Review: Redshift Sports Top Shelf Handlebar Bag

Note: Redshift S[ports sent over a Top Shelf Handlebar Bag for test and review to Guitar Ted Productions at no charge. Guitar Ted is not being paid, nor bribed for this review and all opinions are his own. 

The Top Shelf Handlebar Bag

Redshift Sports' Top Shelf Bar has been quite a popular handlebar with their customers. So, Redshift decided to design a handlebar bag to work with that handlebar. Of course, they called it the Top Shelf Handlebar Bag. 

What It Is: The Top Shelf Handlebar Bag is designed specifically to mount to the Top Shelf Bar with four hook and loop straps which can be positioned to accommodate the higher or lower rise versions of the Top Shelf Bar. The "four-point" attachment should make for a very secure and solid mount. 

The bag is sort of a trapezoidal shape with the front being a bit narrower than the back and the top being larger than the bottom. Much like the Kitchen Sink Bag, the new Top Shelf bag has a magnetic closure for the lid which can also be zipped shut on each side. Riders can either leave the zippered sides open and use the magnetic closure for easy on-the-bike access to the bag's interior space, or zip the sides for the most secure containment of your cargo. You can carry a lot in this bag as well with its 1.75L capacity. 

As for other pockets you will find the Top Shelf Bag has many ways to organize your stuff. There is a padded pocket against the back on the inside, two mesh "stash" pockets on the inner sides, and a zippered mesh pocket under the lid. Plus there is another pocket on the front inside. I have an image below that will help illustrate one way you could use the Top Shelf Bag to organize you things. 

As you can see, there are a lot of ways one could organize inside this bag, or you could simply use the interior space as one open area if that suits you. Options are good to have at hand and the Top Shelf Bag has them. By the way, there is one exterior mesh pocket on the bag on the left side. I would imagine this as a place to stash trash, used gel packets, or something smaller you wanted at hand without opening the top. 

We're not quite done with the versatility and features of the Top Shelf Bag though. Much like the Kitchen Sink Bag, the Top Shelf Bag uses Redshift Sports' GPS mounting system which is comprised of two halves in a plastic which connect into the bar-tacked strips on the Top Shelf bag's lid and which is held together by a single screw. There are mounts for both Garmin and Wahoo GPS units available. 

There is also a bar-tacked strip across the front of the Top Shelf Bag allowing you to attach a small light, or another smaller bag via hook and loop strips. 

Here you can see the strip you can attach things to along with the elasticized securing string in case you use this bag with other handle bars.

The outer mesh side pocket has an elasticized opening

The two open slots are where the attachment strips would go if you have the 70mm ride Top Shelf Bar.

A close up of the GPS mounting system. This is a Wahoo mount.

First Impressions: The Top Shelf Handlebar Bag came out of the box and was what I expected from Redshift Sports. This is a very high-quality piece and every detail has been attended to. The zippers work smoothly, the magnetic lid opens and closes faultlessly, the GPS mount is super-secure. Add in the features for organization and the bag seems like a bargain at its $110.00 retail price. (Actually, at the time of this writing the Top Shelf Handlebar Bag is on sale for under a hundred bucks!)  I don't know how Redshift packs all this in at the asking price, but they do and it is impressive. 

Redshift Sports also offers a "360° Ride Guarantee" which allows the purchaser to try the bag risk-free up to 90 days. See the site for details. 

Ride Impressions: I attached the Top Shelf bag to my Top Shelf handlebar easily and could immediately see it was going to be super stable on rough roads and gravel. But my smile on my face was due to something else that the Top Shelf Handlebar Bag wasn't doing that a lot of other handlebar bags do. This would be how many bar bags rub on the top of the head tube. 

Yeah....helicopter tape it. I hear you, but why bother when you can get a handlebar and bag system like this? This is probably my favorite thing about both of these products. Odd, I know, but somehow I found the way these two handlebar products worked together to be satisfying. You might not see it that way, and you may like the organizational possibilities of this bag, or the magnetic top. Both things are cool. I would agree with that. 

Again, this bag is solid and stable on gravel, and with the lid design being so easy to operate, you can grab stuff from inside the Top Shelf bag easily while riding. I also like that the weight of my GPS makes it so that there is no way the wind is blowing this open and if it were to happen, well I'd probably be getting blown in the ditch anyway! 

So, what's not to like? I really only have one minor issue with this bag. That relates to the GPS mount and to how I prefer my handlebar set up. 

Since I lean more toward having the drop extensions being more parallel to the ground, this puts the plane formed by the Top Shelf handlebar's two cross members perpendicular to the ground as seen from the side, or nearly so. When I attached the Top Shelf Handlebar Bag to this set up it "leaned forward" just a bit. That in turn makes my GPS sit with the front edge of the unit slightly lower than the rear, kind of facing away from me a tiny bit. 

That's not ideal. Not a deal breaker, as I love having the Wahoo there, but it also cannot be adjusted unless I change the attitude of my handle bar, and I'd rather not do this. I like the bar where it is. sigh! 

But listen, there could be a lot worse things to have go against this bag and really, besides that tiny issue this bag is a winner. Especially if you are looking for a bag and already own a Top Shelf Bar. By the way, you can use this bag with other handlebars, but it won't be quite the same as it would be with the Top Shelf Bar. 

