to give the headlight that I use plenty of clearance.
I also have my bike computer on it.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=1184&sku=5059&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

Hi,
We did Ride the Rockies last year and learned alot about carrying
gear on such a tour. First of all, they tell us to avoid the handle
bar bags! The reason is that when you are descending the mountain
passes and the winds pick up (which they really do) the handle bar
bags make your handle bars unstable. We use camel backs, a large seat
bag, and a large (4 ball) tennis ball container in the water bottle
container on the tube that goes from seat to pedals. These are ultra
light, carry a full jacket, cheap, and dont mess with your balance.
We also tried a triangle bag that fits under the top tube but found it
was too bulky.
We brought way too much stuff. We did see hail, snow, rain, etc.,
but it is just not worth carrying all the junk up the hill. We found
that you really do not need tights if you have leg warmers (much
smaller, just as good). We really like the vest/arm warmers option
because they are small and versatile. We just bring a rain jacket.
We found a bright yellow one that really breathes but is unbelievably
light (notice a trend??) at REI for really cheap. In addition, I
think booties are worth while, a skull cap, ear bags (like ear muffs
but just fit over your ears), maybe a balaclava. We also found these
awesome glove liners that are basically like a nylon shell. So with
regular gloves, regular glove liners, and these glove shells, you can
get through anything the Rockies dish out. They are also really small
and light. In general if you can keep hands/head/feet warm you will
be okay.
Avoid a bike trunk if at all possible. The number of pounds you
add even when it is empty are really high. We tried riding loaded up
one of the passes here in Boulder (Left hand canyon to Ward for anyone
who might know), and the bike trunk felt like we were dragging a
cinder block up there.
We were afraid of being cold, but what we found was, if it starts
to rain, put on your gear but just keep going. If you stop you get
cold, and it is really hard to get warm again. Plus just over the
next pass it could be 90 degrees and bright sunny day. Also, a lot of
the bad/cold/nasty weather is at the top of the pass. Get over the
pass and get to lower elevation more quickly to get warm.
If you havent done a Colorado ride before, one thing to know
about rain is that it is always cold. The reason is because since it
is really dry here, it doesn't just rain. The rain comes down a
little, evaporates, cools the air, rains a little lower, etc. By the
time the rain actually gets to the ground the air is cold. On Ragbrai
you could ride in your jersey in the rain okay because it was warm.
That never happens here. The first time we got caught in it we just
didn't get it. We stopped, we got cold, we had to sag. (This was on
the Elephant Rock century last year.)
To get good ideas about this, you might read the forums for Ride
the Rockies and Bike Tour of Colorado. We steal ideas all the time
from these more experienced riders. I think they also have suggestions
about what to bring. I guess the thing is, riding in the Rockies does
not always map to the conventional wisdom that would be perfectly fine
anywhere else. Also, if you are a flatlander, in addition to making
all these decisions, carrying heavy gear up the hill, you may have to
deal with the altitude. At the very least it can make you loopy. It
is good to have the gear strategy down before you come.
Hope this is helpful.

(Mayhew) said:

We did Ride the Rockies last year and learned alot about
carrying gear on such a tour. First of all, they tell us to avoid
the handle bar bags! The reason is that when you are descending the
mountain passes and the winds pick up (which they really do) the
handle bar bags make your handle bars unstable.

And yet the French, in particular, are fond of handlebar bags and low
front panniers- while riding in the Jura, Alps and Pyrennees.
However, the French style handlebar bag is (or was) mounted low on the
bike, with the top of the bag typically level with or below the bar
and with a small rack supprting the bottom of the bag so it doesn't
bounce around. IMHO the modern bar bag, which usually puts the bag
very high, is a terrible design. The plethora of cables coming out of
handlebars nowadays makes using a bar bag problematic.

Quoted message said:

We use camel backs, a large seat bag, and a large (4 ball) tennis
ball container in the water bottle container on the tube that goes
from seat to pedals. These are ultra light, carry a full jacket,
cheap, and dont mess with your balance. We also tried a triangle
bag that fits under the top tube but found it was too bulky.

And you like riding with 6 pounds of water and a few more pounds of
gear on your back? To each their own, I guess. IMHO the load should
be on the bike, not on me.

Quoted message said:

We brought way too much stuff.

There are some excellent packing lists available on the Internet, for
example at the Trento Bike Pages, which can help prevent this. I used
the ones by Jobst Brandt and Bruce Hildebrandt on the Trento site as
the basis for my packing list, and happily toured the Alps for 10 days
with about 10 lbs worth of stuff.

http://www-math.science.unitn.it/Bike/General/Packing_List.html

Sorry, Bruce's list doesn't seem to be on that server anymore.

Quoted message said:

Avoid a bike trunk if at all possible.

Try a saddle bag, which allows you to carry a reasonable amount of
gear without having to add a rack (in most cases):

http://rivendellbicycles.com/webalog/baggage_racks/

http://www.wallbike.com/carradice/carradicesaddlebags.html

Quoted message said:

We were afraid of being cold, but what we found was, if it
starts to rain, put on your gear but just keep going. If you stop
you get cold, and it is really hard to get warm again. Plus just
over the next pass it could be 90 degrees and bright sunny day.
Also, a lot of the bad/cold/nasty weather is at the top of the pass.
Get over the pass and get to lower elevation more quickly to get
warm.

True IME.

What's a "bike trunk"? ... Newbee here.

Boatman

A bike trunk is a rectangular bag that sits on top of a bike rack
attached over the rear wheel. They often have some rigid structure.
Its the rack plus structure that make it heavy. I think you could get
one at Performance. I have a really nice one that is insulated.
There was one unbelievably hot ride where it actually paid to keep ice
in there, but that is a story for another time...

"Boatman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<6Ptnc.58560$kh4.3532138@attbi_s52>...

Quoted message said:

What's a "bike trunk"? ... Newbee here.

Boatman