Flaw and Fix: Aeroe Spider Handlebar Harness Review

[@srileo]

Very very useful intel. I was close to purchasing this since i already have their rear rack

[@robstermacinnes3104]

How do you find the rear rack? Do you use Aereo’s dry bag with it or another brand? Was wondering whether it would stay put if the straps don’t feed through any strap slats/webbing on the bag.

[@srileo]

Rear rack is fine. Quite sturdy. It’s the only solution for dual suspension bikes anyway. I haven’t purchased the front harness.

[@srileo]

I don’t see a reason to use aeroes drybag. Any bag will do if you can strap it down well.

[@betenoirproductions6062]

I used a different fix for the Aeroe Spider handlebar harness slipping issue. Simply apply a thin coating of silicone glue to the handlebar where the straps go (I used something called "Amazing Goop"), let it dry completely, then secure the harness with the straps as usual and tighten them snugly. The straps' rubberized backing then grips the silicone layer much better than the smooth handlebar surface and prevents any rotation from occurring. If Aeroe included a small tube of silicone glue with updated instructions they could 100% fix this issue. As a bonus, the glue could also be used to secure the rubber feet which otherwise easily fall out (as you demonstrated at 2:58). If you move the harness between bikes it's almost always the case that a rubber foot disappears during the transfer, which is highly annoying. Although not quite as glaring a flaw as harness slippage, it's a minor detail that could be easily remedied. After using silicone glue on the handlebars I've ridden the bike (a hardtail) on singletrack trails with no further slipping problems under load, and although it's possible it will eventually give out and require re-application so far it's working well. Your solution is certainly more permanent, but with all the fabrication and fitment needed it seems much simpler to try a little glue on the bars and see if this does the trick.

[@chasingmyfreedom3642]

Thanks for this detailed input. Good work finding a legitimate workaround that does the job for you. For day riding this seems like an easy, workable solution that may work for others as well. Do you know the highest weight you placed in the harness to test this still works? For my bikepacking trips I wanted something that I could rely on for the the long haul without having to keep checking if it's in place or not and occasionally re-apply, so went for something that doesn't only rely on friction. I agree with your comments about the rubber feet not being more securely attached to the harness. Because I only use the harness on one bike I don't find this too big a deal, however I can see in your case with lots of transitions between bikes this would be a much bigger deal if you lose one or both feet.

[@betenoirproductions6062]

@@chasingmyfreedom3642 I didn't weigh it but probably around 6-7 lbs (small tent and some spare clothes in a Salty Roll). Regarding the rubber feet, Aeroe does sell a spare parts kit with extra feet and straps for a reasonable price, but it would be nice if customers didn't have to worry about losing them in the first place. By the way, Mark at *Solo Bikepacker* attaches his Aeroe handlebar harness so it's facing down with the bag secured below it, which allows him to mount a water bottle on top of the plastic cradle. I don't recall him mentioning any problems keeping his Aeroe harness in place, and he does seem to travel extensively with his bikepacking rig.

[@nichootin]

which Amazing Goop type is it? perhaps some handlebar grip tape would do the trick?

[@stevemullin1195]

What about putting bar tape all the way to the stem clamp which would give something for the straps to grab onto.

[@nichootin]

@@stevemullin1195 aeroe actually sent me the new design for the calmps for free, havent tried it yet but new ones are metalt an rubber, should be much better

[@VE7QRZ]

Nicely done! I came up with a slightly different solution. I used a handlebar extender, mounted vertically on the steering tube. The piece your master-metalsmith-brother-from-another-mother Toby made up for you is much more elegant. I might take one, just a BC ferry ride away for me.......🤣

[@chasingmyfreedom3642]

That's a very creative solution using a cheap and readily available item and would love to see a picture of it. Good on you!

[@EddyGonzalez1509]

I bought this rack and the 12 ltr dry bag last week and the attachment to the handlebar is different now. Instead of a strap, it is a metal strip which sits on top of a rubber band of decent thickness. Now when you tighten the screws, the metal strip squeezes down super tight onto the rubber which is around the handlebar. I have been using a fully loaded bag on the rack and there has been zero movement even though I've ridden on rough terrain.My bike has front shocks so some of the force has been dampened but I'm still really pleased with the lack of movement.

[@chasingmyfreedom3642]

I posted a comment about this flaw on Aeroe's own installation video for this item and they replied they have an updated bracket as you mention. They offered to send replacement brackets to try out, and included a set for my riding partner that also has this harness. I've received the brackets but haven't had time to try them out yet. When I do I hope to make a video to show my results and see if it is an improvement or not.

[@GPMcGee]

Thanks for the review, you've answered the one question i had.. Does it rotate whilst riding? Yes is it does... My search for an ideal bar rack continues

[@OldLostGuy]

I have used Aeroe handlebar cradle on approx 10 rides so far. On the first two ride with only 4.5lbs on the cradle, the cradle kept slipping lower, pressing into my hydraulic brake lines. The Clamping kept loosening. On the next few rides, the cradle slipped almost immediately with approx. 6lbs in the cradle. I then used a handlebar extender to move the cradle out from my handlebars. On the next ride with 7lbs in the cradle the extender held but the cradle clamps loosened and the cradle flopped almost to tire level and pressed against my brake lines. On my last ride I think i have found a solution. I put an additional extender under the first extender so when the cradle clamps loosen. The cradle did flop, but only as far as the second extender not into my brake lines. I now have built up the extender thickness with rubber inner tube and really cranked the cradle clamps down on the tubing. I am testing this latest version and it seems to hold. My complaint about the cradle itself Is that the dry bag (that contains my tent. fly, poles and ground sheet) keeps bouncing and keeps spinning in the cradle. It is like the cradle material is not sturdy enough to even carry a 7 lb load. Neither the company I purchased it from Mountain Equipment Co-op nor Aeroe seem to care about the lack of performance or quality of this product. This product can only be used with a lot of work.

