Packing kit on forks, alternative methods and ideas?

[jameso]

I have a bike here that would benefit from 2 small bags on the fork legs. It doesn't have bottle or 3 pack mounts but it does have 2 eyelets for a lowrider (160mm spaced) and the crown hole.

A lowrider rack weighs and can carry more than I need. Average panniers are larger / bulkier than I need. Mounting a cargo cage would be bodgy and I'm wary of bodged mounts or clamps mounted on round tubes near front wheels.

Any suggestions for something small / slim (dare I say aero.. ) to carry about 5-6l and 3 kgs tops (3l / 1.5kgs per side)? Ideas for minimal racks and bags to mount to them? The Allgyn side bags I saw a while back looks ideal but are £££.

[Alpinum]

Loosen the (velcro?) straps on the frame bag (if you use one) to get more space, stretch the saddle bag somehwat, TLS and ditch the whole idea of fork bags..?

[fatbikerbill]

I have used these from px with good success. Can't remember why but I ended up using inner tube instead of the supplied rubber. These were held onto the forks with tie wraps. I then also attached the cages with fat tie wraps as well. All was rock solid with no slippage in any direction.



https://planetx.co.uk/products/podsacs- ... ck-4-litre

[gecko76]

I've used these to good effect on both frame and forks, except I used VHB tape to stick them in place and insulation tape to hold them there.

https://ebay.us/m/KVcR2p

[yourguitarhero]

A friend was using these recently - seemed to work really well

https://amzn.eu/d/5aJP9Vq

[rivers]

I've used the planet x fork packs mounted with zip ties previously, but I wasn't too happy about it. I now have an Old Man Mountain axle pack (https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/carriers-ra ... axle-pack/) for my forks- pricey for what it is as you need the specific fit kit for your fork. The fit kit is essentially a Robert Axle Project thru axle with some heacy duty zip ties and attachment blocks.

[Bearlegged]

Albeit forks with triple bolt mounts, but I'm using Problem Solvers bow tie anchors. Two per side to hold on a couple of Brae Cycling "Drookit" dry bags, and the third (top) set of bolts for the straps for a Straight Cut Designs harness.

[Valerio]

If it's a fork with round legs, I've used the tailfin mounts in Morocco (for 750ml water bottles) and they never budged.
I can see them easily carrying a couple of kilos.

I had topeak fork cages but never used them as I dont like to ride with any weight on the fork if I can avoid it. Ive since sold them but they looked solid.

[jameso]

Loosen the (velcro?) straps on the frame bag (if you use one) to get more space, stretch the saddle bag somehwat, TLS and ditch the whole idea of fork bags..?

TLS the default answer I agree. I've not got much to pack though. Currently has a seat pack and bar bag plus a small down tube pack but no option for a frame bag as such unless I go custom (a Bike Friday with a single tube frame - may be able to mount one under the tube if it was the right shape). Also want to keep the weight as low as poss on this one to see how it handles. But yes .. fork bags generally seem like the last resort.

Albeit forks with triple bolt mounts, but I'm using Problem Solvers bow tie anchors

Good idea... 2 of those 160mm apart and some polypropylene sheet as a backer / roll-over cover might do it. Could end up with a tall, slim tube shape if I had the right bag size.

A friend was using these recently - seemed to work really well

I like the shape of those, I was hoping to avoid a typical round tube drybag on each leg. Irrational I know as I'm not sure I'd notice in a blind test but they always seem like a high-drag luggage location and this is for road touring.

I've used these to good effect on both frame and forks,

If there was something like that with 160mm bolt spacing and 3 other holes it would be great. A lowrider to 3-pack converter.

@Valerio, do you mean these?
https://www.tailfin.cc/product/cargo-ca ... ork-mount/
(edit, ID is too big.. but they make a 3l down tube bag that may be a better bet overall if I could cram everything into that. And for Tailfin's product info on their site, many brands could learn from them. It's excellent. )

Thanks .. food for thought

[whitestone]

I used fork bags (Gorilla Cage with 5.5L bags) when I was on The Old Chalk way. The contents were basically my hammocking kit so bulky down rather than heavy - total weight including cages and bags was probably just over 2kg, the hammock kit is 1.8kg.

