# Best Saddlebag Support - Suggestions



## OrlandoV (Aug 23, 2007)

I have a 20 mile (one way) road/paved bike trail commute that I have been doing with an Arkel Bug that has been hanging from the rack on my Fuji Touring bike. 

I'm looking to loose the rear rack on my commuter bike and go with a large saddlebag (Carradice Camper LongFlap or Carradice Super C) instead in the rear and a new handlebar bag on the front that uses the Klick Fix system and easily removes.

I don't have access to permanent storgare or extra office space so would need to load business clothes, shoes, towel, toiletries, etc. into the saddlebag. Breakfast/Lunch and bike gadgets go in the handlebar bag.

I've come across 3 possible off the shelf solutions:

Bagman QR support by Carradice - looks like the best option but I cannot find a vendor that has this in stock - even among the UK websites.
Silver loop sold by Rivendell - looks like a clever solution - not easy to determine how rigid loop is and how much weight it can support and
Viva Saddle Bag Support - I understand size is similar to Bagman support but not spec'd for weight capacity. I like the tabs that I could use to strap the saddlebag down if needed.


Does anyone out there have experience with a large saddlebag like the ones mentioned above and any of the three supports listed? Your suggestions/recommendations would be appreciated.


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## PdxMark (Feb 3, 2004)

I've used and like the Carradice Uplift quick release support.

http://www.wallbike.com/carradice/uplift.html

The quick release functionality is very good and the metal bracket keeps my Carradice Nelson Longflap in a nice, high position relative to the rear tire. The metal bracket is steel and somewhat heavy, but other than that it works very well.


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## OrlandoV (Aug 23, 2007)

*Shoulder strap*



PdxMark said:


> I've used and like the Carradice Uplift quick release support.
> 
> http://www.wallbike.com/carradice/uplift.html
> 
> The quick release functionality is very good and the metal bracket keeps my Carradice Nelson Longflap in a nice, high position relative to the rear tire. The metal bracket is steel and somewhat heavy, but other than that it works very well.


Thanks for the suggestion. At some point I got the impression that the SQR Uplift was for the smaller Carradice Saddlebags only. Since you own a Carradice bag one other question: Do these bags have D rings for attaching a shoulder strap?


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

I have a Carradice Barley with the Bagman quick-release support. The bag was useless without the rack, in my case, because without it the bag swayed and hit the backs of my legs. They are very hard to find. I got mine at sjscycles.com in England, but they are currently out of stock. You might be able to buy direct from Carradice. If you find one, make sure you put locktite on the Allen bolt threads when you mount to your saddle rails. I didn't initially, and my rack came loose and almost caused a crash a few days after installing it. With Locktite, it works fine.

If you can't find a Bagman, I would think that the Velo-orange or Rivendell racks would work just fine. I can't image that they would be any less sturdy. However, the advantage of the Bagman rack is the quick-release tabs, which let you remove the bag in seconds.


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## PdxMark (Feb 3, 2004)

OrlandoV said:


> Thanks for the suggestion. At some point I got the impression that the SQR Uplift was for the smaller Carradice Saddlebags only. Since you own a Carradice bag one other question: Do these bags have D rings for attaching a shoulder strap?


Off hand, I don't think my Nelson Longflap has one. The metal bracket has a nylon strap to use as a handle for carrying the metal bracket-bag combination. I suspect you could clip a shoulder strap to the metal bracket once you removed the bag from the bike. The two contact points would be closer to the center of the bag than ideal, but it would work.


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