Which Camera Bag for Cycling!

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sper

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I'm buying a new (to me) bike today! It's a used Surly Long Haul Trucker. I'm pretty excited about it, and I'm even more excited about Brooklyn being re-opened to me for photography. You can't get too far, too fast using the MTA, or my legs. And cars are out of the question (big reason I moved to NYC).

http://www.surlybikes.com/bikes/long_haul_trucker_complete/

I'd love to hear some suggestions for handlebar bags that will fit a rangefinder and a couple lenses. Or even some rigging solutions for tripods, and larger bags. At most I'd like to carry a Toyo 45A, but that might be a stretch. All my other cameras are 35mm rangefinders or a 5D2 and a CV 40mm Ultron.

The Bike's gonna have a rack, and it's designed for touring, so it'll take loads.

I hear a lot about motorcycles on this forum, but not a lot about good old fashion cycling. So I thought I'd get a discussion going!
 
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I use an old (Carradice-made) Rivendell Baggins Hobo. It's more than big enough for a day of shooting. I used it as a front bag on a three-week tour last year. It held a camera (or two), snacks, arm warmers, wallet, etc.

You'll probably need at least a small front rack to keep the bottom of it off the front wheel.

If you can find an old Cannondale handlebar bag, that'd be good, too. They are box-shaped, sit off the tire, and are secured with a quick-release mechanism to the handlebars--probably a good thing for city riding and commuting.

You might have trouble running extension levers with the Cannondale. Something to keep in mind.

Enjoy your LHT!
 
I recently got back in to cycling, I did see a bag someplace for the handle bars. It was over priced in my opinion. What are you going to carry? I think the best option is to get a handlebar bag of a reasonable size and a small cam bag to fit in it. That will be my preferred option, or what I will do.
 
al1966 said:
I recently got back in to cycling, I did see a bag someplace for the handle bars. It was over priced in my opinion. What are you going to carry? I think the best option is to get a handlebar bag of a reasonable size and a small cam bag to fit in it. That will be my preferred option, or what I will do.
Click to expand...

Either:

Bessa R4a w CV 28 Ultron, CV 21 Skopar, CV 50 1.5

or

Contax G1 w/ 45, 28, 90

or

5D2 w/ one or two CVPancake lenses.

or

...beer?
 
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Personally, the only camera I will take on rides is my Yashica T4 in the bag that hangs under the seat, it's just large enough to take that camera and my cell phone and a tool kit. But that's not really relavent to you.

Acorn Bags makes some beautiful ones. This tubular bag might be what you're looking for:

http://www.acornbags.com/tubularbag.html

They have a bunch of stuff though, check it out on their site.
 
There has to be a reason why messengers use messenger-bags...
Personally, I would opt for a small rucksack, but then it doesn't get really hot in Delft in the summer.

Greetings,

Dirk
 
I'd go with an insert in a messenger bag and do when I bring a camera along riding.

Personally, I like a small Kryptonite evo mini lock that fits in the back pocket, combined with maybe a cable to lock your wheels rather than the big New York city locks that are super heavy.

Riding in New York has gotten much more dare I say civilized as of late due to all the new bike paths and a much more bike friendly attitude on the city's part. Drivers haven't caught on yet so be careful.
 
I often take my Olympus mu out for a ride because it fits in my jersey pocket. Handlebar bags obviously accommodate a bigger camera but, as was previously mentioned, bags pose a set of problems all their own. Plus, you'll look way cooler on your new bike without the clutter of bags.
 
For light 35mm gear I would take some kind of messenger bag (I have to mention the BBB and courierware messenger bags, I have the later one), but for more gear I would get some kind of boxy shaped semi hard case or bag permanently attached to the rear carrier and put a shoulder bag inside this one - so it would not be so easy to steal. You could of course get some of the quick-fix ones, but than you would need a lock not to loose it on a red light. Have a look at ortlieb bags. They are mostly thin and very durable. Not cheap though.
 
For me it depends on how light I'm riding.

I also ride a touring bike. If I lug an SLR, DSLR or heavy rangefinder camera on tour I use an Acorn Boxy Rando Bag sitting on a Nitto M12 front rack. They're not cheap but they're beautiful handmade bags worth the cost. I stuff a couple t-shirts in or a piece of foam and it holds the camera and a couple lenses and/or plenty of film perfectly.
It also puts the camera right in front of me so I don't have to dismount or futz with a shoulder, back or tail pack.

If I'm riding light on my road bike with no bags and just want snaps to document the ride, I toss my tiny Nikon point and shoot in a ziploc and into a jersey pocket.

If I'm on a light century and I want film, I'll bring a small tail bag for tools and substitute my Minox 35EL for the CoolPix, and stuff some extra film into my tool bag.
 
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I would comment a bit on the Timbuk messenger bags. They do offer a lot of flexibility (if you pay more you can pretty much design your own), but I found them a bit too heavy and stiff - I have many in hand at a local shop. But they were indeed well done and seemed tough. Just too hard and heavy for my taste.

I actually wrote a lengthy review on a messenger bag from courierware (it is also posted here in bag section). Lot's of big photos on my flickr :)
 
I´ve been considering bringing rangefinder equipment with me on the bicycle sometimes, but so far haven´t dared because I "only" have panniers. Any shock from driving over a pothole would go right through the camera equipment.
The camera bags I have, are with shoulder strap. That means they are a safety hazard on a bicycle. I could, of course, pack the equipment in one of them and cram that bag into a pannier. That would provide at least some vibration- and shock-protection for the equipment.

If it really gets necessary one day to bring the equipment with me on the bike, I would certainly consider purchasing something like the Fogg Solo backpack:
http://www.foggspecialistbags.com/solo.htm
 
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