Cable Routing Frame Bag Issue

[FunHater]

I want to make my first frame bag and have started by making a cardboard cutout of the inside of my main triangle. However, my top tube is slightly curved and the brake/derailleur cables run underneath the top tube, creating a gap between the top tube and the cables. Should I make my cutout fit underneath the cables and plan on running vecro around the cables and over the top tube? Any advice is welcome and please feel free to link to other threads or blogs with tutorials/guides/step-by-step instructions for making a frame bag since this is my first sewing endeavor ever.

[Racingguy04]

What bike/frame? I have a similar dilemma with my Diamondback overdrive carbon. I've made a few cut outs and one prototype. My solution is to make the top tube cut pretty straight and expect that a bit of give in the fabric will make up for the cables that are mounted on the  underside of the top tube. My first prototype I cut the fabric to mirror the curve of the tube and it didn't work too well. I zip tied the cables out of the way so I could hold the cardboard up and get an accurate tracing of the frame, because they hang in the way near the headset.

A frame bag was my first sewing project and a you tube video made by bedrock helped me. http://youtu.be/oWDRiexLA0I

My other advice is used needles for heavy fabric. Even though xpac isn't that heavy, using a denim needle made it alot easier, and use a new needle for each project. It might be a bit overkill but it prevents problems and frustration.

[Racingguy04]

Just to add, I have started doing my zipper install differently. Instead of sewing fabric to each side of the zipper like the video. I just cut the fabric in the shape I want it to be, and then cut a slit where I want the zipper to be. Then cut a small slit on both ends of the zipper line so that I can fold the fabric in, then sew my zipper in right there. So it looks like l---------l roughly. It's not the cleanest most professional way, but it's easier and just as effective.

[FunHater]

Heh, I just got a Diamondback Overdrive Pro so we're having exactly the same issue. Any pictures of your bag on your bike? Thanks for the help.

[sean salach]

I would make the top of the bag a straight line and use a stiffener sandwiched between two layers of fabric. Position the velcro straps at the cable stops, since you'll need an air space. You might be able to run a third strap in the middle if you make something that will keep it away from the cables, like a small hd foam block with cutouts for the cables.

[bumbler]

+1 to sean's thoughts, especially since this is your first sewing effort - no need to make it more complicated with curves.

Another option to alleviate the cable rubbing would be to run full-length housing.

[ocary]

Excluding full length housing I've seen this "solved" two ways.

1 - for a top-tube bag on my crossbike, I made some spacers out of scrap wood and taped them to the top-tube next to the cables to create basically a channel for the cables to go through between that the bag sat on top of.  This was a thrown together solution the day before Almanzo a couple years ago that I intended to do something more elegant than scrap wood and electrical tape, but it has stayed like that because it just worked.

2 - a buddy of mine for his frame bag went to his local hardware store and got some small diameter plastic tubing and slit it open and put it around the cables.  This was instead of pulling the cables and putting on full housing.  He says it worked well, and was cheap and easy.   For long distances or long times, especially in dirty conditions, I could see the tubing getting dirty and causing issues but I've never tried this route.


The other thing would be to just make the bag straight (parrellel to the cables) and leave the cables as they are.  The amount of friction between the top of the bag and the cables may not be an issue.  For at least a year I ran a Jandd frame bag on the crossbike with the cables on top of the top-tube and the cables ran through velcro and I had no real issues -- the cables were sandwiched between the loop and hook velcro.   YMMV.  If the bag isn't crammed super full and pressing against the cables it may be a non-issue.

I'd definitely make the bag straight across the top, then try it out and figure out the pain points once you figure out where the friction is that is causing problems.

[Racingguy04]

I don't have any pictures of mine, I took the prototype apart because it didn't really work, but I hope to make a bag this week or next so I will post pics asap. Funhater, do you have full length housing? or exposed cables? Mines full length.

[FunHater]

They're housed all the way. I'm not concerned with the cables rubbing on the bag, I'm concerned with them being in the way. I'm going to do as everyone suggests and run the bag parallel to the cables and just send some velcro over the top tube. Thanks guys.