MYOG bar harnesses and bar bags with Jones Loops

[tommid]

I'd like a bar harness, but I'm torn about spending the best part of £50 for one. So I would love to see what you have made to overcome this.

I have a set of Jones Loop bars and wonder whether a harness is even necassary as I could play around with strapping a bag to the parrallel bars (waiting for the Airlok Extras to come back in to stock at Alpkit). Has anyone else done this?

[Anthony]

My MYOG bar harness cost about £5 in parts and works in exactly the same way most others do. 2 tight 25mm straps from bars (1 either side of stem) down to crown to create cradle, then a big loop off each to cinch around a dry bag. Has worked brilliantly over last 2 year's altho ill admit I've never needed anything larger than 8L of luggage in it.

Needs about 2 mins sewing on machine and iirc weighs circa 30-40g.

If ur interested I'll mount it and post pic up.

[Joe]

I have the Titec J-bars which are very similar and have a system that works brilliantly; keeps the bag away from the front of the bike and does not wobble. I'll try explain it.

I use an Alpkit airlock (20l) and place the bag loops inbetween the two parts of bar, (the main part closest to you and the extra bit of bar further from you. The strap goes over both these bars and through the bag loops inbetween. When you tighten the strap it pulls the bag up and into the gap where it is supported by the two bars.

hope that made some sense..

Joe

[tommid]

Anthony and Joe, Thanks for the responses, can I get some pics of both?

Cheers

Tom

[Ray Young]

Hi Tommid. Strapping a bag to a set of Jones loop bars would I think be easy and the loop would also help stop bag/headtube rub by pulling the bag forward. The only downside i can see is not being able to use the loop part of the bar as the bag will be pulled up tight against it so you won't be able to get your hands right round it.
As mentioned above a home made harness is pretty easy, here's my version on a set of Mary bars with inboard mounted bar ends.

[jameso]

I've used both a MYOG strap system (webbing sewn onto a ladder-H shape with pull clips fitted) and an older Revelate bar strap on Hs and loops. Both work well as long as you keep the roll fairly narrow, but I have truss forks that keep the roll off the head tube - as suggested above a simple tensioned pair of straps between the bar and fork would do it. I like the way the Revelate keeps the dry bag protected from scuffing but others do that to and a bar roll is probably the easiest place to start with MYOG. Get some webbing and see what fits where.

Pretty impressed with the DIY loops there Ray! I did a road tour on an MTB with some bar ends fitted inboard of my brakes a long time ago and they worked well - that's a great way to do it.

[Ray Young]

Pretty impressed with the DIY loops there Ray! I did a road tour on an MTB with some bar ends fitted inboard of my brakes a long time ago and they worked well - that's a great way to do it.

Thanks, inexpensive too, standard Mary bar £12.99 or oversize £19.99 and RavX lite long bar ends about £10 if you search the net. Gives me two extra hand positions plus an aero tuck if it's really windy.