DIY Bikepacking Handlebar Cradle

[@reneecase8678]

Thank you for sharing this. I have been searching for low cost DIY ideas since I saw how expensive a front bike rack would be and this is it!

[@TroyandAndrea]

Glad it helped - thank you for watching!

[@gnieveld]

Brilliant hack, Troy. Thanks! Glad I found it. I made a similar version, also from a (found) trashcan. Mounted it on my old Trek hybrid bike. It was large enough for my 6lb (3-person) tent plus air mattress. It did not have any negative effect on steering and also helped moving weight from the rear wheel to the front wheel. Drove 1100 miles across Europe with it without any problems.

[@TroyandAndrea]

1100 miles! WOW! That is awesome! Thanks so much for sharing your story and for watching our video.

[@jaimeb.7537]

Takes me back to the days when I was a kid and always thought outside the box. It's a shame that I'm not like that as much nowadays. Awesome video!

[@TroyandAndrea]

Thank you for your kind words and for watching our video. Hope you find some of that creativity from your youth again!

[@ohohsnowsnow]

What a cool informative video, thanks for sharing!

[@TroyandAndrea]

Thank you for watching!

[@BlackWaterCyclist]

Great informative video Troy! Looks like a perfect alternative to the expensive stuff out there!

[@TroyandAndrea]

Thanks brother!

[@cycloneranger5354]

Dude this is genius. I thought about doing a klickfix thingy with a waterproofbag but this seems 10x more study. Brilliant

[@TroyandAndrea]

Thanks so much for watching! Hope it works out well for you!

[@josephberlin5987]

Best bike packing hack I’ve seen. Great idea.

[@TroyandAndrea]

Thanks so much and thanks for watching!

[@bikingviking6688]

Nice job! I love hacks like this as I'm always tinkering too. So satisfying when you come up with something that works as good or better than an expensive brand name product and you've done it with little to no $$ out of pocket.👍👍

[@TroyandAndrea]

Thanks so much! Yes, it is really satisfying! Btw, I like the name, “Biking Viking” that’s cool!

[@mountainsnmoore256]

I like this! I have the handlebar extender already, on my 1986 Trek. I have a GoPro mount, a headlight, and a Quadlock for my phone mounted to it. I have only used it once to strap a bag to, but it worked well without the cradle, but I bet that the cradle would make it even better! Thanks for the tip!

[@TroyandAndrea]

Cool! You are welcome - and thanks for the comment!

[@davidgriffin8717]

Nice and simple! One thought: I wonder about the slick stuff sack sliding side to side and out of the roll, how about adding a non-slip material to the inside of the plastic roll, maybe like a thin mesh carpet anti slip pad?

[@TroyandAndrea]

Thanks for the tip! That would certainly be a good improvement! Thanks for watching.

[@johnstarky]

Brilliantly simple! Thanks for posting.

[@TroyandAndrea]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@CalvinPuah]

looking good. Great idea. I'm sharing it with the crew!

[@TroyandAndrea]

Thanks so much Calvin! Have a great ride!

[@mikelacross]

I definitely think you're on the right trail here, it might need a little something to improve it, but you get a 10 out of 10 from me so far 😁

[@TroyandAndrea]

Thanks so much! I appreciate it.

[@yanyangustian5603]

Thanx for sharing sir.. it's really2 useful when we travelling on long trip👍

[@TroyandAndrea]

Awesome! Thanks so much for watching!

[@mrhypnomadic1104]

Great innovation! Thanks for sharing this!

[@TroyandAndrea]

Thanks for watching!

[@PalmBeachesPaul]

I find using ducktape and bailing wire fixes most things, 🤔 that sounds like a good name for a song.😉

[@TroyandAndrea]

And vice grips! Lol

[@PalmBeachesPaul]

@@TroyandAndrea oh ya those too..lol

[@akashtambe11]

what u have added along with extender bar. I m also facing same issue.. ur idea is great. I m confused about one bar u have added along with extended bar to stabilize luggage. can u explain more about it

[@TroyandAndrea]

It is a flat piece of metal that I bent in two places, then I tie wrapped it under my stem to provide support to the back of the pack. Thanks for watching!

[@akashtambe11]

@@TroyandAndrea Does Installing with stem affect the stability of handlebar? Have u added to two bolts of stem?

[@TroyandAndrea]

@@akashtambe11 It did not affect stability at all. I only used tie wraps to add it on.

[@FollowThomas]

That's a great inexpensive option. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@TroyandAndrea]

@ Follow Thomas, thanks for watching, friend!

[@fabioeSeBe]

Hello, could you show or explain a little better about the flat metal support part? I'd like to see how you installed it on the bike... By the way, very good video thanks for uploading your idea

[@TroyandAndrea]

Hi! Thanks so much. It’s was a flat piece of metal, about one inch wide, six inches long. I put it in a vice and bent it to that “S” like shape. I then zip tied it to the stem. Hope that helps.