So Far... The Top Shelf Handlebar Bag is a well designed, versatile, value-packed item that dovetails right in if you already own a Top Shelf Bar. The magnetic lid, GPS mount, and many pockets are very nice touches. The bag rides stable and is easy to use while riding making your rides more fun and enjoyable. 

I'll be trying out this bag on more rides soon and will come back with a final word in a few weeks time. So far this is quite the impressive product, but I've come to expect nothing less from Redshift Sports.

Review: Ortlieb Fuel-Pack & Toptube-Bag - Final Word

The Fuel-Pack mounted using the Toptube-Bag removable base.

Note: Ortleib sent over their Fuel-Pack and Toptube-Bag for test and review at no charge to Guitar Ted Productions. I am not being paid, nor bribed, for this review and I will always strive to give you my honest thoughts and opinions throughout. 

In my last update on this Ortlieb bag review I asked the question, "What about cross-breeding these two bags? Maybe I could use the fact that the two bags use the two-bolt top tube bag mount standard, swap the base from the Toptube-Bag to the Fuel-Pack, and then I could have the bag I really want? "

So, that is what I did. This is only possible because the Toptube-Bag and the Fuel-Pack use the same two-bolt mount pattern for the bottom of each bag. The idea here was to use the removable base from the Toptube-Bag and swap that over to the Fuel-Pack. Then the Fuel-Pack could snap into the fixed base already mounted to my bike. 

Here you can see the removable base plate screwed onto the Fuel-Pack using all provided hardware from Ortlieb.

After the swap it was a simple click-in procedure to mount the Fuel-Pack securely onto my bike.

Riding with the Toptube-Bag was okay until I had to stand to sprint or climb. It was then that I noticed my legs grazing the back corners of the bag at times. Of course, I already mentioned the dismount difficulties due to the size of the Toptube-Bag. The Fuel-Pack, in contrast, is tapered and smaller than the Toptube-Bag and therefore it stays out of the way on standing eforts and mostly stays out of te way on dismounts. 

However; the Fuel-Pack isn't as smooth when it comes to closing the magnetic lid while riding. The bag has always had a slightly misshapen look ever since I received it, and part of this is due to how the "lid" and webbing are sewn or bonded together. 

The front/right corner seems to want to overlap oddly and not close .

It seems the front/right corner of the bottom part of the bag sticks out oddly and the upper right corner of the 'lid' seems to want to fold back and down slightly. This almost always ends up causing the foremost magnet to not land in its pocket. I have to tap the lid with my hand to get it to close rightly. 

Besides that, the bag now is solidly attached to the bike and does not want to rotate around the top tube at all. The bag is big enough, being fairly close in size to most other top tube bags I have here, and it looks classy with its sand color on my dark blue Noble GX5. 

I have the bag that works as I would expect now. Not too big that it gets in teh way, solidly attached, and removable to boot. That said, the lid closure isn't as smooth as it should be. The base looks a bit clunky with those straps and all. Plus, I'm not used to seeing a top tube bag not nestled up against the stem and steer tube. The last thing I can get over, the other two things? 

Final Word: I'm not sure that you can get a Fuel-Pack with the Toptube-Bag's base plate and removable mount. But if you want a bag the size of the Fuel-Pak, its stock mounting system is pretty poor, unless you have the option to bolt the bag on. That or you'd have to have a wide, more rectangular than round carbon or aluminum top tube on your bike.  Then the Fuel-Pack mounts may be okay. 

The Toptube-Bag is just too rectangular. Too big. I would think that you'd maybe get along with it if you are on an XL sized bike. Smaller riders with short top tubes will find this harder to get along with than I did, I would imagine. If that bag was tapered toward the rider, maybe then it would be okay. 

The Fuel-Pack never really ever "sat" right.

The Fuel-Pack just never really ever seemed to sit right on my bikes. It always was misshapen in some way, unlike the Toptube-Bag which always looked "right" in terms of shape. I was constantly trying to smooth out the top of the Fuel-Pack to make it look "right" and not wrinkled or bloated up in the middle of its lid. 

I loved the magnetic lid pockets!  This part of the design blows all the other magnetic lid bags I've tried or seen out of the water. It is by far the best thing about either bag. 

The fabrics used are great. I liked that Ortlieb thoughtfully put a Velcro strip on the inside floor liner to hold it down after you get done accessing the mounting holes. The softer, lofted fabric floor also keeps harder objects from rattling off your top tube as well. A very nice touch there. 

The fabrics are waterproofed and Ortlieb's commitment to reducing the carbon footprint of their manufacturing processes is commendable. I appreciated that Ortlieb can actually ascertain this data and allow the rider to know when they have accumulated enough miles to offset that carbon footprint. Ortlieb is one of the few companies in the World providing us this type of information, and that doesn't go unnoticed. 

That all said, I believe that these two products need a little fine-tuning. The removable base idea should be standard across their range of top tube bags. The two-bolt mounting option is great, but the implementation of the "stand-off" mounts on the Fuel-Pack are not effective in the real-world use of that bag. The Toptube-Bag could use refining as well. The shape of that bag is going to be difficult for many riders and I think either a tapering of the bag's shape, or shortening of it a bit, or both things, would go a long way toward making it a better bag. Perhaps making another Fuel-Pack in a bit smaller size wouldn't be a bad option either. 

There are good things here, but in my estimation, the bags need refinement before I would recommend them.

