V20 bag and hydration setup for aero long-distance

[Tor Hovland]

I want to improve my setup for doing long distance riding as aero as practically possible while minimising stop time time to dig out food, fill bottles, etc.

Here's my current setup:



Except that I've found I can mount a bag under the boom with a tube and some puncture repair tools. I can replace this with a longer bag.



Things I like about this setup:

- The bottle under the boom is really easy to get to.
- The bottles behind my head are convenient to swap out with the bottle under the boom.
- With bottles rather than hydration bladders, I always know how much fluids I have remaining.
- The Banana Racers are top quality, easy to use, and very roomy. And they have mesh pockets for easy to access food.

Things I don't like as much:

- The Banana Racers are not very aero.
- The bottles behind my head are not as aero as a case (hard or soft) would have been.
- It would be nice to have even easier access to food.

Things I am considering:

- Should I put a Race Case/Brain Box/Solo Aero behind my head and put a hydration bladder in it? It would still be easy to drink using the retractable card holder trick. It would be harder to judge how much fluids I have, and it's also a bit messier to mix sports drink powder in the bladder.
- Should I then replace my bottle under the boom with a frame bag for easy to access food?
- A Moose Pack is a no-brainer, and will be added.
- A longer bag over the front wheel can be added.
- A frame bag can be added between the wheels.
- But where do I put my extra clothes, tools, spares, electronics, hygiene, first aid, and additional food? Something like the Banana Racers would be great if they were much smaller and hidden behind the seat rather than under it. With all the frame bags and the tailbox mentioned above, I should be almost covered. The Scarab Bag feels less convenient to me, and is also not very aero. Hmm, can I simply mount frame bags under each side of the seat?
- I don't really want to mess with a big custom carbon box if I can avoid it.
- I need some nice recumbent jerseys with front pockets for food. Both long and short sleeve. Maybe even shorts with side pockets. Any tips?

 

[Andreas]

Hi Tor,
the most aero storage solution which I found for under the seat, are Geosmina frame bags. You can see how they are mounted at the end of this post. As you can see there as well, two of them have less volume than one side of the Banana Racer.

Regarding aerodynamics: I haven't taken them off since I first installed the bags and have still beaten almost all of my PRs since then.

The storage space was enough for a 600 in good weather, but if I had to take warmer clothes and rain gear with me, it would be tight. But if you add a solo racer behind the headrest, then it would certainly be enough for 1000k+.

 

[Tor Hovland]

Those frame bags look great! But how come they don't slide off those carbon plates you mounted them on?

And have you mounted them asymmetrically in order to have the main zipper facing outward on each bag?

 

[Frito Bandito]

I have been kicking around ideas for touring on my V20 as well, and those top tube bags attached to the bottom of the seat with velcro is 1 of the things I have been considering. Your solution Andreas is another really good one to secure them without having to drill holes in the seat. I assume you attach those bars with velcro? Those bags range anywhere from 3L-6L each, so it is a significant amount of storage space. A few of them are even water resistant or waterproof as well. IIRC Bontrager has waterproof top tube bags as well.

I was thinking of food in the Moose pack initially, but it would be more easily accessible on the go with those top tube bags. I'm still a fan of the hydration bladder on my chest, especially for cooling and leaving the RaceCase style bag for my extra gear, but if it feels to oppressive, heavy or smothering on the chest then putting it in RaceCase style bag is another option. Another top tube bag on the boom could work, and I have seen longish hydration bags that would fit in one, but I dont know how well it would work.

 

[Tor Hovland]

Some good ideas there, for sure. Which hydration vests can be comfortably worn on the chest? And which bladders are "longish" enough for a small frame bag?

 

[Frito Bandito]

I bought a 6L Athflorm jogging vest. There are 2 kinds, and I use the one that doesn't have the waist strap since I felt that it may interfere with the V20s seat.

https://item.rakuten.co.jp/sportsauthority/62642152/

It is in Japanese, but you can quickly get the idea.

 

[Andreas]

Those frame bags look great! But how come they don't slide off those carbon plates you mounted them on?

And have you mounted them asymmetrically in order to have the main zipper facing outward on each bag?

They don't slide because the bars are very close to the seat so the bags are held by the edge of the seat. I also wrapped the panels with rubber band, which additionally protects the bag latches from tearing.

The bags have zippers on both sides so they can be mounted symetrically. There is an inner divider so you have a main compartment and one for small items. But this problem was quickly solved with a knife.

I assume you attach those bars with velcro?

No, I cut away parts of the existing velcro (for the seat) and attached the bars there with double-sided tape.

 

[IyhelM]

- I need some nice recumbent jerseys with front pockets for food. Both long and short sleeve. Maybe even shorts with side pockets. Any tips?

For jerseys, the French bentriders association offers a few options, if you are interested, dm me and I’ll send you the details.

