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With longer summer rides starting up, and with fewer cafes open, I'm starting to take more clif bars/ water/ stuff than can fit in pockets or a regular saddle bag.
So what's the consensus on the best way to carry stuff on longer (4+ hours road rides)? Is a top tube bag worth it - and if so which ones? Anyone use a secondary bladder for water beyond what you can carry in bottle cages?
If the weather’s stable and you’re just riding all the time (other than grabbing snacks/water) then you shouldn’t need too much: I’ve done up to 14 hours with pockets and a couple of water bottles and a pub lunch.
Beyond that, I’ve got three levels of bar bag:
Firstly a Rickshaw Pipsqueak
Then a Podsacs bag I hacked with a Rixen & Kaul Klickfix plate:
Then (into multi-day territory) a 5 litre Klickfix bag:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuuTpdmAiZZ/?igshid=1wb8juc6x8kmx
Plus a handful of Klickfix saddle bags: normally the one that just about fits a tube and tools, but a larger one if need be.
And a couple of Klickfix expanding rack packs; this is the larger one but I’ve occasionally used the smaller for long day rides, especially where I need to carry clothing in changeable conditions. Works well in that the bracket is pretty unobtrusive when left on the bike, and you can get a decent amount in the bag.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzkZ-VKFSEf/?igshid=1az0qo0b10jw7
Oh, and that little dry bag strapped to the seat stays actually works really well, but you need mudguards for that.
For long road rides (as in this would do for over 100km)
2 big water bottles (I don't drink enough)
Seat bag = spares / tube / patches / gas
Top tube bag = for phone / bars / gels
Jersey pockets = Arm warmers / wind shell / extra food
Last few road rides I've been on I've carried everything and not stopped but in reality petrol stations are plentiful, all open and supply water and food. Still missing the cafe ritual though.
Loads of choice now (I've got an old custom-made job) but something like this
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-adventure-top-tube-bag/
Bigger than you think, easy to open, doesn't look too bad etc.
How much more than 4 is a 4+ ride? When I was training for ride London and doing 4-5 hr rides I could fit enough gels and bars in 2 of my 3 pockets.
For 4-6ish hours, I don't need more than a small saddle bag for summer-y rides. Water can be a bit challenging if you can't top up and it's hot.
I've found that a frame bag is much better for not affecting the handling than a medium saddle bag. I was really surprised at how much difference it made.
I can usually get away with pockets for 4 hours.
2x 1000ml bottles.
tool/tube/tyre repair kit in saddle bag.
Pockets for a bag of jelly babies and whatever else. I also have a decathlon stowable 10l rucksack that weighs 45g which works well for stopping anywhere doing take-away food. Grab some sandwiches and cake, ride couple of miles out of the village to find an empty bit of grass and have my own cafe stop. But that's only if I'm out for the day/fun. If I just want "a ride" I can usually get home on fumes.
I've done 6h/100miles without stopping as well but that just becomes an exercise in suffering through dehydration however much the internet hardmen claim to have done it in august on nothing more than espresso and a slice of dry bread.
Annoyingly my previously reliable outside tap in the chilterns has disappeared. Probably for the best, it dispensed from a particularly warm tank on the roof of an old barn so probably did my insides no good!
Decathlon do a cheap toptube bag which is great for freeing up a bit of space. Just big enough to hold the "not so essentials" like lights, USB battery, some extra sweets, suncream etc if you need pocket space for a rain jacket.
I’m a big fan of frame bags, particularly the large restrap frame bag. Losds of room to carry whatever you want and doesn’t get in the way when you’re pedalling.
I run an Ortlieb top tube bag on my Rove. Holds everything I need for an all day ride in one place.
Tried the clip on bar bag, but they bounce too much on gravel roads.
How much more than 4 is a 4+ ride? When I was training for ride London and doing 4-5 hr rides I could fit enough gels and bars in 2 of my 3 pockets.
Good question - generally around 5 or so. I run into issues with water (1.5l isn't enough for me when it's hot), and food-wise after about 3 hours have to shift to something other than gels and Clif bars.
But it sounds like a smallish top tube bag, plus possibly an oversized bottle might be worth checking out
cheapo frame bags - Ibera available on amazon. Decently made and cheap
custom - bike-bags.co.uk for custom made at a reasonable price
For a few snacks, a small top tube bag is great for packing a few bars and maybe even a sandwich. It's also the best option if you want it to be quickly accessible on the move.
If you're looking to carry more than that, and your frame is big enough without sacrificing bottle space, I would suggest a frame bag. Easy to access, and little, if any, aerodynamic or handling losses.
After that I'd probably consider a larger seat pack. I think by the time you get on to large seat packs and handlebar bags, you're going to begin to notice a difference in handling characteristics and potentially some aerodynamic drag.
For maximum audax style points, I really like my Restrap Rando bag - even though it is a heavy setup compared to bikepacking bags, it's nice to be able to chuck in extra clothing and decent food (not a fan of gels) for longer rides. I don't tend to stop at cafes, so like to be able to carrying whatever I need for a whole day riding. Aerodynamically probably not the most efficient but I'm not super fast anyway!