Review: Ortlieb Fuel-Pack & Toptube-Bag - Mid-Term

  Note: Ortleib sent over their Fuel-Pack and Toptube-Bag for test and review at no charge to Guitar Ted Productions. I am not being paid, nor bribed, for this review and I will always strive to give you my honest thoughts and opinions throughout. 

This is the second installment of the Ortlieb bag review. The introduction and first impressions can be seen by clicking HERE. 

This post will be focused on how the Toptube-Bag fared on a recent ride and how the Fuel-Pack has "evolved" to make it work for my bicycles. First up, the Toptube-Bag.

This bag and its removable feature utilizes a snap-in base with a spring-loaded release. The base is the part that straps to your bike while the matching rail which attaches via the two-bolt hole standard, is attached to the bag. Together they work to provide a rock-solid base for the Toptube-Bag and one that is stable despite the lack of any attaching strap around the head tube/steerer area, which is common for bags like this. 

So, you can load this bag up and it will not rotate around the top tube, nor does it move when you open the magnetically closed top flap. I found the bag easy to get into and it closes with a reassuring 'snap!' when you flip the lid closed. I was also happy to find that a crosswind was unable to flip the top open, which I have had happen on two other bags with magnetic closures. 

The base without the bag mounted on it.

This bag is pretty big. Almost too big for me, and I wonder if it wouldn't be a problem for riders of smaller stature. Many bags that sit on top tubes taper toward the back end of the bike in profile and in width to accommodate dismounting riders, and legs moving alongside when standing and climbing, or accelerating. My legs slightly grazed the sides of the Toptube-Bag when standing and pedaling. I also had several instances where I jumped off the saddle at a stop and I smashed the Toptube-Bag a bit. 

Part of the problem is that due to this design the bag has to sit back from the head tube a bit more than a typical top tube bag would. But besides those issues, the bag works great. It has a cavernous interior which my smartphone could lay flat in. You could probably get a lot of packable rain jackets inside this bag, for instance. It's just a big volume top tube bag.

The Fuel-Pack was just not viable as sent. This was mostly due to how Ortlieb designed the mount, which set the bag, essentially on stand-offs, in a position where it was easy to rotate the bag around the top tube of any bike I put it on. Now - mind you - almost every bike I own has a round cross-section metal top tube. So there is that. 

The bag mounts are supposed to be held on with silicone rubber straps, but these straps are made from a material that is more plastic than rubber and this doesn't help when you are relying upon friction to stabilize the bag. Furthermore, the hooks the straps were to anchor to were pointed upward into the base of the Fuel-Pack making it almost impossible to strap on the bag. I could do it, but it was a lot harder than it should be to get the bag on the bike. 

So, I ditched the straps Ortlieb sent and modified the plastic base pieces a bit. Then I used Velcro strips and laced these through the plastic base pieces. The Velcro strips made it far easier to mount the bag, but the rotation issue was still there. So, I punched a couple holes into the front of the Fuel-Pack with my hole punch pliers I have and laced a Nylon string through the front, went around the stem/steer tube, and tied it on to stabilize the bag. 

That solved that issue, but there still is one more thing about this bag that was rather surprising, honestly, and that was that it would not ever hold its shape, Not when new out of the box, nor will it do so now. It isn't a 'bad' thing necessarily, but contrast this with the Toptube-Bag which stays perfectly rectangular even after I inadvertently smash it while dismounting, and the Fuel-Pack seems a step below that. 

The Next Step: So, now what? The Toptube-Bag is too big, really, but has this fantastic, stable base. The Fuel-Pack is a much better size but has a dismal mounting system that just wasn't going to work on my bikes. Well.....

What about cross-breeding these two bags? Maybe I could use the fact that the two bags use the two-bolt top tube bag mount standard, swap the base from the Toptube-Bag to the Fuel-Pack, and then I could have the bag I really want? 

Stay tuned............

Review: Ortlieb Fuel-Pack & Toptube-Bag

 Note: Ortleib sent over their Fuel-Pack and Toptube-Bag for test and review at no charge to Guitar Ted Productions. I am not being paid, nor bribed, for this review and I will always strive to give you my honest thoughts and opinions throughout. 

There are a lot of bag makers out there these days ranging from small, home-based makers all the way through to big factory-made products sold with other company's branding. What bag is best? Where do you go to find the best features and construction for a good value on the dollar spent? 

Maybe I am like you and I see all these bags and get kind of paralyzed by all the ways to go. A sort of Tyranny of Choice, as it were. I guess that is why I was a bit surprised that this press release I received recently spurred my attention and interest in Ortlieb's bags for touring and bikepacking. Of course, the Ortlieb brand is synonymous with high-quality, dependable touring gear. And as I wasn't really interested in panniers or the like, I wasn't expecting to find anything there that I would want to review, but these two top tube mounted bags I have in hand now did pique my interest. 

Ironically the press release wasn't about any specific Ortlieb product. It was a message pointing out the company's efforts in sustainability. Now, generally this can be a somewhat confusing subject and often claims are made that are not verified or even understandable. But Ortlieb owns their own manufacturing plants, and since that is the case, they can verify the carbon footprint of every one of their bags. So, if you go to any Ortlieb bag page on the Ortlieb website, you can see a little green box, (natch) down in the right hand lower corner and it tells you how far you'd have to cycle to offset the carbon footprint for that particular product. 