For underseat bags, I use more or less the same setup as Andreas, I drilled the seats of my vendetta and silvio to attach frame bags with bolts; on the V I have 2 Vaude Aqua, that’s 2 x 3 l of storage, and on the S on one side I changed for a larger 6ish litres one (can’t recall the brand) to accommodate for a larger bladder. (actually this rider could use a larger bladder but that’s another topic)
These plus a handlebar bag under the frame for clothes should be enough for me up to 400 km - I won’t ride longer brevets so can’t tell for longer ones.

Have you considered SoloRacers from Radical? Maybe reversed for aero?

 

[Frito Bandito]

Some good ideas there, for sure. Which hydration vests can be comfortably worn on the chest? And which bladders are "longish" enough for a small frame bag?

Some good ideas there, for sure. Which hydration vests can be comfortably worn on the chest? And which bladders are "longish" enough for a small frame bag?

As for the bladders, I think they are Camelbak. It might be under “reservoir” on the website. If not, then “Platypus”

 

[Frito Bandito]

Found it. Platypus Hoser Reservoir.

 

[quinsky]

I found these: water bottle tops with hose. They fit on most water bottles.
https://originalfreerange.com/colle...g-63-hydration-adapter?variant=40119788535890

 

[Tor Hovland]

@Andreas How well do the frame bags fit under the seat? Because I see they are 5 cm wide, and the available width under the seat is less than 4,5 cm.

This should help rule out a huge array of frame bags that are wider. For example, the Apidura Expedition range is 6 cm wide.

 

[Tor Hovland]

I suppose a rear trunk bag would work as well, if somebody can help me figure out how to fit a light rack to the V20.

TailRider - Trunk Bag

Arkel aerodynamic, ultra-functional bag for bikepacking enthusiasts or urban cyclists who enjoy traveling & light and fast! / Interior padding of the bag / Loading capacity of 8 to 11 / Waterproof because of its integrated rain cover / Designed in Canada.

arkel.ca

 

[Tor Hovland]

I'm going through the links on this post, as well as the new links that show up on those pages, and so on. What a rabbit hole this is!

 

[Tor Hovland]

I think this ingenious rack may just work. It might be a little tight for the bag behind the neck rest, though.

Spider Rear Rack

The Rack is the base layer of the aeroe system and includes one Cradle to carry your drybag or tent, which can be mounted on the top or sides of the rack. Secure with the built-in straps – no fiddly cables or fiddly attachments. Customise your ride with additional Cradles (up to three), Pods and...

aeroe.com

 

[Andreas]

@Andreas How well do the frame bags fit under the seat? Because I see they are 5 cm wide, and the available width under the seat is less than 4,5 cm.

This should help rule out a huge array of frame bags that are wider. For example, the Apidura Expedition range is 6 cm wide.

The bags are not rigid but flexible. At the front, they do not lie flat against the seat on their full width. I also had to shorten the front bars so they don't hit the edge of the seat. Therefore, the frontmost one ends directly in the loop.

You can also position the bags further back and use all 5 loops.
But as it is now, they sit extremely securely and snugly.
I also love the many unused loops, e.g. to slide in my Cateye rear light.

I've also been eyeing those racks. Some of my randonneur buddies have the Tailfin Carbon AeroPack.
But these are optimized for 'normal' chainstays (135/142mm axle), ours are narrower.

 

[Always-Learnin]

The bags are not rigid but flexible. At the front, they do not lie flat against the seat on their full width. I also had to shorten the front bars so they don't hit the edge of the seat. Therefore, the frontmost one ends directly in the loop.
View attachment 16855 View attachment 16856 View attachment 16857
You can also position the bags further back and use all 5 loops.
But as it is now, they sit extremely securely and snugly.
I also love the many unused loops, e.g. to slide in my Cateye rear light.

I've also been eyeing those racks. Some of my randonneur buddies have the Tailfin Carbon AeroPack.
But these are optimized for 'normal' chainstays (135/142mm axle), ours are narrower.

Do you have a link for this?

 

[Tor Hovland]

Yeah, I have the Tailfin. I used it on the Atlas Mountain Race. You can see my bike here:

Rigs of the 2024 Atlas Mountain Race (Part 1)

Find our roundup of 50 rigs of the 2024 Atlas Mountain Race here, complete with bag and gear highlights for each…

bikepacking.com

It's absolutely excellent, but I can't use it on the Cruzbike, unfortunately.

 

[Andreas]

Tor, you're absolute amazing. A race in the desert, didn't notice it on Strava. Weren't you on a brevet in deep snow a week before that?

Do you have a link for this?

It's the Geosmina Gravel 5 liter, a small spanish manufacturer.

 

[Mathew Fy]

how to fit a light rack to the V20

I like this thread:

V20 rack in back!

I thought I'd do a quick post on my latest project. I want to be able to carry some SLR camera gear on my V20. So I decided to mount a rear rack to carry and protect it. Looked at lots of options, and settled on the Blackburn Local Deluxe rack. It's variable width, so you can narrow it down, but...

forum.cruzbike.com

The rack I used for a while was a Nitto front rack. The stability was better when I mounted the bottom stays to the quick-release axle. You would want to keep this option for lighter stuff, otherwise handling would suffer.