Converting a Carradice Zipped Roll into a bar-bag
Around 6 months ago I bought a Carradice Zipped Roll with the intention of mounting it on my drop handlebars. Using the standard leather straps didn't provide a very usable solution though, so I set about modifying the bag to turn it into a suitable bar bag.
Initial Problems
The leather straps, when tightly attached to the handlebars, give no room for your fingers to grip around the bar should you want to ride on the horizontal part of the bar. Also the leather straps, while I love traditional stuff like that, are a pain for quick mounts/dismounts.
Rixen Kaul Klickfix
I've seen on a few forums, people mentioning having used a Rixen Kaul Klickfix as the mounting device. In order to do this I have to purchase three things:
- Klickfix Mount (attaches to the handlebar)
- Klickfix Mounting Plates (screws onto the Zipped Roll)
- Klickfix handlebar clamps (for 31.8mm)
I screwed the mounting plate onto the Zipped Roll. This was fairly easy. I
used my hand-drill to puncture small holes in the Zipped Rolled then screwed
together the two parts of the mounting plate (one on the outside and one of
the inside of the Zipped Roll). I purposely placed the mount so that it
partially covers the leather patch in the middle of the Zipped Roll.
The Zipped Roll was now able to mount to my bike using the Klickfix. However, I did notice it sagged quite a bit around the click fix mount. This is the reasoning for mounting the plate partially over the leather patch. To reduce the sag I put some wooden dowel inside the bag, Screwing it to the sides of the Zipped Roll to hold it in place. This helps it hold shape.
Handle/Accessory Bar
My final modification was to use the existing mount holes and leather straps to add a handle/accessory bar to the bag. This was to make it easier to carry and so that I could mount some front lights in addition to my dynamo light. I used an old piece of broom handle!
It's not perfect just yet, I'd like to raise the bar slightly to make it easier to grip my fingers around it (as it sits closely to the bag). I'd also like to fashion something to stop it rotating and/or moving when held by the leather straps. But for now it works well!