Stumpjumper frame bag ideas

[Bob Loblaw]

Hi all. I'm trying to make my Stumpjumper work as a bikepacking rig. I cut out a cardboard insert and have been toying around with how to approach making my own frame bag. I wanted to get some input from people that have been doing this longer. The shape seems fairly complex, but I think I could make it work. I'm looking for people to point out problems that I haven't thought of yet. I envision the lower section to hold a bladder and the upper section to hold lighter objects.

In the picture, the yellow is the outline of the frame bag, the black are straps, and the blue lines are zippers. (I know I've got mad paint skillz).

[DesertDog]

I've done this for a 2006 Medium Stumpy.  Seems like you've got a little less space to work with.  That said, I think you'd be better to use one long zipper like I did.  If not, it's going to be tough to get anything stuffed into that pack.  On my setup, I can get a 100oz bladder, tire pump, shock pump and light jacket squeezed into it.

Did mine by first sewing the velcro to the end pieces, then sewing each end piece to the sides (zipper sewn in before attaching to other pieces), then stitching the end pieces to each other.  That would make it easier than taking one piece and trying to sew around the angles of what will be the top of your pack.


Pics:

1 - Original template for my pack

2 - Some new packs I've made, including the frame pack.

3 - Detail of front hose exit port in the frame pack.

4 - Detail of method to attach bladder drink tube to bike for drinking while riding.

5 - Pic of older frame saddle bags and seat pack I made.  Have velcro strips along the back of each to make them stick together and prevent potential rotational movement.  These can actually go over the newer center frame pack to give more carrying capacity.  These saddle bags that I made are ugly, but they do work.  You could do something like this, but design them to fit the outer lines of the frame from the head tube back.

[Bob Loblaw]

Thanks for the info. Yeah, I think I will try to get away with one zipper like you did. I should be getting a sewing machine soon and will give this a shot. What are some good references for how to not suck at sewing?

[Smo]

I learned to sew over too many years to give you really good references.  Youtube is certainly pretty good, but lots of those videos do assume the basics.  Here are a few basic tips for sewing and frame bags specifically:

When instructions refer to the "wrong side" of the fabric, they mean the side that will be inside the bag.  The "right side" is the outside.

Trace all of your designs on the wrong side, and cut an extra 1/2 inch around (this is your seam allowance).

Buy zippers by the yard, and sew the zipper onto the wrong side of the fabric *before* cutting a hole for the zipper.  Then cut a line along the zipper, fold the sides in, and hem them.  This makes a really professional looking zipper that fits the fabric perfectly.  Then put the zipper slider on - there are several good youtube videos on how to do this, but it's not hard, and if it comes on unevenly you can just pull it back off and try again.  Finally, sew through the ends of the zipper to keep the slider from coming off (by hand, unless you have a really trusty old sewing machine).

After the zipper and before you put the bag together, sew all of the velcro frame attachments onto the right side of your fabric, in the seam allowance.  Then when you sew the bag together (inside out) you will sew across them, and when you flip the bag right side out they'll come out of the seam all professional-like.

When you're done you can put an extra couple of seams into the seam allowance (next to each other, *not* on top of each other - never sew the same line twice if you can help it).  That way if your main stitching fails, the bag has two more lines to fall back on.

Good luck, have fun, and post pictures!

[Bob Loblaw]

Good tips. Thanks!

[Ready2Rip]

You may want to deflate your shock and compress your suspension to make sure your template still fits.  It looks like your linkage needs a little room for movement.

[Smo]

I'm sewing a custom framebag today and remembered a couple more tips:

1) Make one of your pieces longer than it should be.  Not a side piece, but one of the bottom or top pieces (which will either be a rectangle or a trapezoid that's nearly a rectangle).  Just an extra inch or so.  It's pretty easy to accidentally take up a little too much seam allowance somewhere, and it's nice to have the extra in case you need it.

2) Also, I sew two downtube pieces together and put foam in the middle when I do my bags.  You can make one shorter than the other so that it's a sleeve to put the foam in, so that it's removable if you want (and so that you don't have to deal with it in there while sewing.  I also put foam against the seat tube.

3) Get a seam ripper.  Worth its weight in gold.  A good seam ripper especially so - I have two, one I have to pick every stitch one at a time, the other I can run along the seam and remove it in seconds sometimes (not with shear fabrics, or I'll just rip the fabric in half).

4) Above all, have fun!

EDIT: I'm on a roll, here's a few more!  Oil your machine.  I do it every time I finish a bobbin.  You don't need fancy sewing machine oil, Triflow works great and is cheap.  I put one single drop on the shuttle hook (it's the hook on the bobbin case) and turn the machine around with a hand wheel.  Every few bobbin changes I put some oil in some holes in my sewing machine that are designed to take drops of oil (see a mysterious, unthreaded hole in your machine's case?  that's probably what it's for).  But the shuttle hook is the most important thing.  Any time you machine changes its sound and gets a little sluggish, it probably needs oil there.

Also, if you're trying to pull the fabric away from the machine, and it is stuck, turn the hand wheel back and forth, don't just pull until you break the threads.

