So, I am looking at touring/utility bags for my Quest 451. The Ortlieb recumbent panniers and backpack are really nice, but quite spendy. The Radical Designs stuff looks really intriguing. Carradice recumbent panniers are old-school cool. The Arkel RT-40 and especially the RT-60 look pretty sweet. But so far I haven't seen exactly the perfect setup, for me at least. And all of them get very pricey very quickly, it seems.
Then, there's the issue of the under-seat space. The bike begs for that nice low open space to be used; if you don't hang the bag down too far, there's almost no aero penalty... Perhaps a bag with a flat floor that is taller at the front to hug the bottom of the seat, and suspended cleverly from the frame so as not to waste space. I like the idea of a divided bag with a fore-to aft wall in the middle, hanging from the frame, while the outside edges of the bag hang from the seat frame itself... Then, you could make that mate with the next bag back for the ultimate in aero+practicality.
And so, I am thinking of making my own set of bags. Sketching designs now, thinking about an underseat bag that flows smoothly back into large trapezoidal panniers, or a more modular system of underseat bag, middle (seatpost region) bags, and more conventional panniers (plus trunk bag). My idea is to design them as a matched set and maybe use velcro flaps to join them, leading to a monolithic aero unit. This would be a major design effort, but I'm contemplating it. I am working with a professional pattern-maker on another project, a clothing company startup, so I have access to the necessary skills and materials.
I'm seriously thinking about it, and if I do, I'd do a small production run at the same time, if there's sufficient interest. So, is anyone interested? If so, what would you like to see, not like to see, must have features, etc? What would you be willing to pay for something like that, and what would you need it to do? What's the main priority for you- weight, aero, waterproofness, breathability, durability, price, look, smell...? Any and all constructive input appreciated! I'm about to order some black and orange waterproof fabrics.
Cheers,
T
Then, there's the issue of the under-seat space. The bike begs for that nice low open space to be used; if you don't hang the bag down too far, there's almost no aero penalty... Perhaps a bag with a flat floor that is taller at the front to hug the bottom of the seat, and suspended cleverly from the frame so as not to waste space. I like the idea of a divided bag with a fore-to aft wall in the middle, hanging from the frame, while the outside edges of the bag hang from the seat frame itself... Then, you could make that mate with the next bag back for the ultimate in aero+practicality.
And so, I am thinking of making my own set of bags. Sketching designs now, thinking about an underseat bag that flows smoothly back into large trapezoidal panniers, or a more modular system of underseat bag, middle (seatpost region) bags, and more conventional panniers (plus trunk bag). My idea is to design them as a matched set and maybe use velcro flaps to join them, leading to a monolithic aero unit. This would be a major design effort, but I'm contemplating it. I am working with a professional pattern-maker on another project, a clothing company startup, so I have access to the necessary skills and materials.
I'm seriously thinking about it, and if I do, I'd do a small production run at the same time, if there's sufficient interest. So, is anyone interested? If so, what would you like to see, not like to see, must have features, etc? What would you be willing to pay for something like that, and what would you need it to do? What's the main priority for you- weight, aero, waterproofness, breathability, durability, price, look, smell...? Any and all constructive input appreciated! I'm about to order some black and orange waterproof fabrics.
Cheers,
T
