I like the bags for having a large storage area without lots of compartments. And I love bike racks. After just buying a Salsa Cutthroat I already miss the steel framed bike braze ons That Soma is starting to look real nice.
EU based cyclist here: Have used the gramm Tall Diamond for the past 9 months, big fan. If you want to save on a well fitting rack, get a cheap Litepro front rack (the one marketed for Dahon folding bikes fits great, although it is not finished very well) from the internet . Can even be adapted to be run on the rear as I have do on my cargo bike (which obviously is an Omnium Mini-Max), switching the bag between the gravel/randonneur and the cargo rig.
I think nice Rando bags and racks are good for Russ and good for your nerdy fans. Who doesn't love it when a handlebar bag just looks and fits beautifully on a stout, but elegant rack? Happy Holidays to you and Laura.
Fixed rando bags are pretty great. I loved my "old school" Eclipse handlebar bag. All the good things of a "fancy" rando bag with the ease of movement between bikes of a modern handlebar roll bag. Hauled lots of groceries in it, would easily support my Pentax and kit, even brought a 2' tall plant home in it once. Though honestly, one of the best things about it was that you could wear a rain poncho when riding and hook it over the front of the bag covering the handlebars (and out of the wheel), which kept your hands warmish and dryish and you didn't need to wear a sweaty rain jacket. Unfortunately it didn't work with non-quill stems :S.
That is a nice bag. I love the origami fold. I love big frame bags, handlebar bags and rear rack mount bags. I have yet to try this type of bag and rack mainly because my bikes don't have the mount points. Handlebar bags I use mount on the handlebars and stem. Good video.
100% agree with the side pockets. Seems like wasted space. Even small ones, doesn't have full water bottle size. Maybe on the next iteration. But seems like everything else with the rack systems look great.
Agree 100% that this is the most practical and elegant category of bike bag/rack. I have a full size made-to-order rando bag from when Swift Industries used to make them and a “demiporteur” rack from when Ragland was still around that matches the bag perfectly so it does not budge. The bag is heavy but oh so practical for daily riding. A bag of takeout or a box of donuts fit perfectly. So does a smaller bear canister for bike camping. Pockets with odds and ends you may need sometime. Uses the space inside the drop bars so efficiently. It is an investment for sure but it can transform your daily rider with what Russ calls a “security blanket.” Linus definitely has one on his bike. These updated versions look amazing and would class up any bike.
Missing anything? The Best Thing is that GRAMM offers their awesome designs also as complete custom solutions (frame bags and micro panniers as well) - so I guess their team will gladly use virtually any fabric and add any side pocket or other variation where technically feasable.
Love this rack / bag combo - I ended up going another direction on the bag - mostly because I wanted one made in Challenge Ultra 200 to match the rest of the my kit (Rogue Panda frame bag, etc.) and I like having a map case on top. I ended up reaching out to Tim Tas & Rek on Etsy - they had custom made a rando bag for the Allygn rack before and were willing to make me one using the Ultra fabric. Worked out beautifully.
How do you feel about the use of these racks on carbon forks? I'm building up a Wilde Earthship, and the fork has all these mounts, but it's an enve adventure fork that's all carbon. Thanks!
@juliapoelstra3624, the Enve Adventure, in particular, has been approved for use with a platform front rack. Typically, manufacturers provide information on rack compatibility on their websites.
Haven’t seen you make a video like this one in ten years having a rack that doesn’t strap cargo from the sides is like a rack that doesn’t need a bra. We all know that velcro means the quality is going to last that long except for the ones who buy it. And thanks for your videos they have been a great help for many years
While I really enjoy your experience and experimenting, I really think that nothing can beat the Ortlieb handle bar bags. They are waterproof and since no additional rack is needed, they are probably lighter as well.
I have a really nice tool roll that's designed to be handlebar mounted and I kinda stopped bringing it since it interferes with a bit of the top hand position. Wouldn't want to have something that carries more weight being strapped on, shifting cables around and such. Personally. I've got Ortleib paniers so
In many cases, the bikepacking world will go around their A hole to get to their elbow to not be bike touring while being more expensive, less versatile, less convenient, and the same weight.
Ya, that's my primary use. I don't get to take long rides all that often, so it's bringing extra layers when commuting (usually for my coat on the way home) and then for groceries.