[@frankenstein3163]

I'm looking into be in a e-bike camper bikepacking. I have hydraulic brakes too. 4:48 sounds like the cable problem would be the same for nearly every one. I see a lot of 20-35$ options on amazon and Temu for 12-15 L handlebar bag setups. Any thoughts ?

[@TroyandAndrea]

@@frankenstein3163 The prices for decent handlebar bag setups have come down considerably, so a good one is more affordable now. You can probably find a workable one on Amazon. I would check the reviews to help you make a decision. Thanks so much for watching. Have fun out there!

[@4tarobyte]

interesting. I think I’d rather use a UV-resistant plastic sheet instead of ironically having to trash the rest of the trash bin, if I were to try this myself. but the metal reinforcement along the edge is a nice touch!

[@TroyandAndrea]

lol! That is a great idea! You are right, there are few other of ways to do this project. Thanks so much for watching!

[@markperry222]

Exactly the info/idea I need at this very time.

[@TroyandAndrea]

Hi Mark! Happy to hear it was useful for you! Thank you for watching.

[@Aventuras_en_2ruedas]

It looks good. Thanks for the idea. But can you tell me how bouncy it is off road?

[@TroyandAndrea]

Hi Jim! As long as the straps were tight back to the handlebars, it had very little bounce - however, the support from under the stem made the most improvement in bounce. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching!

[@ivicabozinovic9450]

Nice video. Next time film a little bit more of the serting up, specially with the metal added to the stem😊

[@TroyandAndrea]

Will do! Thank you for watching!

[@melDwanderer]

Great idea! How did you install the piece of metal at the bottom center?

[@TroyandAndrea]

Hi Rommel! If you are referring to the metal under the stem, I used plastic tie wraps to fasten it tightly. I criss-crossed the tie wraps on the stem, and then, I have two holes on the plastic cradled to thread a tie wrap through there also. Hope that helps! Thanks for watching!

[@melDwanderer]

@@TroyandAndrea thanks for that added idea.

[@gomuhamji1]

wow I realy love this video, thanks a lot.

[@TroyandAndrea]

Awesome! Thanks so much for watching!

[@mcr8331]

Alternatively I think you could use a bendable chopping board, if you don't have a bin. Thanks for the video 😁

[@TroyandAndrea]

That is great idea! Thanks for watching!

[@johndee68]

I'd like to have seen how the plate actually attached to the bike stem?

[@TroyandAndrea]

Hi John! Go to 4:33-4:40 in the video and pause it - there you can see where I tie wrapped the plate under the stem. It is a short stem, so I criss-crossed the tie wraps across the top. Hope that helps!

[@johndee68]

@@TroyandAndrea hard to see, but can get the gist, thanks.

[@OldLostGuy]

Wonder if you could give the length of the bar on the handlebar extender? And what material would you recommend for the bar? (fiberglass or Aluminum)

[@TroyandAndrea]

Hi Stephen! The bar on the extender is 20 cm (7.9”) long and made out of carbon fiber. It came with the extender when I bought it. Thanks for watching!

[@sithu8913]

Great video.

[@TroyandAndrea]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@handsonbrompton7875]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing 👍

[@TroyandAndrea]

Thanks for watching!

[@mickilkr]

Good job!

[@TroyandAndrea]

Thanks for watching!

[@zafrullahyazid6542]

Brilliant!

[@TroyandAndrea]

Thanks for watching!

[@DiogoChaves]

Hey Troy, how's that piece of metal attached to the stem? Thanks!

[@TroyandAndrea]

Hi Diogo! I have it attached with several plastic tie wraps. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching!

[@TrungNguyen-sq8pm]

I totally did not expect when he pulls out the black plastic trash can lol

[@TroyandAndrea]

It’s all about resources, right? lol Thanks so much for watching!

[@yveshennequin1616]

Genius

[@TroyandAndrea]

Thanks for watching!

[@arcoulant87]

Interesting

[@TroyandAndrea]

Thanks for watching!

[@downercowzzz.3236]

Xlnt!

[@TroyandAndrea]

Thx for watching!

[@kamilkurzynowski3836]

Honestly, trashcan, clip-on bar, straps and required time, I’m not convinced it is saving you any money, plus buying a bin seems like a waste…

[@TroyandAndrea]

I’ll sell it to you for $100.00 😎 Thanks for watching!

[@markroberts6971]

BS. $200-300 cradles? What planet did you get that information. High end is $150.

[@TroyandAndrea]

@@markroberts6971 Not so smarty Joe. When this video was made, EVERYTHING for bikes was a LOT more expensive! The Salsa EXP (what I would consider a quality cradle) is finally at a reasonable $125.00. But that wasn’t the case coming out of Covid years. Either way, what difference does it make to you? Go buy what you want.