Cycling UK Forum

I've just bought a Carradice bar bag with Klickfix bracket and intend only to use it occasionally. So I had intended mounting the bracket only when I wished to use the bar bag. But the bracket comes with a cable to stop the bar bag pivoting on the bracket. Is this cable really necessary as I don't know if it can be reused each time?

this thread may be useful;

http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=48054

-it seems that some folk have used the bracket without the cable
-it also seems that it may be possible to use other cable, like brake cable for example.

cheers

Handlebar bag brackets .......
Do you think theres a competition somewhere to see who can design the silliest one? (Eurovision bar bag bracket contest?)

My own experience indicates;
The bracket will droop if you don't use the cable, and will sometimes droop if you do use the cable
The cable anchor things chew up the cable
Brake cable would substitute OK, but the cable anchors are sufficiently fragile that they will probably fail before the cable is un-re-useable (new word! )
You can make new cable anchors from M5 stud connectors, but its a faff, they need grinding down to fit the holes, and drilling to take the cable....

On a bicycle, there are examples of something round being clamped, and yet, supporting a good load (handlebars, seat post, brake levers).
Why not bar bag brackets?

With some judicious second hand buying we now have a klickfix on every bar of 4 - 5 bikes (they aren't cheap). I find the cable makes for a really sturdy fitting (so far) but without it, the fitting + bag will droop (tried one without). However there was no way they can readily transferred, hence one on each bike. Now all you have to do is work out what you will do with your lights, computer etc

PS I still think they are worth the hassle.

horizon wrote:................... work out what you will do with your lights, ..............

The light goes right here. (Or on the lowrider fixing if you don't have a bespoke fixing)

I think you may be asking more of the bar bracket design than was intended. As has been alluded to above, the cable and the mounting screws are the main weakness. I've broken the cable mounting points when I first had a klik fix bracket - be careful not to over tighten the anchor points.

Having said that, I think your idea may be possible, with some care in fitting. A quick release bracket would be a nice idea.

niloc wrote:I've just bought a Carradice bar bag with Klickfix bracket and intend only to use it occasionally. So I had intended mounting the bracket only when I wished to use the bar bag. But the bracket comes with a cable to stop the bar bag pivoting on the bracket. Is this cable really necessary as I don't know if it can be reused each time?

I used a Carradice bar bag on my previous touring bike, and even with the cable I still found that the bag could rotate around the handlebars: on one particularly big bump, the bag literally flipped upside down! Impressively, it still stayed closed, even though I hadn't done up the clasps; the lid is a pretty snug fit.

Someone stole that bike (including the fixing), but I had the bar bag with me. I bought a new Klickfix kit for the new bike, and the shop (Roberts) fitted it for me. They did a much better job, and it feels very solid. So, that bag isn't going to go bouncing around anymore.

There must be a knack to fitting the bracket, but my advice is to do it once (including cable) and then leave it alone, rather than taking it on and off repeatedly.

The wire will abrade the handlebars a little, or so I found the first time I used a Klickfix fitting. I replaced the wire with a piece of old rear brake cable, only one end needs to be done up since the nipple sits in the other end clamp. I then used a piece of cable outer to boost the diameter of the cable to prevent the abrasion. A nice touch about this is that if you cut the outer to fit exactly beteween the clamp points then you have a preset cable length and no messing around to get the angle of dangle of the barbag to your preference.

‘It’s forces that are working against us’

I fitted a bar bag when I bought an SLR camera; no point having a decent camera if it is not readily available to use, the problem was the weight and bumpy roads caused the bag to drop down. The cord that was supplied was way too short and rather poor quality for the intended use. My solution was to recycle a cord from a map case. The cord had been crimped at both ends to form a loop around the plastic case, so one end was left with the loop and fitted to the bar bag bracket, using a washer under the screw head. The screw head chews up the cord as it is tightened over the cord; a washer stays still under the screw head. The other end of the cord had a loop tied in it at the right point to mate with the remaining screw on the bracket.

By setting the bracket too high for the finished position, the second loop can just be located under the screw and washer. After tightening, the bracket can be rotated to tension the cord and put in the final position; that is until the first bump.

Using this set up, a bracket can be removed and replaced in the same position.

I put my kickfix mounting on for tours and then take it off for the rest of the year's commuting. Yes, the cable gets chewed, but it's not usually terminal. And even if it does, it doesn't matter as the plastic that gets chewed is only for stopping the abrasion on the stem/bars and the chewing is down at the bolt i.e. everything's cool!

As far as I know, the cable prevents the bag from drooping down, and the clamps around the handlebars (mostly) prevent it from popping up. As most of the force will be downwards the cable is there to assist/strengthen the setup in this direction. And the clamps only need to be tight enough to prevent the whole thing swvelling backwards, as per one of the previous posters.

If your stem is a front-loading one then it's not too much hardship to drop the bars out in order to remove the support cable without having to disconnect it.

I've got 2 of the originals Super C barbags with wire frame brackets that wrap around the stem and bars.A much better design IMO.Easy to fit,sturdy and they work great.Progress only works if the new thing is better than the old thing it replaces.
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