Love the vids, favorite youtube cycling channel! Please add more gain to your videos. Back to back, your videos are noticeably quieter than all my other channels, to the point of being somewhat hard to hear at times. i love the vids, don't want to miss things! :)
Do you ever run into problems with this style of bag interfering with brifters so you can barely shift to the big ring? It happened to me with the Specialized pizza bag, because it's wide and has stiff sides.
Thanks for the great content. I see on your Patreon page that members get a 20% discount at Soma and VeloOrange. Are those discounts still valid for bike frames? Thumbs up.
Hey nice rack but from wich company is the front fender on the yellow bike. This is that i need for my front wheel. Best regards from Thüringia Germany 🎉
My favorite is a used, Lowepro 5 AW camera bag. I carry it in a basket. Cost was $5.00 at a garage sale.
I like the bags for having a large storage area without lots of compartments.
And I love bike racks. After just buying a Salsa Cutthroat I already miss the steel framed bike braze ons
That Soma is starting to look real nice.
The Fog Cutter is great, won’t regret getting one!
EU based cyclist here: Have used the gramm Tall Diamond for the past 9 months, big fan. If you want to save on a well fitting rack, get a cheap Litepro front rack (the one marketed for Dahon folding bikes fits great, although it is not finished very well) from the internet . Can even be adapted to be run on the rear as I have do on my cargo bike (which obviously is an Omnium Mini-Max), switching the bag between the gravel/randonneur and the cargo rig.
I think nice Rando bags and racks are good for Russ and good for your nerdy fans. Who doesn't love it when a handlebar bag just looks and fits beautifully on a stout, but elegant rack? Happy Holidays to you and Laura.
Fixed rando bags are pretty great. I loved my "old school" Eclipse handlebar bag. All the good things of a "fancy" rando bag with the ease of movement between bikes of a modern handlebar roll bag. Hauled lots of groceries in it, would easily support my Pentax and kit, even brought a 2' tall plant home in it once. Though honestly, one of the best things about it was that you could wear a rain poncho when riding and hook it over the front of the bag covering the handlebars (and out of the wheel), which kept your hands warmish and dryish and you didn't need to wear a sweaty rain jacket. Unfortunately it didn't work with non-quill stems :S.
That is a nice bag. I love the origami fold. I love big frame bags, handlebar bags and rear rack mount bags. I have yet to try this type of bag and rack mainly because my bikes don't have the mount points. Handlebar bags I use mount on the handlebars and stem. Good video.
100% agree with the side pockets. Seems like wasted space. Even small ones, doesn't have full water bottle size. Maybe on the next iteration. But seems like everything else with the rack systems look great.
Agree 100% that this is the most practical and elegant category of bike bag/rack. I have a full size made-to-order rando bag from when Swift Industries used to make them and a “demiporteur” rack from when Ragland was still around that matches the bag perfectly so it does not budge. The bag is heavy but oh so practical for daily riding. A bag of takeout or a box of donuts fit perfectly. So does a smaller bear canister for bike camping. Pockets with odds and ends you may need sometime. Uses the space inside the drop bars so efficiently. It is an investment for sure but it can transform your daily rider with what Russ calls a “security blanket.” Linus definitely has one on his bike. These updated versions look amazing and would class up any bike.
Missing anything? The Best Thing is that GRAMM offers their awesome designs also as complete custom solutions (frame bags and micro panniers as well) - so I guess their team will gladly use virtually any fabric and add any side pocket or other variation where technically feasable.
Love this rack / bag combo - I ended up going another direction on the bag - mostly because I wanted one made in Challenge Ultra 200 to match the rest of the my kit (Rogue Panda frame bag, etc.) and I like having a map case on top. I ended up reaching out to Tim Tas & Rek on Etsy - they had custom made a rando bag for the Allygn rack before and were willing to make me one using the Ultra fabric. Worked out beautifully.
How do you feel about the use of these racks on carbon forks? I'm building up a Wilde Earthship, and the fork has all these mounts, but it's an enve adventure fork that's all carbon. Thanks!
It’s dependent on the fork. Some carbon forks built for racks would do fine as long as you stay within weight limits.