Now if you know Ortlieb, you know that their products are very durable, well designed, and even repairable, so from that standpoint you have a leg up on many company's bags that aren't made as well, repairable, or both. Another hallmark of Ortleib products is their waterproofness, and these two bags I have should be excellent in that regard. So, enough said about all the sustainability and whatnot. What do I have here anyway?

What It Is: These are two of Ortlieb's top-tube mounted bags from their Bikepacking collection. the first bag here will be the Fuel-Pack. This is a new bag in Ortlieb's Bike-packing range. This bag has a 1L capacity, a magnetic closure "flap" style lid, and attaches via either a top tube boss set, (if your bike is so equipped) or via a two-strap perforated rubber system. If your bike has the two-bolt bosses on the top tube, you can use the rubber straps and included plates to mount a water bottle to a frame member, or use the plates to offset the placement of the Fuel-Pack on a set of top tube bosses if necessary. 

The Fuel-Pack has PU-coated Nylon fabric construction with an outer mesh pocket. There is also an integrated cable port for the recharging of devices. 

The Fuel-Pack weighs in at 110gm for the bag alone and the hardware weighs in at 43gm (rubber straps are included in that) Dimensions of the bag are 8.3"L x 4.7"H x 3.3"W. The Fuel-Pack is available via Ortlieb's website for $75.00. 

The Toptube-Bag is similarly featured when it comes to pockets and the magnetic closure, but it is larger.  9.1"L x 4.7"H x 3.3"W. The weight of the Toptube-Bag with the clip-on rail attached is 194 grams while the hardware weighs in at 53 grams . The Toptube-Bag is $95.00USD.

The Toptube-Bag has a unique rail attachment which allows the Toptube-Bag to be clipped off the bike. More on that in a bit.

The Ortlieb Fuel-Pack

First Impressions: When talking with the representative for Ortlieb I was a bit torn between this Fuel-Pack and the following Top-Tube Bag for a choice. I was wondering if 1 liter was too small but 1.5L sounded huge. Fortunately, for you and I, Ortlieb was okay with sending both bags out for this review. This way we can compare and contrast easily, and hopefully you can be better informed as to which one is right for you. 

The two pockets that receive the magnets can clearly be seen here.

I do know that both are impeccably made and the quality of construction looks top-notch. There are two very strong, I assume neodymium, magnets inserted into the flap-style lids of both bags, which protrude from the lid. But unlike many other magnetic closures I have seen on bags, these have matching pockets to land in which are molded/held in place by the bag fabric. When the magnets land in these plastic pockets the resulting 'snap' heard is satisfyingly loud enough that I think you won't wonder if the bag is closed or not while riding. I have had instances with other magnetic closures where I thought the bag was closed but the wind had actually lifted the top up and everything inside was in danger of being lost. I don't see this as an issue with either of these two bags, but we will see. 

 Ortlieb says there is an "external mesh pocket" here on the Fuel-Pack, but it isn't really external. It is essentially between the flap on its "hinged side" and the reinforced inner space. There is also another inner pocket inside. Interestingly, Ortlieb cautions against putting a bank card in this bag unless it is in that "outer" mesh pocket, furthest away from the magnets. This is due to the detrimental effects that a magnet can have on a chip card or a magnetic strip card. The interior is a plush, fleeced type of fabric that should keep noise to a minimum but could prove to be an issue with gooey gel packets and melted chocolate covered energy bars. 

The Ortlieb Top-Tube Bag

The Top-Tube Bag is similar in design, but obviously larger. It also has a unique rail attachment that allows you to quick-release this bag from your bike. You don't have to use this feature, but it could be a handy way to turn your Top-Tube bag into a convenient carry-in bag for safe-keeping of valuables or just so you don't buy so much stuff that it won't fit in the bag!

A look at the interior of the Toptube-Bag

 I decided to go with the Fuel-Pack on my Honeman Flyer while the Noble GX5 is getting the Toptube-Bag. The Honeman Flyer is a steel framed bike with relatively small diameter tubing compared to most bikes seen today for gravel. Think "classic road bike" steel tubes and this bike is closer to that sort of tube diameter than not. Meanwhile the Noble has standard, for today, larger cross-section carbon fiber frame design. This is important to remember here as it pertains to the fit of these Ortlieb bags. 

Overall, the set up was easy using the included instructions. It's kind of "Ikea-like", but there are clear images and instructions to follow, so give it some patience and I think most folks can do this assembly with no problem. That said, a traditional hook and loop strapped-on top tube bag is pretty easy to mount. Much easier than these bags were to mount, so as far as installation goes, the Ortlieb's score low on the scale compared to the competition.

The Ortlieb Fuel-Pack

Note how the straps are forced into a very sharp angle over the buckle on this narrow steel tubing.

Fuel-Pack: I was a bit disappointed in the results I saw with the combination of the steel frame and the Fuel-Pack. The straps were forced into a sharper bend onto the hook which secures the bag to the bike because of the narrow steel tubing. This, in turn, allowed the strap to pop off easily if you touched the straps. So, a slight brush from a leg, let's say, while standing and pedaling could cause this. That was unacceptable. 

Furthermore; due to the narrow stance of the plastic standoffs for the attachment of the bag, it was most difficult to find the hook to attach the silicone rubber strap. I managed to do it, but a wider stance in regard to the mounts would have alleviated this frustration to a great degree. 

