Carradice Barley saddle bag - any good?

[crumpetman]

Ah! Thanks. How about attaching the bag? Fasten two straps through the pins with the spring returns and possibly a third strap nearer the bottom of the bag?

Edit: just realised you would leave the straps as they are and just line them up with the pins. There does appear to be a third strap though, perhaps that is just for if you have a full up bag.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

depends on bike set up and preference. 3rd strap is for the seatpost to stop the back and forth swaying. i don't use the support or strap as my seat is as far back as possible.

 

[andrew_s]

I am still a bit confused as to how the bagman quick release works. I like the look of the nelson but want to be able to attach and detach it from the bike easily. With the quick release is it just a case of putting the bag on the bagman and doing up a strap?

On most of the saddle bags I cannot see a handle so how do you carry it around?

You fasten the saddle loop straps with the buckle inside, and just a short 1cm loop of leather poking out through the hole.
The bar across the cutout is slid across towards the middle, the saddlebag loop placed in the cutout, and the bar released so it springs back through the saddlebag loop. The bar is worked via a small lever below the QR.

I use a handle made from a 17cm quickdraw sling and 2 3mm delta maillon rapides
The SQR uplift has a handle on the top

I don't bother to use the 3rd strap. You could fasten it round the 2 upright bars of the support, but that would make it non-QR

 

[crumpetman]

Thanks for the info and photo andrew_s that has made up my mind to go for a nelson longflap and a bagman expedition quick release. Shame I cannot seem to find it in stock anywhere cheaper than from Carradice themselves.

 

[crumpetman]

Put an order in with Carradice direct (could not find it cheaper/instock anywhere else) on Monday and it arrived yesterday. Got it setup on my bike and it works nicely and looks good too. Just got to sort out some makeshift handle.

I thought the Nelson came with those clips on top so you can fasten a jacket to it but I must have been looking at the Camper. Does anyone know if you can add these to the other bags? Would be handy to clip a wet rain jacket to the outside of the bag.

Also, does anyone lock their bagman to the bike when left unattended? It is just so easy to remove that I worry someone would swipe it.

 

[andrew_s]

Carradice bag top attachment points seem to vary randomly. It's D-rings, patches with slots for threading a toestrap or buckled strap through, or nothing. The same bag produced at different times can have a different setup. My Camper has D-rings, and the Nelson has slotted patches.
I don't lock the Bagman.
A half way to a lock would be to fill the head of the allen bolt with gritty mud or polyfilla, which would mean that it's 10 minutes getting it out with a sharp proddler before you can get an allen key in.


The saddlebag either stays or comes with me according to where I am and what's in it.

 

[rh100]

My Barley came with D rings, I bought the matching straps from Carradice's web site.

 

[marinyork]

Can someone help me out how to attach things.

This is what I've got and the SQR, well I'm not really happy with how it attaches at the moment.At the moment despite the photos, the SQR bends the back of the bag. I really can't see how it is supposed to attach as although carradice have tried the illustrations aren't totally clear.

 

[Scoosh]

I think you might find some useful information/diagrams here.

HTH

 

[marinyork]

Right, so the dowels are on more or less right. The problem is as the photo on that site is that the back of the bag doesn't appear long enough to get the lower strap round the SQR.

 

[marinyork]

Can anybody help? Please? I can't leave the back of the bag crumpled and bent so I'd like to know what I'm doing wrong.

 

[gaz]

Can the lower strap go around both parts of the rear part of the mounting part? would that help hold it in place lower down if it is nice and tight?