Hey folks, just finished a frame bag and gas tank and thought I'd share. What I like about the frame bag is the bolt-on design, the shock cord mount and how the gas tank integrates into the shock cord mount. This last point I haven't seen elsewhere, but all the other design aspects are being done by others out there, both on this forum and professionally (borrowed the design mostly from Rogue Panda,
https://roguepanda.com/variation_lightbox/bolts-double-decker/).
This is my first time using xpac vx21 and it's pretty cool, I like the way it keeps its shape and it's so light.
A few notes for anyone interested in the frame bag:
- has coroplast/corflute inserts that are bolted on. I considered lots of other materials like sheet metal or recycled plastic, but didn't find anything good, so settled on this and it seems perfect. Uber-light, free, upcycled, waterproof, what's not to love!
- Plastic mounts are in a sheath on the downtube and seattube, I used a velcro system to cover the sheaths, but in retrospect it's a pretty inelegant solution and I'd consider something different for the future
- The gap by the seat tube is a handhold to carry the bike. I had one on a previous framebag I made and it's such a good feature, I don't know why all framebags don't have one. It was very tricky to sew, however.
- the orange pull tabs are probably unnecessary, but make a nice aesthetic feature
- the width is tapered from 6cm near the seat, to 8cm out the front, and 7cm at the BB. I've ridden it maybe 50km so far and no leg rub, although the bag wasn't very full.
- For next time a few things: use thinner loops for the shock-mounting system, or put them in an upside-down V shape, as when sewn together they're quite wide, and there's a 1mm gap created on each side that will let water in. May redo this if I can be bothered. Also, for the shock cord loops at the front of the bag where its widest I'd not attach them to the bag edges, but somehow attach them more in the middle, as the current design tends to compress the bag at the front. Not sure how that will work out when very stuffed.
- bright orange shock cord has made a noticeable different in my riding speed, so bear that in mind:)
And the gas tank:
- needs to be very narrow at the front (my is I think 3.5cm?) to avoid leg rub
- where in contact with the top tube I sewed in some old bike tube for grip, haven't worked out if this is necessary but is extra grippiness
- it has thin foam inserts from an old backpack on both side panels, plus front and back panels. Back panel was probably unnecessary but it weigh nothing and gives structure. I sewed this fully inside out, and then just flipped it right side out. This wouldn't be possible if using stiff plastic, so kudos to foam for doing the trick
- this design is super stable and has very minimal lateral movement. I haven't taken it on a proper trip yet, but stood up in the saddle riding a bit and it was great!
Comments or suggestions welcome