I think what I need to do next is to mount this bag to one of my bikes that has a wider cross-section top tube to see how it will go there. The way the Toptube-Bag mounted to the Noble bike gives me hope in that regard. But as for my steel framed gravel bikes? I am afraid this Fuel-Pack is no good as a match for them. 

The Ortlieb Toptube-Bag

Toptube Bag: This was a complete 180° experience. The removable Toptube-Bag mount is separate from the bag, so strapping it on was super-easy. Plus the bag is far more stable on a wider top tubed bike as well as being a good foundation for the base plate. This allows super-easy removal and replacement of the bag using the release on the base plate. 

The Toptube-Bag, while dimensionally only slightly bigger according to Ortlieb's specs, is far larger in reality than the Fuel-Pack. The Fuel-Pack tapers to the rear of the bike, is slimmer in the rear, and it also slopes to the rear in profile. The Toptube-Bag, in contrast, is much more a "box" and has copious amounts of room inside the bag. 

So Far... I am reserving any judgement on the Fuel-Pack until I try it on a different bike. Meanwhile, I am very impressed with the Toptube-Bag with its removable feature. However; there is also the function of its flap-style, magnetic closure top that is superior to the Fuel-Pack's, despite the similarities. The Fuel-Pack's lid has a weird fold in the front which sometimes does not allow the lid to fully close. A slight tap on the lid usually does the trick, but still.... 

Stay tuned for an update coming soon.

Rack vs Rackless: How to Carry Your Stuff

The Old Man Mountain Elkhorn rack

 Another "Guitar Ted Podcast" dropped yesterday (Link Here) and we were yakking about bikepacking. In that discussion the subject of "rack vs rackless" came up. If you don't understand, this describes the means by which you carry your essentials on a self-contained bicycle trip where overnight sleeping somewhere is part of the plan. 

You need clothes, you need food, you need water, you need toiletries, you need to bring a shelter, (optional) and/or a sleep system (again- optional), and how you plan on transporting that "stuff" on your bike (self-contained) is what this is about. 

Actually a lot of what you want to carry is maybe more of an option vs a "need", depending on who you plan on relying on. Credit card touring is one thing, a fully self-supported, self-contained tour is quite another. And there are all shades of those in between. 

Back to carrying the "stuff". Okay, there are various "strap-on" or maybe even bolt-on, bag solutions these days. But there are also bags that rely on metal, (or carbon sometimes) racks that bags either hang from or sit on. I've used all manner of bag systems and racks over my time in cycling and doing things in a more self-sufficient manner. I've got a lot of experience with front/rear rack/pannier type riding and with fully bagged out set ups too. 

Which is "best"? 

Well, to my way of thinking, neither way on their own is "best". The extremes are fine, but I think the savvy bike packer these days takes advantage of both ways. 

This is me with a rear pannier set up touring self-contained in 1995 somewhere in Nebraska.

 

I tested this bagged set up several years ago with 2.8" tires on my Gen I Fargo.

In my experience, there are a few things to think about here when it comes to using bags, racks, and being self-contained. in no particular order....

• Weight: The big concern, for several reasons, is weight. Weight of your racks, bags, cargo, and how that all affects wheels, racks, bags, and even how your bike will handle stopping, turning, and climbing.
• Wheels & Tires: You aren't going anywhere if your wheels and tires are not up for the challenge. Dealing with recurring issues like flat tires, broken spokes, or ill-handling wheels is a ride-killing thing.
• Comfort: You also are not going anywhere if you are not comfortable with the obvious things, (saddles, handle bars, overall positioning on the bike), but you also won't go far if you are not comfortable mentally with your set up. Dry runs, trying different things well before the trip, and just general tweaking is good to arrive at a place where you are going to be settled mentally with how you are approaching carrying the "stuff". 

My set up I tested for my proposed two day tour on gravel that I planned last year.

As I said earlier, I think the best way to go, in my opinion, is somewhere in between fully racked out and fully rackless. I used a combo of racks and bags in last years testing for a two-day gravel tour which didn't pan out. Hopefully I'll get that done this year, but for this article the point is that I mixed racks and rackless bag ideas to arrive at a really good place for carrying the "stuff" I wanted to take on this trip. 

If the two-day gravel tour happens, this Gryphon Mk3 will likely be the bike I use.

The pink BMC was a bit of a handful in terms of handling loose crushed rock under that load, so now that I have the Singular Gryphon Mk3, that bike with its more stable 700 X 2.8" tires will likely get the call for that trip. 

So, it all matters: The bike, the way you want to carry the stuff, and if you are okay with all of that and can just concentrate on riding. How that all works when actually loaded up and going is a test that needs to be done long before you leave on that trip. So, now that I plan on using the Gryphon, I have to get it set up with the actual load I plan on using and then I have to ride that set up. I'll make adjustments, if necessary, from that point. 

The "rack vs rackless" thing is the least of your concerns. Actually trying things out is better, and I am betting that if you do try things out that you may arrive at a completely unique set up that is custom-made for you, be that with some racks or just bags, or more likely, something in between.

Rack vs Rackless: How to Carry Your Stuff

The Old Man Mountain Elkhorn rack

 Another "Guitar Ted Podcast" dropped yesterday (Link Here) and we were yakking about bikepacking. In that discussion the subject of "rack vs rackless" came up. If you don't understand, this describes the means by which you carry your essentials on a self-contained bicycle trip where overnight sleeping somewhere is part of the plan. 

