XL DIY Framebag

[TommyL]

I've been looking for a frame bag for my custom XL frame. My bike is so big that no bags I've seen will fit my frame, so DIY it is! Take a look at the photo to see what I mean.

As I prepare to start, I had a couple of questions and was hoping to solicit the wisdom of the crowd:

1. Given the size of my space, should I be concerned about bulging? What steps can I take to reduce bulging? I don't necessarily want to compartmentalize it, but I can if absolutely necessary?

2. Will choice of fabric make a big difference on bulging? I was thinking that X-Pac looked stiffer than Cordura and thereby might be a better option.

3. I was thinking about two separate zippers, but I've hears a lot of folks advocate for roll tops as well. Has anybody actually had a zipper fail on them? I have a cheapo frame bag from Amazon (MooseTreks) on which the zipper failed, but I was thinking if I got stronger zippers I'd be fine.

Any other suggestions would be appreciated!

[Adam Alphabet]

I've been looking for a frame bag for my custom XL frame. My bike is so big that no bags I've seen will fit my frame, so DIY it is! Take a look at the photo to see what I mean.

As I prepare to start, I had a couple of questions and was hoping to solicit the wisdom of the crowd:

1. Given the size of my space, should I be concerned about bulging? What steps can I take to reduce bulging? I don't necessarily want to compartmentalize it, but I can if absolutely necessary?

2. Will choice of fabric make a big difference on bulging? I was thinking that X-Pac looked stiffer than Cordura and thereby might be a better option.

3. I was thinking about two separate zippers, but I've hears a lot of folks advocate for roll tops as well. Has anybody actually had a zipper fail on them? I have a cheapo frame bag from Amazon (MooseTreks) on which the zipper failed, but I was thinking if I got stronger zippers I'd be fine.

Any other suggestions would be appreciated!

I've always wanted to make a frame bag for a giant frame space like that.. so many possibilities!
I've made a bunch of frame bags over the years.. My $0.02 below..

1) I'd strongly suggest making a dual compartment for a couple of reasons. It'll help keep the bulging in check as you mention. Secondly organization. I find with single compartments things that I don't want and things that I do want get all mixed up and harder to sort out more quickly. Duals make keeping things at hand much easier. I pack tools, spares/repairs, lube, pump, first aid kit, spare batteries, spare GPS in the bottom. Water, food, and maybe a layer in the top. I wouldn't go back to using one giant single compartment as opposed to a dual.

2) Both are really nice. Xpac a little stiffer. I think bag design will have more an impact of bulging than material choice.

3) I've always used number 8 YKK's and had good luck. One failure on my main bag after many years, thousands of miles and countless trips that I replaced and kept the bag going. Good quality zipper is key, check it, clean it, lube it every once in a while, it should last. Number 10 zip is burly if you're overly concerned. Also don't over tension the velcro (or however you attach it) along the top tube. This over stresses the zipper. As does overfilling and forcing bulges closed. I've never used a roll top but I've made one for someone. Personally I like a little organization (as mentioned above). Some people just want to dump everything in their frame bag seal it up and leave it until necessary. Depends how you pack. Either way with a single access whether it be zip or roll on such a large space my concern would be easy access to things I need. Each their own of course.

Good Luck! Post your pics.

[fotooutdoors]

Zipper failure: I don't have nearly as many miles as many here, but I have never had a zipper fail. I have had the stitching of the zipper fail, some I was using too light of the on my first frame bag.

Roll top: I made my first roll top this year and used it for a week long divide-like trip. I really liked it, since my tendency is to overstuff my frame bag; it was no big deal. It also allowed me to see more inside the bag than a zipper would. Also, as I ate (I try to carry all my food in my frame bag), it snugged up nicely. That said, zippers are easier for quickly getting in and out of your frame bag. It depends on if you have a good place to carry stuff you need throughout the day.

Dividers: it depends how you pack. I found that the roll top allowed me to better stack things, so disorder was less of an issue.

[TommyL]

Well I did it!

I knew I wanted to compartmentalize, so I decided to make two separate bags to have a modular system. That way I have the option to run just the top bag for a long day trip or errand around town.

The bottom bag attaches to the top bag to give it tension. I stitched some strapping to the bottom of the top bag so that I could feed Velcro straps through and connect to the other side. So unlike most frame bags, this has a strap coming out the zipper side and a Velcro panel stitched flat on the other side. Looks a little funny but works great. I also used Velcro to sew an adjustable divider into the bag so that it doesn't bulge out and I can set the width of the bag just right for maximum volume without my knees rubbing against it. The stitching popping through the xpac isn't pretty but oh well.

Tried stuffing the four man tent in last night, but was not successful. I might be able to get it done by separating the fly and putting it with the poles, but I’ll wait until summer to mess with packing experiments.

The sewing took me a lot longer than I expected. My optimistic self didn't factor in the time it would take me to learn to sew and troubleshoot the tension on the sewing machine. Luckily my wife is patient and I've been stuck home for school snow days all week!

[Adam Alphabet]

Very well done! Quite an ambitious first project, excellent execution. Any frame bag you make after this will seem easy!
Nice Curtlo too!

[Scordfish]

Looks really, really great.
What material is it lined with?

[TommyL]

Do you mean the orange? That’s actually the tent pole bag for my tent. I didn’t put an additional liner in.

One thing I’m noticing is that my knees sometimes brush the top if I overstuff, but I have room to spare on the bottom. If I were to do it over I’d go with 2” on the top back, tapered to 2.5” in the front. For the bottom bag I might go a bit wider.

[bakerjw]

Looks good.
One thing that I do is use a piece of vinyl all along the inside bottom of the bag. I then secure that to the frame negating the need for velcro along the downtube or seat tube.

ETA.
One thing that I started doing when starting a bag is to fold over a section of the material about half an inch and sew it together. From the outside it looks like a seam but on the inside I can punch holes every inch and then lace the sides together internally where needed. It is not so useful on standard triangle bags but our tandem has one heck of a parallelogram that needs something to keep it from looking preggers.

[TommyL]

Cool! I don't follow on the vinyl. If it''s on the interior of the bag, how are you attaching it to the frame?

[bakerjw]

Yes the vinyl is in the interior of the bag. I often use contact cement to hold it to the bag material and then drill holes through it to match the bottle holder bosses. Here is the one that I made for Effie. You can see the bottom has no velcro holding it in place. It is rock solid too.

[TommyL]

Ooh, I might try that. 4 bottle bosses and I could make that change to the current design without more sewing...

[bakerjw]

I didn't even notice that it was a Curtlo frame. Did Doug make it custom for you?
He is making our second tandem right now. He made this one for us a few years back.
This was right before I installed the MRP suspension fork.
Not the long cable housings up front. It has a Jones bar and the extra length of housings gives some wiggle room when I suck up the handlebar bag underneath of it.

[TommyL]

Yep. Custom because I am 6’5” with a long torso. I couldn’t find a bike that fit me! I love my Curtlo!

[Scordfish]

Your modular frame bag always stuck out to me as a great design- I finally got around to making one for myself.

As a bonus, the small triangle can become its own independent bag.

[Sason s]

שלום .איזה סוג בד הישתמשת ואם רוצים משהוא יותר חזק בד עבה יותר איזה סוגיבדים ניתן להישתמש. ורוכסן איזה סוג הישתמשת שיהייה חזק איזה תקן שיהייה גם חסין מים .
תודה