Kurt's Krampus Bag

I just wrapped up a frame bag for Kurt.  He is planning on riding the Tour Divide route later in the summer on his Surly Krampus.

So I created a frame bag with a hydration reservoir sling and two zippers on the drive side for him.

Kurt sent me a really nice tracing of his frame with lots of details which made making the pattern really easy.  Thanks Kurt & enjoy the bag.!

Kurt's Bike with the Framebag plus his seatbag and front rack!

Making a Bag for Chad

A few weeks ago I got a call from Chad, the owner of Red Barn Bicycles.   I met Chad this past summer when his wife Tracey was riding the Fitz-Barn Ride like I was.   I rode with Tracey for many miles, and felt incredibly welcomed to the finish at Red Barn Bicycles when Chad, Tracey and everyone hanging at Red Barn came out to cheer me into the finish line (complete with finish tape!).

Anyway, Chad just got himself a Surly Moonlander and he asked me to make a framebag for him.   Chad asked me for a frame bag that will accommodate his hydration reservoir and have a bit of stretch in the side panel so he can over stuff his bag.   After talking over the bag with Chad, I went to my local shop to track down and trace a Large Moonlander Frame.

Step One - Trace the Frame

Unfortunately, the shop near me that carries Surlys didn't have a large Moonlander in stock.  So I traced a large Pugsley frame.  After checking Surly's website, I noticed that while the frames are similar, there are some differences in the seat tube angles.  So I checked in with Chad and asked him to measure the interior dimensions of his bike.

Paper Patterns

With the interior dimensions and the location of his front derailleur clamp as well as the location of the external water bottle braze-ons, I was able to draw out the pattern for Chad's frame bag.

Velcro Strips Sewn & Ready to Go

Pattern drafted, I began cutting the bits and pieces that go into the frame bag.  Starting with the velcro, I cut the velcro attachments.  My supplier switched to a military spec 1.5 inch wide velcro- so instead of the 2" wide velcro I've been using, I made Chad's bag with 1.5" wide velcro.   I back the velcro with a grippy, non-slip fabric that grabs onto frames really well and doesn't scratch the paint.  

Baffle - a foam & cordura packcloth sandwich.

I also sewed the baffle together: EVA foam sandwiched into cordura pack cloth (yellow for the inside of the bag and black on the outside).

Lots of Strips go into Making the Drive-side Panel

Drive-side Panel Completed

Once the bits are together, I cut the side panel fabric.  The drive side of Chad's bag has lots of long strips of X-Pac, zippers and a 2 way Schoeller Softshell.  Once sewn together, it's all one piece, ready for the zipper pulls.

Siena waits for me to finish!

With the side panels are constructed, I sew the panels to the baffles, making sure to place and attach the velcro straps.

Frame Bag together, time to finish the interior turn it right side out

Once the panels are sewn to the baffle, I bind the interior seams and then turn the bag right side out, put on a Hamilton Threadworks hangtag and get it ready to ship to Chad.

HTW Card attached.

All Done & Ready to be Sent to Chad

Chad - enjoy the bag!

Darby Canyon Ride with Brandon

Darby Canyon on the west side of the Tetons

Winter is slowly starting in Teton Valley.  Even though December is just a few days away, we still haven't gotten much snow on the valley floor.   But Brandon and I had some time off together, so we headed up to Darby Canyon for a fat bike ride with Siena.

Brandon loading up!

The trailhead was empty, which given it was Monday, wasn't really surprising.  Because there hasn't been much snow, the road is still passable to trucks quite a ways up the canyon.  Today, we'd have to follow the truck tracks until they ended then make our own path.  Brandon rode in front and laid down a really nice path for me, so I just rode on his wheel all the way up the canyon.

Brandon riding in front

It snowed this past weekend, so although we started riding in just a few inches of fresh snow, by the time we hit the upper part of the Canyon there was easily 8 to 10 inches of fresh, sugary snow.   Brandon rode until he had to push, just a few yards from the trail's end, and we turned around and coasted back down to the car.

Siena loves Fat Biking

Seat Bags!

I just finished production on two bright red seat bags.   

These are for a customer, Steve, who wanted bungie on the top of the bags to stuff a jacket.   Each bag has a plastic stiffener on the bottom which helps hold it off the wheel.  You'll still need at least 6 inches of clearance between the rails of your saddle and the top of the rear tire (at full compression if you are riding a full squish bike).    

Seat Bag Prototype - Finished

My bike with my new seat bag and gas tank!

Gas Tank

 I've been working on a prototype seat bag for several months now - this is my third version.   Brandon will get to test it out in a couple weeks on an overnight bike packing trip the shop is doing.  Unfortunately I get to drive the SAG vehicle because I recently broke my ankle and I off the bike for at least 5 weeks (hopefully that will give me enough time to train for the Fitz-Barn once I get back in the saddle).

I've also been doing these gas tanks for a bit now as well, but I haven't shared any photos.  So here they are - pretty simple with fully adjustable velcro  so that you can fit the velcro around any frame bag attachments.

Seat Bag - third prototype!

Custom Frame Bag for Katie

Katie's 9 Zero 7 

I just completed a new custom frame bag for Katie's small (or is it an extra small ?) 9 Zero 7.  This is a full featured bag:  it's three inches wide, has a stretch panel on the drive side and slim pocket on the non-drive side and has a carry handle.  I used wide velcro for attaching the bag on the top, seat and down tubes along with 1 inch velcro at the corners.   The bag is made of XPAC Dimension Polyant which is waterproof and extremely durable.  The stretch panel is made of Schoeller Dynamic, a 2-way stretch fabric.  I also used a water resistant zipper so the bag should be  weather resistant.
 

Drive Side:  stretch panel with double zipper pulls.

I decided to make Katie a three inch wide bag with the stretch panel because her frame is so small. This bag should be large enough to carry a puffy, tube, pump, some food and hat and gloves even though the interior size of her frame is very small.  

Non-Drive Side has a slim pocket for bars, maps or  tools.

Custom Frame Bag for Jay P

Jay's 9 Zero 7 Snow Bike Fully Loaded

Jay P asked me to create a custom bag for his new 9 Zero 7.   This will be the second time I have made something for Jay, and I am super excited that he asked me.

Jay's Great Divide Rig Pre-Zipper Blowout

Jay used the first set of bags I made this summer during the Great Divide leg of his No Idle Tour.    Unfortunately they had some serious zipper issues.  Jay basically rode most of the route with blown zippers held together by safety pins.   Lesson learned:  don't use size #5 zippers!

Close up of the Frame Bag

Jay and Tracey came over to my house to give me input on what he wanted in this bag.  Because his new bike is a compact frame, he wanted a wide frame bag with some particular features.   The bag I made for him is 3 inches wide with plastic stiffeners along the width to help give the bag some form.  There is also a stretch panel on the drive side - this should help give a bit more room and hopefully ease a bit of stress off the zippers.  The non-drive side has a flat pocket for small items like maps or bars.  Jay also wanted a carry handle on the top tube velcro straps and very wide velcro on both the top and seat tubes rather than just 2" velcro straps.   He still has access to bottle cage braze-ons on the outside of his down tube if he needs them.

I am really excited on how this bag turned out.  And I am looking forward to hearing how it performs for him in the Arrowhead 135 - his next race.  Go get'um Jay P!