First attempt at MYOG (frame bag)

[WalksOn2Wheels]

Warning: Roadie content  haha!

Anyhow, I don't have the beautiful 29er I'd like just yet, and with a baby on the way, it doesn't look like it's in the budget anytime soon. But I'm still doing trips on the road bikes and wanted to make a frame bag in the bikepacking style to pare my system down to a rackless setup. Hopefully I can manage to loose the backpack as well (except maybe as an overflow).

Copy and paste from the other forum I posted on because I am lazy:

I've been wanting to make one of these for a while now. Finally got the guts to order the fabric and give it a shot over the winter break. It all went pretty well except for one minor major detail. I was so afraid of making it too small, I ended up making it too big. So it looks a little sloppy in the frame, but functionality is pretty darn good right now.

An over all shot of the bag. I just loosely filled it with some clothes to give it form. As you can tell, it's a tad large for the space.



And here is a detail shot of the top flap. Just a length of hook and loop, but I made the flaps, as well as the spine of the bag where it contacts the frame, with a microfiber liner to both treat the paint a little nicer and to add a layer of abrasion for the bag itself.



And finally, a detail shot of the zipper. I added a little storm flap for added weather resistance. The bag is made with a PU coated fabric, and I plan on finishing it off with some seam sealer, so all in all, it should handle a decent rain or driving mist, but definitely won't be fully waterproof.




End copy/paste.

So while I'm a little bugged that my paranoia resulted in a slightly larger bag, it seems to do well stuffed with some clothes. I threw it on a bike and pedalled a bit. Maybe some slight leg rub, but nothing major. My tent poles fit just inside the top, and my tent fits in my seat bag (old fashioned canvas seat bag, not a full sized bikepacking model). I was considering making a full handlebar bag for the sleep system, but after looking at some other threads here, a sling makes the most sense and will be pretty versatile. I was worried about making one set size and then my winter bag being larger than my summer bag.

[annoying crack]

Nice job! 

I'm looking at the first picture and my brain plays tricks on me. Is one of those waterbottles photoshopped on there? Somehow I feel like they shouldn't be touching but it seems like they do. Did you lower one of them or something?

Anyway, great work. If you don't protect the frame where the bag/straps rub, eventually (over time), the paint will get a little rough. It's a lovely bike, try to keep it that way.

[fastmtnbiker33w]

It's always better to make it slightly too small than too big as fabric will "relax" with use.  You could always go back in and tighten up your seams a bit, but that would make it slightly narrower as well.

[jeremy11]

That looks about perfect for version one!  You could turn the bag inside out again and sew the seams an 1/8" tighter, but personally I wouldn't bother.  If its done and the zipper works smoothly with one hand while riding, just leave it.

[WalksOn2Wheels]

I took it to show a friend who is a couple of inches taller than me. He threw it on his frame and it looked really freakin' good because it was just a little stretched, but manageable. I MAY make another one later and just give this one to him.

Just for kicks, I threw my phone, wallet, keys and loosely packed change of clothes in the bag and rode with it to work. I had the occasional knee rub, but not while standing and climbing, and if I didn't pay attention to what my legs were doing, I didn't remember any significant rub. We'll see how it does when it gets really packed and has some weight to it.

And I already went and seam sealed most of the inside, so no going back on the size, unfortunately.

[WalksOn2Wheels]

Nice job! 

I'm looking at the first picture and my brain plays tricks on me. Is one of those waterbottles photoshopped on there? Somehow I feel like they shouldn't be touching but it seems like they do. Did you lower one of them or something?

Anyway, great work. If you don't protect the frame where the bag/straps rub, eventually (over time), the paint will get a little rough. It's a lovely bike, try to keep it that way.

Oh, the water bottle cages really surprised me. They were cheapies I got through work because I was too scared to spend 50 bucks on a set I really liked. I put them on and even on the highest setting, they touch! What's up with that, right?

[rperks]

That bag looks really good.  You will be surprised how much you use it on a daily basis, as will your buddy if you hand it off.

On the bottles touching, this is a hard thing to work around sometimes.  There is a surprising amount of variation in the  height from the frame, and the location of the bottle relative to the two holes, between brands and models.  You could look around for something with a higher bottle mount for the DT cage.  Plan B, get a cage with the longer metal tabs and file out the holes into the longest ovals you can to get the bottle higher.  In my experience, the King cages are the best bang for the buck, but sit lowish.  Something like a Profile Stryke is pretty budget worthy and may sit a little higher along the tube.

[Funrover]

I really like that bag. I want to make my own frame bag but want to keep the bottle cage useable. This does both. Thanks!