handlebar bag or what?

[easterbird]

I signed up to do an 'inmotion' event called Lighthouse Tour of Novia Scotia. I have never done any touring cycling and only have my carbon fiber road bike. Most of our gear will be moved by support folks but I think I'll need a handlebar bag or something to carry rain gear etc for a day. Is there anything out there that can be used on carbon fiber bike as a handlebar bag. I feel so dumb...the handle bars aren't carbon, right? I'll need to check on that I guess. Giant OCR2.

[SouthernBelle]

Any bar bag that meets your needs will do fine.

[KnottedYet]

Ortlieb makes some nice ones (in a couple different sizes) that are waterproof and can also be carried like a shoulder bag. They are rather expensive, but there are similar designs by Seattle Sports and Novarra too.

If you don't need a waterproof bag, there are a gazillion to choose from! Styles from the "classic" Rivendell bags to the sleek and modern Topeak bags. (and they are generally cheaper than the waterproof ones.)

[Thorn]

I'm rather fond of the Topeak line of bags and have a small bag I'll put on my road bike when I want to carry the camera. A large handle bar bag will affect steering, so keep the bag as small as you can. Don't forget, your rain jacket will probably fit in your back pocket.

Can you temporarily put a aluminum seatpost in your bike? My road bike is aluminum so it wasn't an issue to swap the carbon seat post for an aluminum. That way, when I really need to carry stuff I can put on a cantilevered rack and bag. I don't know if that is an option for a carbon frame, though.

[mimitabby]

what color are your handlebars? (where they aren't wrapped) if they're shiny metal, they're not carbon. ..

[rij73]

The bars that come stock on that bike are aluminum. I agree you should get the smallest that fits your needs. Even better would be a good-sized wedge bag that goes under your seat. Anything that wouldn't fit in there you could carry in your jersey. That way, you won't affect the handling of the bike!