@juliapoelstra3624, the Enve Adventure, in particular, has been approved for use with a platform front rack. Typically, manufacturers provide information on rack compatibility on their websites.
Good example - last week Fairlight refreshed their Secan gravel bike model and one improvement was the carbon fork, which now rando rack capable
Haven’t seen you make a video like this one in ten years having a rack that doesn’t strap cargo from the sides is like a rack that doesn’t need a bra. We all know that velcro means the quality is going to last that long except for the ones who buy it. And thanks for your videos they have been a great help for many years
While I really enjoy your experience and experimenting, I really think that nothing can beat the Ortlieb handle bar bags. They are waterproof and since no additional rack is needed, they are probably lighter as well.
While waterproof is nice, if it can't carry what I need its not really useful.
I have a really nice tool roll that's designed to be handlebar mounted and I kinda stopped bringing it since it interferes with a bit of the top hand position. Wouldn't want to have something that carries more weight being strapped on, shifting cables around and such. Personally. I've got Ortleib paniers so
In many cases, the bikepacking world will go around their A hole to get to their elbow to not be bike touring while being more expensive, less versatile, less convenient, and the same weight.
@@michaelviglianco6121so true
Good practical video. So what are the best bags for groceries?
Ya, that's my primary use. I don't get to take long rides all that often, so it's bringing extra layers when commuting (usually for my coat on the way home) and then for groceries.
A large rucksack really is the best or on bike, panniers.
@@blahqwe A rucksack? Like a backpack? Eesh, no, so much sweatiness. I'm so over backpacks.
@@weatheranddarkness For food shopping yes.
wald folding racks easily accept standard grocery bags
certainly burns your credit card
Love the vids, favorite youtube cycling channel!
Please add more gain to your videos. Back to back, your videos are noticeably quieter than all my other channels, to the point of being somewhat hard to hear at times.
i love the vids, don't want to miss things! :)
Agreed, it's not always a huge issue but even on my noise canceling earbuds sometimes I can't hear over traffic noise
$450+ for a rack and bag is ...optimistic.
While its expensive it is par with the benchmark Gilles Berthoud bags.
@@PathLessPedaledTV Sure. They're also not an option for most.
I’ve bought 3 bikes on CL for under $450 combined! And no, none stolen and all ride fine. ✌️
Do you ever run into problems with this style of bag interfering with brifters so you can barely shift to the big ring? It happened to me with the Specialized pizza bag, because it's wide and has stiff sides.
Most of my handlebars are atleast 46cm wide so don't have any issues.
Great review Russ.
Question for you, what fenders were you running? I saw the front fender at the 5:20 mark. Cheers
SKS Speedrocker
@arminhess1512 Cool, thank you.
Are these stitched or welded construction?
The bags look stitched. I doubt they'd bother with the piping if they were already welded.
What's the fender you have on the Sklar?
Doesn't look like they have the magenta rack anymore. Got excited.
What kind of computer mount is that on your top cap?
Thanks for the great content. I see on your Patreon page that members get a 20% discount at Soma and VeloOrange. Are those discounts still valid for bike frames? Thumbs up.
The Route Werks bag is the best... it makes this bag look a grocery bag
The RW bags are too small. Even their large is small.
Nifty!
I'm surprised you didn't flag you for "fork hole"
Hey nice rack but from wich company is the front fender on the yellow bike.
This is that i need for my front wheel.
Best regards from Thüringia Germany 🎉
SKS Speedrocker
@ Hey thanks !
Hows your espanol going?
You are hiding from us that the same company also sells a helium - proof pouch out of Zeppelin material 😮
Oh?
is it really costly to make a bag? always $250-$300 for a decent one
love the concept, but way too pricey--especially for a handlebar bag system; costs about the same as my entire rear-rack+bag+2-pannier system together
While pricey it is par for what randonneur style bags cost.
I put the supple side up sometimes but not for long. He he. Just joking.
Very cool rack
rear rack
Hi Russ. You just made an entire video containing no mention of mysterious drones. What gives?
WRONG
are you still living in Spain or are you back in the US… By the way keep up the good work enjoy the channel party pace is at the pace …..☮️🌲
The “here in Spain” at 11:33 might give you a hint
@@rasmusvedelhahaha, but nobody is using Fahrenheit „here in Spain“ :P