Leather and Canvas

After experiencing--and truly enjoying--my inaugural randonneuring event, I decided to doll up the Casseroll to make it more Rando-friendly. First stop, Rando-style handlebar bag. My dream bag would be from the fine craftsman/woman at Acorn Bags, to match my tri-fold saddle bag I acquired from them (no longer produced). In the future, I hope to be able to find place for this bag in my cycling budget, but for now, I chose a similar bag by the folks at Velo-Orange.

Project #1

I realized how useful a proper bag could be on a 200k+ ride. Quick, weight-supported access to goods and cue cards is essential to a smooth-running rando ride. In order for this bag to function as I planned, I needed to make a few modifications.

I do not nor plan to have a front rack, such as this beauty by Nitto. As the Casseroll's fork doesn't have rack mounts or cantilever brake studs, I would have to use a rack with such a design using p-clamps. Don't wanna do it. My solution for support is two-fold: 1) vertical load solely supported by the handlebar straps and 2) horizontal load supported by the decaleur (so began my challenge).

I cut down a piece of plastic of similar thickness to the current bag supports to fit the back portion of the bag. I had some left-over rivets from a quickly-repaired problem with my Acorn Bag, so I evenly spaced 3 rivets along the top of the bag.

Velo-Orange also has a nicely made Decaleur, which I cleverly attached to the bottom area of the bag. Matching up the decaleur to its receiver (mounted under my headset spacers), I unpicked some threads on the back pockets, so as to allow the decaleur to pass through. Again, I used 2 rivets (one for each hole on the end of the decaleur) to secure the decaleur to the plastic support on the back of the bag.

This is the result: a bag that is vertically supported by the handlebar straps as planned, and horizontally supported by the decaleur. Since the decaleur is mounted on the underside of the receiver, the decaleur itself bears no weight, so no worries about bending or premature wear as a result. The finished product is a super sturdy setup, ready for my next ride.

The true test of its sturdiness? It rides perfectly with a 4-pack of Virgil's root beer and a large breakfast burrito--with some room to spare.

Finally, I replaced the cumbersome buckles at the rear pockets with some quick-turn clasps.

Project #2

I have had my eye on Velo-Orange's Elkhide bar wrap for some time, so I ordered some along with my new bag. I chose the honey finish, similar to the original color of my Brooks B-17, which has since darkened up with use (I hope a similar fate for the Elken wrap).

The installation was pretty straight forward, including the needles and thread, evenly spaced perforations in the leather, and hand-drawn instructions. After getting into a groove, I ended up spending about 1 hour on each side of the handlebar. I opted to wrap around my lever bodies rather than under, so my seam is a bit different from their recommendation. I used to pitch in baseball in high school, so I quite like the feel of the seam in the leather whilst in the drops.

I've since treated the wrap with some Obenauf's Leather Oil and Heavy Duty Leather Preservative, so it has darkened a few shades already.

Will my projects ever end?

When I was done, I did this:

Yes, that's a zip-tie in my mouth and phone in my hand. Out like a light.