You need clothes, you need food, you need water, you need toiletries, you need to bring a shelter, (optional) and/or a sleep system (again- optional), and how you plan on transporting that "stuff" on your bike (self-contained) is what this is about. 

Actually a lot of what you want to carry is maybe more of an option vs a "need", depending on who you plan on relying on. Credit card touring is one thing, a fully self-supported, self-contained tour is quite another. And there are all shades of those in between. 

Back to carrying the "stuff". Okay, there are various "strap-on" or maybe even bolt-on, bag solutions these days. But there are also bags that rely on metal, (or carbon sometimes) racks that bags either hang from or sit on. I've used all manner of bag systems and racks over my time in cycling and doing things in a more self-sufficient manner. I've got a lot of experience with front/rear rack/pannier type riding and with fully bagged out set ups too. 

Which is "best"? 

Well, to my way of thinking, neither way on their own is "best". The extremes are fine, but I think the savvy bike packer these days takes advantage of both ways. 

This is me with a rear pannier set up touring self-contained in 1995 somewhere in Nebraska.

 

I tested this bagged set up several years ago with 2.8" tires on my Gen I Fargo.

In my experience, there are a few things to think about here when it comes to using bags, racks, and being self-contained. in no particular order....

• Weight: The big concern, for several reasons, is weight. Weight of your racks, bags, cargo, and how that all affects wheels, racks, bags, and even how your bike will handle stopping, turning, and climbing.
• Wheels & Tires: You aren't going anywhere if your wheels and tires are not up for the challenge. Dealing with recurring issues like flat tires, broken spokes, or ill-handling wheels is a ride-killing thing.
• Comfort: You also are not going anywhere if you are not comfortable with the obvious things, (saddles, handle bars, overall positioning on the bike), but you also won't go far if you are not comfortable mentally with your set up. Dry runs, trying different things well before the trip, and just general tweaking is good to arrive at a place where you are going to be settled mentally with how you are approaching carrying the "stuff". 

My set up I tested for my proposed two day tour on gravel that I planned last year.

As I said earlier, I think the best way to go, in my opinion, is somewhere in between fully racked out and fully rackless. I used a combo of racks and bags in last years testing for a two-day gravel tour which didn't pan out. Hopefully I'll get that done this year, but for this article the point is that I mixed racks and rackless bag ideas to arrive at a really good place for carrying the "stuff" I wanted to take on this trip. 

If the two-day gravel tour happens, this Gryphon Mk3 will likely be the bike I use.

The pink BMC was a bit of a handful in terms of handling loose crushed rock under that load, so now that I have the Singular Gryphon Mk3, that bike with its more stable 700 X 2.8" tires will likely get the call for that trip. 

So, it all matters: The bike, the way you want to carry the stuff, and if you are okay with all of that and can just concentrate on riding. How that all works when actually loaded up and going is a test that needs to be done long before you leave on that trip. So, now that I plan on using the Gryphon, I have to get it set up with the actual load I plan on using and then I have to ride that set up. I'll make adjustments, if necessary, from that point. 

The "rack vs rackless" thing is the least of your concerns. Actually trying things out is better, and I am betting that if you do try things out that you may arrive at a completely unique set up that is custom-made for you, be that with some racks or just bags, or more likely, something in between.

Friday News And Views

 NAHBS Show Canceled For 2022:

In a reecent "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" article, it was revelaed last week that the North American Handmade Bicycle show was not going to happen in 2022. The show, scheduled to occur in Denver Colorado, was cancelled by the organizer due to a claimed "lack of interest by the vendors ". 

A long Facebook thread was posted afterword, mostly bemoaning the cancellation of the show, but there were several interesting comments. Some claimed that they were interested in showing at NAHBS and had tried to get information on the show, but were left with dead ends and unanswered e-mails. The show's director, Don Walker, claimed to have been having health issues which were also making it difficult to put on a show of such magnitude.

MADE To Occur September 2023:

As if on cue, a new gathering of frame builders and attendant cycling component and accessories brands have committed to a new "show" called MADE. This hasn't been 'officially' announced as of this past Wednesday when I found a mention of the gathering on Instagram stories. 

The show site claims the following:(Note- Use of shouty all-caps is from their site)

• MADE CELEBRATES THE ART OF BUILDING
• MADE SERVES BUILDERS, MAKERS, MEDIA AND THE CUSTOM COMMUNITY
• MADE LIVES AT THE INTERSECTION OF BIKE AND CULTURE
• MADE IS DEDICATED TO SHARING STORIES OF BUILDERS AND MAKERS TO THE WORLD

Furthermore the site informs us that this is a 'multi-day trade event" and that there will be consumer and 'industry-only' days where media can gain access to brands for content creation and 'community building'. 

The gathering is set for Portland, Oregon and the site claims that this will be mostly held outdoors. UPDATED: Story on MADE appeared on the "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" site HERE.

Comments: The timing of this comes at a point right after the NAHBS announcement. Make of that what you will. However; in the previously mentioned Facebook thread, there were mentions of a possible "alternative" to NAHBS, or that there should be one. This appears to be that alternative. It also is highly likely that the Portland custom builder scene had a hand in getting this off the ground, since the event is in Portland, Oregon. 

