Barbags

pimptovimto

Hi

I have read some reviews on some online shops and am none the wiser, so can anyone recommend a barbag to fit my dropbar dawes galaxy. I need it to have a rain cover and a map pouch. It will be used to carry tools, phone and some snacks mostly.

Budget is no more than 50 quid

As always thanks in advance

PV

dilemna

Which on-line cycle shops did you try? Wiggle, CRC? Between them there are lots of bar bags, more than you can shake a stick at. By cheap buy twice is what my nan used to say. Vaude, Altura, Ortlieb all do good barbags.

pimptovimto

Trouble is some of the reviews on these sites say things like "bracket too small for my drop bars" is it safe to assume those that don't say this are ok, I doubt it which is why I was asking.

BE1

There are two fitting issues which I can think of.

First, if you have STi levers the bag may interfere with the cables. Rixen Kaul do an extender for their handlebar fitting which takes teh bag out beyond the cables.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Altur ... 360012919/

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Ortli ... 360013675/

Second, is the bag has a Rixen Kaul fitting these fit standard size bars and not oversize bars, however it is easy enough to get the adaptors (two bigger bits of plastic).

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Altur ... 360029533/



As to the choice of bag, there are a vast number out there. Ii have an Altura Fusion, waterproof so no cover needed and with a map case, although the quality of the case is not great but then i only paid 20 for it . It holds 6 litres so plenty of room. Others swear by a smaller bag to stop over-packing: EBC do a reasonably priced one.

pneumatic

I have a Super Galaxy and an Ortlieb bar bag. Don't know if it is still within your budget but mine has been just fantastic. I've had it for 6 years and it is still fully functional.

It is completely waterproof without the need for a separate cover and I have often been caught out all day in really torrential rain so that the lid has been full of water and, yet, never a drop has got in to wet my expensive camera, documents and other precious items that live in there.

The map case takes the compact Michelin road atlas pages perfectly and is just a bit yellow after all this time (including some long hot tours) so I might splash out for a new one, but I don't really need to.

As for interfering with the STi's and associated cables, it does just slightly but not so much as to cause any grief. It is a matter of routing the cables carefully to start with and then they just form the right shape around the bag. Compared to my Summer bike, the bars on my Dawes are quite narrow, so you may find you don't have that problem at all, depending on what they fit as standard these days.

I'd say go for it, even if it costs a bit more than you want to pay. It will be a good investment.

Hope that helps.

Tail end Charlie

The Ortlieb attaches with a wire which wraps around the bars, so the width of the bars doesn't matter. The larger bag makes it a tight squeeze if using STIs but you just need to be careful when removing and replacing the bag. The smaller size doesn't interfere, but then you can't have a map case. I have both and usually use the smaller one as otherwise I tend to put too much into the bag.
The Ortliebs are good for stuff you really really don't want to get wet (camera, phone etc).

pneumatic

Sorry, wasn't clear. When I said "narrow", I meant bar width (the distance between the hoods), not the diameter of the tubing.

dilemna

Of course if you have drops and Campag Ergos you aren't going to have as much problem with space as you would if you had Shimano STI levers.

The other solution is to get a flat handle bar and rapid shifters, then you can have as larger bag as you can physically manage on the front.

andymiller

pimptovimto wrote:

Trouble is some of the reviews on these sites say things like "bracket too small for my drop bars" is it safe to assume those that don't say this are ok, I doubt it which is why I was asking.

When it comes to internet reviews I always apply my 'there's always one rule'. There's always someone who claims to have broken it the first time out, or it didn't fit, or it didn't work or whatever. If there are a number of similar complaints then it's a problem.

I'll bet that most barbag users have dropbars with STIs, so if you buy from a reputable manufacturer the chances are it will fit (if it didn't they wouldn't make any money). If you buy from Wiggle or CRC then if the worst comes to the worst you can always send it back. If that's too much hassle then take your bike to your LBS.