Bicycle Bag Project
Bicycle Bag Project
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Active project - April '25 to -
New bike! For longer rides (maybe some backpacking trips), I need a bag to hold snacks and tools. The large space inside the frame makes it perfect to fit a bag inside.
Inspiration:
-I like this layout, good space for the bag, but not interfering with the other bottle cage.
-It looks like there's only two attachment points, seems unsecure.
-Zipper on the top seems the most logical.
-Straps cannot interfere with cables. Are my cables internally routed? I can't remember...
(Image Source : bikepacking.com )
-Same triangle shape
-Loving the bright, contrasting colors
-Waterproof material
-Zig-zag elastic/paracord across the top seems really secure, and could also be brightly colored :)
-Are the other straps velcro? Could do more paracord wrap...
-Double zipper is interesting, not sure how confident I am in sewing a zipper to begin with though...
-Triangle should definitely be split into at least two pockets on the inside though.
-What am I carrying? How big? Specially shaped pockets for them.
(Image Source : fish-ski.com )
-Again, bright colors! Patterns are super cool too.
-I like the webbing along the side, allowing the straps can be changeable and adjustable.
-Some synthetic waterproof or water resistant material again, with a durable zipper.
-That sort of raincoat-y material is usually pretty thin, I wonder if it's doubled up, or backed with something...
(Image Source : blueberrybikes.com )
-Alternative material would be a canvas, a cotton/synthetic blend
-Is not inherently waterproof, but could be waxed.
(Image Source : jambijambi.com )
Shopping for materials:
Suuuuuuper hard to shop for fabrics online... Photos can be unreliable, you can't see the texture, or feel what it's like. A lot of the outdoorsy materials can be expensive, and are often sold only in bulk.
I know I want a waterproof (I'll settle for water resistant) and windproof material, like a rain coat... so why not just buy some old rain coats...
Thank you thredup.com
So I went shopping.
Plenty of raincoat and windbreaker options, but not a lot of bright colors. I ended up choosing these two, good contrast, both categorized as windbreakers, and 100% synthetic material.
I can use the zippers, elastic pulls, and plastic squeezes from them as well.
$16.49 total. Score.
(Photos: thredup.com)
Measurements and concept drawings:
With a cereal box, I traced the rough shape of the inside of the frame of the bike. I measured it out to be a triangle of sides 16", 9.5", and 19.75", roughed out the general space the one bottle takes up (left side), and got to the actual bag size of around 13", 7.5", and 14.75" (34, 19, and 38cm).
The line labeled "level" is actually level when the larger triangle is properly lined up to the bike. You will notice the top of the outer pockets follow this line.
I roughed out the shape of a secondary bag as well, if I wanted to take up the whole space and not have a bottle. That can be a part two of this project...
Yay! bright colors! Went off of the rain coats with the blue and orange (though now I'm looking at the coats again, its more of a red than an orange).
I tested some different top stitch thread colors: yellow, pink, and green. I liked the green best, as it popped against both the blue and the orange.
I added some outer pockets along the sides: see the diagonal blue edging on the pockets. I also decided to split the internal cavity into two, there will be a divider along the vertical blue detailing, both accessed by the singular zipper on the right side. (Yes, I'm right-handed)
Materials:
Other than the fabric, the materials I still need are:
-black webbing (could do another fun color with this... hot pink??!?)
-neon green netting (for the outer pocket)
-green paracord (or elastic, not sure what works better)
-green thread
-cord loop webbing (the black loops along the edge that the paracord goes through) (its hard to find, see here)
-some sort of more rigid material to face the coat fabric with, not a lining necessarily, more to add structure. Possibly just double or triple layer the coat material, or sandwich a thin plastic between two layers... would not be able to sew through the plastic...
Currently waiting for the coats to ship, then I can do some tests to determine how much extra support needs to be added.
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