There were a lot of criticisms leveled at Don Walker's NAHBS organization, and well, now you have people setting up a show which I am sure they feel addresses all of those concerns.One of the big criticisms of NAHBS was that it got away from the custom builder/component cottage industry types and became a de facto Big Corporate show where the "little guy" was overshadowed by the bigger entities like SRAM, Shimano, and more. That's my take from what I read about this situation. If I have that wrong, I'm all ears..... Time will tell all. I'm keeping an eye on this. 

Sarah Cooper and myself at Trans Iowa v12

Trans Iowa Stories Series Ends:

This coming Sunday the Epilogue for the Trans Iowa Stories will post marking the end of the series I have run every Sunday since June of 2019.

The idea was sparked at the close of Trans Iowa v14 by a commenter here that suggested that I probably had a lot of good stories from 'behind the scenes' about the event over its 14 year run. 

It's been difficult in many ways to tell anything 'new' about Trans Iowa. The Trans Iowa related posts here on the blog probably number into the 100's. But the thing is, after a decade plus of posts, you cannot assume that everyone has read the blog that diligently all these years. So, while it is true that the Trans Iowa Stories series has a lot of 're-told' stories, it does have a fair amount of stuff in there I never told before the series. 

I tried to be conscious of that all throughout the writing process. I hope that some of that was noticed. And now the writing process is through. Now what? 

Hmm.......that's a great question. Initially the idea was to make this a book. The thing is, there is just far too much material here. You have no idea, for example, how many images I have that I collected for the series which have not been used, and deserve to be seen. The visual history of Trans Iowa could literally fill volumes. Then there is the written text....... Whoa! That would be a pretty thick book if I were to publish this series in its entirety as a book. 

So, a lot of decisions are needing to be made. The direction of the book, if there is to be one, needs to be determined first. Should it be culled down to the most amazing stories? Maybe 30? That would be a long read in itself. Or, maybe this is best told in images, so a photographic piece, which would have some captions, maybe some light commentary. As I have said, I couldn't possibly even use all the images, so again- use maybe 30-ish? 

Lots of questions, no answers yet. Stay tuned..........

And Don't Forget: The "GTDRI Stories" series kicks off on Sundays starting in August.

EVOC shows new bikepacking range: Image courtesy of ©EVOC / Baschi Bender

EVOC Shows New Bikepacking Range:

Late this year EVOC will have a new range of bikepacking bags on hand which have been improved over the outgoing range. 

Improvements include an upgrade to the BOA closures, new hidden vents which allow roll-top bags to close easier, and the range is now fully waterproof with waterproofed zippers, welded seams,and waterproofed  materials.Velcro straps have been replaced with cut-to-size hypalon Velcro straps.

The range consists of two different sizes of seat packs, a half-frame bag, top tube bags, and a  handle bar bag. They come in two colors, a "steel" and a "carbon grey". These EVOC bags should be available this Fall. Prices range from $40.00 for the smaller items in the range to $150.00USD. https://evocsports.us/

Comments: I have not used EVOC bags before, but they seem to be very popular with some of the ultra-endurance cyclists in Europe, in particular. I imagine that they are now fully waterproof that their popularity will only increase. Good looking colors that should appeal to most riders and look fine with most paint schemes. The pricing seems fair as well. 

Personally, I have not ever liked the look of a half-frame bag when it hangs down away from the frame. I don't have any technical or performance reasons for that, it's just my personal opinion. So, that makes the EVOC half-frame bag not very appealing to me. But maybe you don't care about that? Then this might be a good deal. The rest of the range looks fine to me.  

Patent drawing image from www.wheelbased.com

 SRAM Patent On New Rotor Design:

The "wheelbased.com" Instagram page which showed patent drawings submitted by different bicycle companies had been dormant for some time. However; suddenly it is back again and boy! Have the floodgates opened! If you like to ferret out tech and future developments in bicycle design, this account is worth a follow.

Well, one of the more recent postings that seems realistic for production is this new composite rotor from SRAM. It uses a "spray-on" steel coating over an aluminum core. The advantages are that brake temperatures can be reduced. Shimano has been doing something similar with their "IceTech" for several years already. 

There are some other pretty far-out electronic things happening which may or may not come about. But this brake rotor deal will likely be produced for SRAM's higher end brakes in the near future, I would think. Anyway, check out "wheelbased" on Instagram if you haven't already. It is a good account to 'nerd-out' on, if you are in to such things.

That's all for this week! Have a great weekend and we'll see ya back here soon, I hope. Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions! 

Friday News And Views

 NAHBS Show Canceled For 2022:

In a reecent "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" article, it was revelaed last week that the North American Handmade Bicycle show was not going to happen in 2022. The show, scheduled to occur in Denver Colorado, was cancelled by the organizer due to a claimed "lack of interest by the vendors ". 

A long Facebook thread was posted afterword, mostly bemoaning the cancellation of the show, but there were several interesting comments. Some claimed that they were interested in showing at NAHBS and had tried to get information on the show, but were left with dead ends and unanswered e-mails. The show's director, Don Walker, claimed to have been having health issues which were also making it difficult to put on a show of such magnitude.

MADE To Occur September 2023:

As if on cue, a new gathering of frame builders and attendant cycling component and accessories brands have committed to a new "show" called MADE. This hasn't been 'officially' announced as of this past Wednesday when I found a mention of the gathering on Instagram stories. 