Otherwise I like my half frame bag, although sometimes it rubs my knees a bit.
I hate seatpacks so it’s either a top tube bag (ok for spares, phone, but of food), small frame bag if I need to carry a bit more (both are restrap) if I want to take a camera I’ll use the Topeak bar bag
Should also say that when 4+ get's to 8+ I find that chalk bag / bar bags become a great option. One stuffed with "food" the other with "sweets". Just remember to take something from either every 15 minutes and I can pedal indefinitely. They don't hold any more than an over stuffed pocket, but far easier to find a sausage roll, or a handful of licorice all-sorts than rummaging in your pockets.
For water I've an Elite MaxiCorsa 950ml (lets call it a litre)
which used along with another 750ml bottle has been enough for up to 5 hours (for me, YMMV of course), beyond that I'd just look for somewhere to refill. two MaxiCorsa' would mean you were carrying 2 litres, which should be plenty.
Pump on the frame, tools/tube/spare links/keys go in a basic seat pack.
Wallet and Phone in middle back pocket.
Food/snacks are where I chop and change quite a bit;
I'll often try to just carry a mixture of relatively compact, easy to scoff things to have a bite of Every half hour or so: Flapjacks, jelly beans, cashews, maybe trailmix, I took a bag of old Cherio's the other day as there was little in the cupboard. I've been known to use gels or energy bars but I don't really get along using lots of them and TBH they're more of a sticky faff than it's really worth.
If I can keep the provisions compact enough those will live in the jersey pockets too, but if I'm going for longer and/or they're bulkier then I have been known to use my "feedbag" which is actually a cheap chalk bag with a couple of Velcro loops sewn on so I can fix it between the bar and stem, which is very handy when trundling along (not particularly Aero of course).
All of that assumes it's lovely sunny summer weather, once you need to carry a Gillet/arm warmers/gloves/waterproof due to threatening skies them more luggage capacity could well be needed...
As ever, STW talks a lot of sense. Thanks for the recommendation on the Elite MaxiCorsa - I hadn't found any 1l bottles in the local stores. I need to invest in a proper tiny gilet/ waterproof, too, to keep the pack size down; then flapjacks can go in pockets and the saddle/ TT bag.
Zefal do 1 litre bottles- that’s what I swapped my 750ml ones for to do longer distances in prep for ride London.
I use 1l bottles that come with orange juice in them. Fit in a cage just fine ( or at least in my alloy bendy cages)
How much stuff are you all carrying? For an 8hr ride around the M25, I’ll take two 1L SIS bottles five gels, four bars and maybe a banana. Plus a packet of bloks. That fits in rear jersey pockets with a rain cover. Tools and tubes for in a small saddle pack.
I might stop for a water refill if it’s warm.
Otherwise get a barley saddlebag in custom colours for the saddle. I thought about one of these to take my carbon bling off audaxing.
If all you need space-wise is an extra pocket then a small bar bag should do the trick.
I have this see-sense one: https://seesense.cc/collections/shop/products/see-sense-bar-bag
There are a few similar ones out there which I suspect are much of a muchness. I've been using mine to carry small binoculars, but reckon a few bars and a gilet could go in there nicely.
No noticable impact on the performance of the bike.
I'm also looking at frame bags.
The choice for me at the moment is between the small Restrap one or the 3l Topeak midloader.
This was good timing for a thread as I’ve been wondering about another bag on my road bike. Got a tiny pod sacks saddle bag which isn’t much good for anything - can just about fit keys / phone / credit cards in it and not a lot else. All my kit for puncture repair / chain repair / Allen keys is in one of those plastic bottles in one of the bottle cages. I don’t actually like that solution much as it rattles and limits the water I can carry.
So I’ve just ordered one of those lifeline top tube bags above to try and whilst on wiggle I’ve also ordered a Topeak saddle bag which is hopefully a more useful size.
I like the idea of 1l bottles but will stick with the 750ml Hi5 bottles for now seeing as I’ll be able to fit 2 in which is an improvement.
I don’t like stuff in jersey pockets - it just feels wrong to me.
These look nice, no idea on price, local to me, apparently a bar bag doesn't affect the aero too much.
Ortlieb saddle bags are good - they come in various sizes but use the same mounting bracket so you can swap as necessary. Some may be able to do an eight hour ride on just a banana, but I need to eat proper food so am taking sandwiches with me now that the cafes are all closed.
Just watched the seths bike hacks product review round up video and it had this 'chutru' thing on it:
So I though of this thread.
Basically it's just three plastic spikes for your bar to hold energy chews.
Now I'm not paying a tenner to order some 3d printed plastic from texas when I could probably fashion something in my garage. But I like the idea of just spearing food on my bars for longer road and gravel bike rides. I'm thinking a lump of chorizo, flapjack cubes, an army of jelly babies, the possibilities are almost limitless.
Importantly though no need for a bag...
/\ The midges would love it if I put groundbait on my bars to attract them even more!
I just use an Apidura half frame bag. Fits my road bike, gravel bike and hardtail. Light, aero, showerproof, spacious, reachable while riding, is well attached (7 straps) and doesn't move about.
The extra protein from the passing insects would do you the world of good.