Every problem that I've ever had with my machine (except for one) has been solved with one of these three steps.  No matter how weird it's been acting, it's always been one of these three:

1) Is it threaded correctly?  If yes, is it *still* threaded correctly?  Very occasionally the thread will jump off on its own, especially after you break a needle.
2) Check thread tensions (top first, bobbin only if you're confident that you know what you're doing.  regardless, never change the bobbin thread tension more than 1/8th of a turn.  it's very sensitive).
3) Has it been lubed recently?

Hope that's not too much information.  It's way more than I had the first time I sewed a project and it still turned out just fine, so don't worry too much.  Have fun!

[Bob Loblaw]

Good tips. I just got an old, busted Singer for $10 off Craigslist this weekend. I soldered some stuff back together and now I have a working sewing machine! I'm gonna start figuring out how to use it and hopefully start making my own gear in the next few weeks.

[Bob Loblaw]

After a long, frustrating, but ultimately rewarding day, I now have a frame bag. I definitely made some mistakes and learned a lot about the process. On to the next piece...

[Adam Alphabet]

Nice Work! and the best part, the more of em you make, the better they get.

[Smo]

Nice!  That's damn good for your first framebag.

Prepare for the MYOG addiction...

[Bob Loblaw]

I wanted to just throw the whole thing out when I was trying to get the second side panel aligned and sewed in, all while lining up velcro straps that I couldn't see. I wasn't even sure it would still resemble the intended shape when I flipped it out. The addiction has already set in; I have plans for a full complement of bike bags and a tarp tent. My friends all want bags too now...

[Bob Loblaw]

I built this little bag this morning. It clears the wheel at full compression and doesn't ride any lower than my cables, so it shouldn't affect handling too much. Right now the velcro just straps it and sits on the water bottle bosses, but I may come up with a slicker way to attach it to the bosses.

[Bob Loblaw]

Just in case anyone is looking through this thread for more ideas/advice, I wanted to add my thoughts on this bag and things I will be doing with version 2.

• The advice I was given to use 1 large zipper was invaluable. 2 zippers on a bag this shape would have been real dumb and impossible to use
• I designed the bag to be about 2 inches wide. I think you could get away with a 3" bag (or even wider). It currently comes nowhere close to my legs.
• The combination of 2 layers of 1000D and foam on the down tube and seat tube is sturdy, but almost too stiff. It prevents the bag from sagging down to meet the curve of the tube. The next version will have less stiffness in that area.
• The sharp angles on the top of the bag were a huge pain to sew. Shape the bag to have slightly rounded corners for simplicity.
• The velcro system here is rock-solid. I have taken my current kit (frame bag, downtube bag, gas tank) on very rough rides and there is very little movement.
• I may use a plastic stiffener in the bottom that connects to the water bottle bosses on v2

Noob sewing advice:

• Make sure your machine is threaded correctly! The best advice I used was that you should be able to pull thread freely when the presser foot is up but it should become hard to pull when you lower the presser foot.
• Oil your damn machine!
• I used a temporary marking pen on the inside of the fabric. Don't bother. My hands rubbed the marker off and I ended up having to just use permanent marker anyway
• Cut all your pieces with the EXACT SAME seam allowance. This way you can just line the edges of the fabric up and know you are sewing at the correct spot on the side of the fabric you can't see

[sean salach]

Looks great! One tip I gleaned from others here is to staple the fabric, a little bit back from the seam, on the allowance. Staple the velcro in too. Made a huge difference for me in keeping everything aligned. Colored pencils also work great for marking fabric, and take a bit to remove through normal handling during sewing.

[Bob Loblaw]

Awesome. I will definitely use some staples on the next bag.

[bsavery]

Here's a maybe stupid question.  Is it worth it on this bike?  You lose the water bottle mount... how much space is in that bag really?  On my stumpjumper I can fit a long bottle, and spare tube in the frame triangle (plus the swat tool if you want).  I'm not sure the loss of water bottle space makes that amount of carrying space worth it.

[Bob Loblaw]

I guess it's up to you and what your goal is for the bag. Personally, I never ride without a Camelbak, so the loss of bottle space doesn't affect me. The bag that I made for this bike erred on the small side. It could have been bigger in every dimension, and my next one will be. That said, there is a good amount of room. I normally have my pump, Gatorade, and tons of food in there. It's worth it to me to get that weight off my back.

The size of your bike is also something to consider (mine is an M). On a XS/S frame it may not be worth it, but on anything bigger, I think it is worth it.

Are you thinking about making one for your bike? If so, I have some tips on what not to do regarding this specific design if you're interested.

[bsavery]

Thinking about it.  I'm also reading that the salsa spearfish frame bag:
https://www.bikebagshop.com/revelate-designs-frame-bag-for-salsa-spearfish-p-3164.html fits perfectly, which I would probably do rather than make my own.

I'm on a M stumpjumper as well.  When I've done bikepacking (rode the Colorado Trail a few years ago) I had an Osprey 22 with bladder on my back (clean water) and then a bottle with drink mix on the bike.  I like having both clean and sugar water.  Also had tent poles strapped to downtube along with the spare tube.  Could go either way... My pack was definitely on the heavy side last time. 

[Bob Loblaw]

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