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With the growing popularity of alt handlebars in bikepacking and touring circles – I’ve finally pieced together a bag resource for uniquely shaped bars like the Jones H-Bar and Surly Moloko. Let me run you through the alt handlebar -specific bags, a neat four-point handlebar harness and some hacks to mount a regular Ortlieb handlebar bag originally intended for bicycle touring.
Right – let’s dive in.
Jones Handlebar Bag Options
There’s an obvious nook for some gear to nestle amongst on the Jones H-Bar. Check THIS video to see that the handlebar still remains usable with these bags.
Broad Fork Bags Banana Hammock // US $60
This bag is designed to fit a banana, phone, water bottle, sandwich or anything else you may need quick access to. Available in different colours and both padded and unpadded. Dual zippers make it easy to open it with both your left and right hand.
Jones H-Bar Pack // US $64
Jones has just released this 95-gram waterproof bag. The middle zipper has a small loop at the end which really helps to open and close the bag one-handed!
Jones LoopHole H-Bar Pack // US $98
The LoopHole pack has been around for a few years but is still available. Compared to the recently released model the zipper is harder to access, it’s not waterproof, the attachment points aren’t optimised to allow the best hand positions and it’s 70-grams heavier than the latest version. Could be an ok option if you find one cheap.
Rockgeist Dr Jones // US $129
The Dr Jones is a neat little bag comprising of a loop compartment, wallet-lid (which you can detach and take with you) and a cargo net on the front. It’s designed to fit both the flat and riser versions of the Jones Loop along with the Surly Moloko handlebar. It’s available in multiple fabric types and colours!
Wildcat Tom Cat Jones Handlebar Bag // £52
This 75-gram, 1.5 litre VX21 nylon bag from the UK is another great option, being the lightest on the list.
The Surly Moloko Handlebar Bag
Moloko Handlebar Bag
This urethane-coated nylon bag by Surly is designed specifically around their Moloko handlebar. The elastic straps across the top are a great feature that allows you to scrunch up a rain jacket or fit a quickly accessible layer of clothing.
Four-Point Harness For Jones Handlebars
With more handlebar infrastructure comes the ability to offer extra bag stability. Four-point harnesses will prevent your handlebar pack from dropping while you ride.
Revelate Designs Sweetroll Kit for Jones Bars // US $10
This system can anchor the Sweetroll better than almost anything else. The Revelate Designs Sweetroll has provision for two additional straps to suit the Jones handlebar. The straps and foam spacers will provide more hand clearance than the other bikepacking bag options too.
Carsick Designs Handee Randee for Jones Bars // US $240
This dedicated Jones bar bag uses four clips/spacers to achieve a perfect fit. The two removable goodie bags on the back, as well as the front roll pocket, make this an ultra-functional bag option.
Rockgeist Loop Bar Harness // US $50
A specially-designed harness for either the Loop or Moloko handlebars. Attach any dry bag you like by putting it in the harness and tightening everything up with the 2x Voile straps.
BarYak Four-Point Harnesses
Ok, this isn’t technically an alt handlebar product, but it is another four-point handlebar harness option.
BarYak X Revelate Designs Harness
The BarYak is a customisable mount that permits you to fit both additional accessories (eg. light, GPS) as well as a set of aerobars to your handlebars. This accessory bar allows for a similar four-point mount to the Jones H-Bar. Instead of using the Sweetroll model with an additional strap kit, you instead use the Harness model that features existing straps (normally used for a front accessory pocket) to complete the four-point mount.
Fitting A Handlebar Pack To Jones Handlebars
Regular Handlebar Packs
If the dimensions on your handlebar pack suit, you may find that your current handlebar pack already fits (or a canvas saddlebag in the case of the picture above). You may be able to use the frame strap around your stem and the handlebar straps at the front section of your Jones H-Bar.
Custom Bags
Don’t forget that most of the bikepacking bag manufacturers can fit custom alt handlebar mounts to your handlebar pack. If you want a handlebar harness or handlebar pack with four mounting points, they’ll do it. If you want some additional mounts to suit the Crazy Bar, they’ll do that too. Custom bags manufacturers rock!
Fitting A Bicycle Touring Handlebar Bag
I love regular touring handlebar bags: they’re waterproof, mounted/removed in seconds, protective of camera gear and have a map holder. As the crossbar on some of the alt handlebars stops the regular mount from fitting – a few people have worked out some hacks.
But please note, the further forward the weight sits in front of your stem, the more detrimental the weight is to your bike’s handling. I don’t recommend carrying much more than a kilogram or two with these setups…
The Accessory Bar
As Ross from RollingEast had enough spacers under his stem, he swapped out a few for a Thorn Accessory Bar to fit his Ortlieb handlebar bag bracket. An Ortlieb Mounting Extension was necessary to get the appropriate opening clearance from the Jones handlebar. The Accessory Bar is also a handy place to mount your GPS computer or bell.
Schmidt Light Mount
Matt from ModernPracticality found that the Schmidt H-Bar light mount was strong enough to hold the Ortlieb cable mount. He was then able to fit the Ortlieb mounting wire according to specification.
Leon’s Modified Stem Mount
A video was published on YouTube by Leon Bailie showing a creative way to fit an Ortlieb Ultimate 6 Pro E. He cut an old stem in half and fitted the handlebar section plus a shim to the front of his Jones handlebars. The Ortlieb cable mount was then fitted as usual.
CycleMonkey Bolt Hack
Neil from CycleMonkey drilled a hole into the back side of his Jones handlebar and fitted a bolt to use as a brace for the wire mount.
Don’t forget to check out my Bikepacking Bag Manufacturer List and 10 Awesome Bikepacking Tech Innovations.
I really like my Jones Loop more than I ever thought I would but I miss my handlebar bag. The ones designed for the opening eliminate hand positions or at least don’t make those positions as friendly anymore. I thought about cutting a stem for my bag but it seems the weight that far out would have a significant effect but perhaps I should give it’s one of those things where after a mile down the road you forget about it.
My front rack has a platform and I simply bought a small rack top bag for it as a substitute although removing and installing isn’t as convenient as having a Klickfix mount.
Hey Alee, It seems that quite a few peeps are avoiding Jones Bars because of the difficulty mounting an Ortlieb bag. Here’s the solution that I use – it keeps the weight off the bars, with a lower centre of gravity, doesn’t require valuable bar space and doesn’t need any chopped stems or clips!
https://youtu.be/JrclS9vIJG8
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Alee, I believe drop handle is the best one for traveling by bike but now I’m interested in Jones Handlebar. So I have a question, you’re using another shape handle. Why you chose it for current long trip and what is advantage/disadvantage?
I’ve got some handlebar resources which cover this in a bit more detail:
https://www.cyclingabout.com/list-of-alt-touring-bikepacking-handlebars/
https://www.cyclingabout.com/all-about-bike-touring-handlebars/
The biggest advantage, in my mind, is the increased steering leverage. If you have a front load, you can maneuver the bike better, especially for off-road riding. They have a whole raft of hand positions to choose from too – near and far, wide and narrow.
You really have to try them to see if they’re for you!
Wow, quick response, thanks Alee for good analysis and shared resources.
Yes, indeed they make near and far, wide and narrow that make flexible position. I should escape form preconceived idea of traditional style. It’s good think flexible and freely.
Carsick Designs make the Handee Randee, one of the best 4 attachment point bags designed for Jones bars. Mine is great and can fit a huge amount of gear. https://www.carsickdesigns.com/collections/handee-randee/products/handee-randee
That looks awesome! I’ll add it now.