I didn't really notice the weight but then I'm not one of those "strapping an inner tube under the saddle ruins the bike's balance" types. Off-road was dried horse hoof prints so juddery rough rather than technical rough.

My bike (Cannondale Topstone) has anycage mounts on the forks but if it hadn't then those Old Man Mountain mounts look the ticket.

[jameso]

I wouldn't think twice about fork bags if I needed the space for an off-road trip tbh. This bike is for road use only though, about ideas I've had for something that rides as close to my 700C road bike when loaded. The Bike Friday having 20" wheels isn't a problem on road and getting the load lower down combined with stiff mainframe should handle well. It seems against those ideas to put bags in the place where they'll drag the most, but how much that matters in reality .. it's only a small part of it. Then again, past days of riding into the wind across northern France are part of why I want something as road position/aero efficient as I can get without getting all Tri bars and lycra

[yourguitarhero]

Maybe don't think about their aerodynamics on their own but as part of the bike and rider together. If you can use them to smoothly move air around you then they could make it more aerodynamic?

[jameso]

^ Possibly, yes. The Jan Heine school of bag aerodynamics seems to suggest that a square box bag on the front of the bike is quite aero all in all and CyclingAbout had an article suggesting panniers were as high-drag as they look, but neither used particularly reliable testing. Though I think fork bags are drag that you can easily avoid they're also weight carried low down so maybe worth trying to do it well somehow. It's mainly about ride feel, I'm not too worried about aerodynamics overall - if I was I wouldn't ride in a loose fit shirt that probably creates 20W of drag as it flaps about
(I do tuck it in or put a gilet over it when the headwinds are bad)

[boxelder]

Can fully endorse Tailfin down tube bags - solid as.
Also used Gorilla cage fork bags on Veneto trail. One got bounced off a couple of times, but really handy for clipping on and off the bike when stopped etc. A strap around it held it firm. I did look down a bit and wonder about aerodynamics, but not for long.

[whitestone]

I remember interviews with Chris Boardman about the work he did regarding aerodynamics and bikes. Seems like the worst possible shape for tubing (and presumably bags though I don't think he was considering the bikepacking version of the Keiran!) is the plain round tube. Hence the elongated tubing on modern frames and the UCI ruling about the cross sectional ratio.

I've seen it said that a bullet would be more aerodynamic if it was fired backwards, i.e. pointy end backwards, as it's the breakup of the laminar flow at the rear of the bullet that creates drag. Hence the fairings on the back of the legs of speed skiers and the fairings at the rear of some articulated lorry tractor units. Also why aero helmets have the really long rear profile. I think it's M&S who have the artic trailers with an arched roof - again it's trying to keep that laminar flow for as long as possible - hauliers try to get every last drop out of fuel efficiency, understandable when fuel prices mean a £1500 bill at the forecourt

I didn't find 2kg on the forks of the Cannondale to have any noticable effects on the handling - the CoG of the bags would have been about halfway between hub and rim, maybe a little more towards the latter.

[Valerio]

@Valerio, do you mean these?
https://www.tailfin.cc/product/cargo-ca ... ork-mount/
(edit, ID is too big.. but they make a 3l down tube bag that may be a better bet overall if I could cram everything into that. And for Tailfin's product info on their site, many brands could learn from them. It's excellent. )

Thanks .. food for thought

Yep, them!

I guess you could also pair them with Tailfin fork bags but you dont have to.
They basically provide bosses to your fork.
I borrowed the steel ones from a friend and bought a pair after Atlas.

You might be able to buy their downtube bag and strap it to the fork....there's a chance it might rotate but id say it's unlikely

[jameso]

The Tailfin 3L downtube bag does look useful, should fit well and be in a better place. Unf. their fork clamps are too large for the very skinny steel fork on this bike so the fork bags are out. Most tube clamps are for 25-28mm or larger.
The Old Man Mtn rack support strut is a good bit of kit. Would be a bit of a faff with regular wheel romval on a seperable bike but resolves other issues.

An Ortlied top tube pack in the smaller 3L size would fit too. The roll-top version would be ideal. If anyone has one they're moving on ..

Thanks all. Will post up the fiished project soon. Planning a trip to France this summer but may also get to ride out to Eurobike in Frankfurt at the end of June, then get a train home.