The show site claims the following:(Note- Use of shouty all-caps is from their site)

• MADE CELEBRATES THE ART OF BUILDING
• MADE SERVES BUILDERS, MAKERS, MEDIA AND THE CUSTOM COMMUNITY
• MADE LIVES AT THE INTERSECTION OF BIKE AND CULTURE
• MADE IS DEDICATED TO SHARING STORIES OF BUILDERS AND MAKERS TO THE WORLD

Furthermore the site informs us that this is a 'multi-day trade event" and that there will be consumer and 'industry-only' days where media can gain access to brands for content creation and 'community building'. 

The gathering is set for Portland, Oregon and the site claims that this will be mostly held outdoors. UPDATED: Story on MADE appeared on the "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" site HERE.

Comments: The timing of this comes at a point right after the NAHBS announcement. Make of that what you will. However; in the previously mentioned Facebook thread, there were mentions of a possible "alternative" to NAHBS, or that there should be one. This appears to be that alternative. It also is highly likely that the Portland custom builder scene had a hand in getting this off the ground, since the event is in Portland, Oregon. 

There were a lot of criticisms leveled at Don Walker's NAHBS organization, and well, now you have people setting up a show which I am sure they feel addresses all of those concerns.One of the big criticisms of NAHBS was that it got away from the custom builder/component cottage industry types and became a de facto Big Corporate show where the "little guy" was overshadowed by the bigger entities like SRAM, Shimano, and more. That's my take from what I read about this situation. If I have that wrong, I'm all ears..... Time will tell all. I'm keeping an eye on this. 

Sarah Cooper and myself at Trans Iowa v12

Trans Iowa Stories Series Ends:

This coming Sunday the Epilogue for the Trans Iowa Stories will post marking the end of the series I have run every Sunday since June of 2019.

The idea was sparked at the close of Trans Iowa v14 by a commenter here that suggested that I probably had a lot of good stories from 'behind the scenes' about the event over its 14 year run. 

It's been difficult in many ways to tell anything 'new' about Trans Iowa. The Trans Iowa related posts here on the blog probably number into the 100's. But the thing is, after a decade plus of posts, you cannot assume that everyone has read the blog that diligently all these years. So, while it is true that the Trans Iowa Stories series has a lot of 're-told' stories, it does have a fair amount of stuff in there I never told before the series. 

I tried to be conscious of that all throughout the writing process. I hope that some of that was noticed. And now the writing process is through. Now what? 

Hmm.......that's a great question. Initially the idea was to make this a book. The thing is, there is just far too much material here. You have no idea, for example, how many images I have that I collected for the series which have not been used, and deserve to be seen. The visual history of Trans Iowa could literally fill volumes. Then there is the written text....... Whoa! That would be a pretty thick book if I were to publish this series in its entirety as a book. 

So, a lot of decisions are needing to be made. The direction of the book, if there is to be one, needs to be determined first. Should it be culled down to the most amazing stories? Maybe 30? That would be a long read in itself. Or, maybe this is best told in images, so a photographic piece, which would have some captions, maybe some light commentary. As I have said, I couldn't possibly even use all the images, so again- use maybe 30-ish? 

Lots of questions, no answers yet. Stay tuned..........

And Don't Forget: The "GTDRI Stories" series kicks off on Sundays starting in August.

EVOC shows new bikepacking range: Image courtesy of ©EVOC / Baschi Bender

EVOC Shows New Bikepacking Range:

Late this year EVOC will have a new range of bikepacking bags on hand which have been improved over the outgoing range. 

Improvements include an upgrade to the BOA closures, new hidden vents which allow roll-top bags to close easier, and the range is now fully waterproof with waterproofed zippers, welded seams,and waterproofed  materials.Velcro straps have been replaced with cut-to-size hypalon Velcro straps.

The range consists of two different sizes of seat packs, a half-frame bag, top tube bags, and a  handle bar bag. They come in two colors, a "steel" and a "carbon grey". These EVOC bags should be available this Fall. Prices range from $40.00 for the smaller items in the range to $150.00USD. https://evocsports.us/

Comments: I have not used EVOC bags before, but they seem to be very popular with some of the ultra-endurance cyclists in Europe, in particular. I imagine that they are now fully waterproof that their popularity will only increase. Good looking colors that should appeal to most riders and look fine with most paint schemes. The pricing seems fair as well. 

Personally, I have not ever liked the look of a half-frame bag when it hangs down away from the frame. I don't have any technical or performance reasons for that, it's just my personal opinion. So, that makes the EVOC half-frame bag not very appealing to me. But maybe you don't care about that? Then this might be a good deal. The rest of the range looks fine to me.  

Patent drawing image from www.wheelbased.com

 SRAM Patent On New Rotor Design:

The "wheelbased.com" Instagram page which showed patent drawings submitted by different bicycle companies had been dormant for some time. However; suddenly it is back again and boy! Have the floodgates opened! If you like to ferret out tech and future developments in bicycle design, this account is worth a follow.

Well, one of the more recent postings that seems realistic for production is this new composite rotor from SRAM. It uses a "spray-on" steel coating over an aluminum core. The advantages are that brake temperatures can be reduced. Shimano has been doing something similar with their "IceTech" for several years already. 

There are some other pretty far-out electronic things happening which may or may not come about. But this brake rotor deal will likely be produced for SRAM's higher end brakes in the near future, I would think. Anyway, check out "wheelbased" on Instagram if you haven't already. It is a good account to 'nerd-out' on, if you are in to such things.

That's all for this week! Have a great weekend and we'll see ya back here soon, I hope. Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions!