Bike handlebar bag with mini iPad holder

Having already owned a bike with a functional handlebar bag setup, the concept is familiar to me. On my former Rivendell, I had an Ostrich bag, attached with its native straps to the front rack, and supported at the top with a spacer-mounted decaleur. What I liked about that system was its stability, and the aforementioned ease of camera access.compact bicycle handlebar bag What I disliked about it was the bulk. The bag was larger than necessary. The myriad of leather straps, metal buckles and other appendages added weight. The buckles clanked against other metal hardware on rough roads, no matter how out of the way I tried to position them. And having a decaleur permanently attached to the bike seemed superfluous. But all this aside, using the same setup on my current bike was not an option. My handlebars are too low for the Ostrich and many other production bags. And for reasons too complicated to go into here, using a decaleur, even if I wanted to, would be problematic. So I took this as an opportunity to experiment with a decaleur-free setup.waterproof double bicycle pannier bag Velo Orange sent me their Campagne handlebar bag to try out for this purpose. This bag is considerably smaller than the Ostrich and just a tad larger than the small Gilles Berthoud. The design is otherwise very similar to the Berthoud. The VO bag's fabric, stitching and leather are noticeably rougher, which is reflected in its price ($110, compared to $225 for the Berthoud).

Bicycle double top tube bag

I recommend that everyone journal about their bicycle tours. I have filled dozens of journals over the years and I plan to fill hundreds more in the future.rear pannier bag for bike There are a number of reasons to keep a journal while on a bike trip, and I plan to talk more about this in an upcoming post, but for now, I recommend you get a journal that is small enough to fit inside your handlebar bag, but ridged enough to withstand the demands of a long distance bicycle tour.I read more than anyone else I know and I couldn’t imagine going on a bike tour without at least one book. On my last tour I read through four books and I could have read a lot more if I had wanted to. I recommend Ted Schredd’s “The Cycling Adventures of Coconut Head” if you are looking to get motivated for your upcoming tour. Bicycle backpacks The name of the book is a bit silly, but the book is hilarious and insightful! I read this book before every bike tour I go on as it totally gets me excited about all that I have in store. I fully recommend it! (Click here to listen to my interview with Ted Schredd)

Waterproof double bicycle pannier bag

I have a Sony Cybershot DSC-W7 It has 7.2 Mega Pixels and records photos on a Sony Memory Stick. The reason I bought this camera is because of it’s batteries! It uses normal AA batteries and not the lithium batteries that you find in video cameras and most new digital cameras. The reason I don’t like lithium batteries for use on a bike tour is that once the batteries run out, you have to charge the battery,saddle bag for road bike and most of the time, when the battery runs out, you are in the middle of nowhere and you certainly don’t have 4 hours to sit around while your lithium battery recharges. In my case, when my batteries run out, I just simply pull the two spare AA batteries from my pack and stick them in my camera and I’m ready to go.bike triathlon bag I use rechargeable batteries so I don’t have to constantly be buying new batteries while I ride and this strategy has worked wonderfully for me over the years. (If you get rechargeable batteries, you’ll also need to bring a lightweight battery charger with you.)

Waterproof cycling saddle bag

In this article I am going to be concentrating on the gear that you might carry inside of your handlebar bag.
My strategy for packing my handlebar bag is to put all of my most important belongings in this one bag.bicycle map holder handlebar bag My reason for this is that I always have my handlebar bag on me. It never leaves my body. When I go into a grocery store or run to the restroom to take a shower, the handlebar bag goes with me. The reason for this is that if my bike and the rest of my belongings were to be stolen, I would at least have my handlebar bag and the valuable contents inside (wallet, cell phone, camera, journal, etc). As long as I have these belongings in my possession I can buy myself a new bike, get a ride to the airport,Bicycle double top tube bag call the police, or do whatever needs to be done to rescue the tour.
Your handlebar bag should also contain most of the things that you want to get to when you are riding your bike (your map or camera for example). I don’t like to get off my bike every time I need to look at the map or eat a snack, so having these items within reach is extremely important.
I’ve put together a little video where I show you exactly what I carry inside my handlebar bag. Below the video, I have listed the contents of my handlebar bag and given details for why I use these particular items.
As usual, if you have any questions about how to plan a bicycle tour of your own, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Iightweight bicycle bags

My strategy for packing my handlebar bag is to put all of my most important belongings in this one bag. My reason for this is that I always have my handlebar bag on me.bicycle top tube bags It never leaves my body. When I go into a grocery store or run to the restroom to take a shower, the handlebar bag goes with me. The reason for this is that if my bike and the rest of my belongings were to be stolen, I would at least have my handlebar bag and the valuable contents inside (wallet, cell phone, camera, journal, etc).hydration system backpack As long as I have these belongings in my possession I can buy myself a new bike, get a ride to the airport, call the police, or do whatever needs to be done to rescue the tour.