[@stefan64s]

I can give an update on the latest cradle versions: they don't have the fabric straps anymore, but metal straps covered in rubber railguard. As I haven't installed the cradle yet, I can't say if this solves the problem, but it looks solid at first glance.

[@petermyers4409]

Very useful video. I was looking at this product as an alternative to the Salsa cradle which my pal runs. The Salsa is nearly twice the price in my area ( Europe). However we took it over some proper Scottish rocky mountain biking terrain last year and it never budged. I'm going to go back to looking at that one again now. Sorry Aeroe, I'd rather have supported a Kiwi brand. We're still probably going to get a spider for the back mind you.

[@IanC-id6ro]

Your 20l dry bag has its centre of mass further away from the handle bars (point of rotation) than an 8l bag. Meaning that the moment arm is much longer than the 8l bag. Without actual measurements, I would be say that the torque produced by your 3kg load in the 20l bag is higher than the torque from a 5kg in a 8l bag. Hence the rotation problem. Another issue to address, and one that perhaps Aeroe should have foreseen, Is the friction coefficient between the nylon restraining tapes and the handle bar, which I think works out at about 0.4, almost similar to that between nylon and snow, 0.3. To get a much higher friction values and thus reduce the chance of rotation you need to introduce a "stickier" material between the restraining tape and the handlebar. In my experience I've found that a short length of inner tube wrapped around (in this instance) the handle bars would be beneficial (you obviously have to cut the tube to fit it). And then mount the carrier, make sure the restraining bolts are done up TIGHT. Whilst I can't give you a torque value for the bolts, you should be able to see the rubber tube being compressed. It won't stop the rotation, but should slow it up. Why? Because you've got yet another problem, again exacerbated by having moved the centre of mass further from the point of rotation. This is caused by "impulse loading" of the mass in the 20l bag by the bumps on the road surface creating rapid up/down motion generating "impulses" in the system. Assuming the same mass the moment produced by a 20l bag would be much higher than that produced by a 8l bag. Particularly big bumps would momentarily overcome the static friction of the clamps starting rotation. Once started, rotation would continue, even with smaller bumps quickly following the large on, as you have overcome the static friction and moved into the realm of kinetic (moving) friction. Kinetic friction values are much lower between the same materials than they are for static friction. Basically once you've starting something sliding (or rotating), it takes less force to keep it sliding than it did to start it. The trick is to prevent it moving in the first instance. In a nut shell, try wrapping something compressible and sticky around the handlebars, then mount the rack. Do it up tight, visually sight the wrap compressing .Ditch the 20l bag, use a smaller one, move the centre of mass closer to the point of rotation (handle bars). And finally reduce the amount of mass you're carrying on the Aeroe mount.

[@georgeleakos8376]

Nice video! Using diy hardware I mounted the Aeroe cradle on the arch of my suspension fork, angled almost upright. Did not use the handlebar mounting hardware that came with the kit. I’m also using a pair of 25” long Atlas straps (similar to Voile). I can strap dry bags up to 20 liters without issues.

[@chasingmyfreedom3642]

Wow, very inventive mounting choice. If I understand your description, I would imagine this impacts how well the front suspension functions seeing as this is adding a significant amount of weight to the unsprung (wheel and fork lower) portion of the bike. Glad to hear it works for you. Would like to see a picture of this.

[@flightographist]

There is a manufacturer in Europe that makes a universal piece ( i.e. for more than just the Aero cradle) very similar to that, it's licensed to an American artisan in the NE I think, don't recall the name.

[@AydinProductionsLtd]

Awesome work around! I have the cradle haven’t used it yet but I think this is a great work around ! Your friend should sell it !!!

[@petercreagh8797]

The problem with selling something like that is they would have to be a different size for different bikes resulting in them being very expensive.

[@silentrabbit247]

Think most people would use a 8 to 13 litre dry bag with this harness. A lot of handlebars are quite smooth / slippery, would putting some insulation tape or textured tape or even a piece of cut innertube rubber, around the handlebar (where harness fits) first then mount the harness be a solution ? I have used this when fitting light brackets to the bike. Or try tying a piece of para cord / dyneema over the handlebar stem and down onto the harness to prevent it dropping.

[@back40canoe]

Did you use a torque wrench to ensure that you had it tightened to the 4nm that they specify? Mine doesn’t move like that once I’ve tightened it to 4nm

[@chasingmyfreedom3642]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6m6mXSLd76AhJo

[@back40canoe]

@@chasingmyfreedom3642 HaHa I'm not sure how I missed that!

[@deioo1965]

Thanks for sharing the video! The flaw described is common (I would say) with all front loaders and bikes with exposed cables. You can take the Aeroe out and put Topeak or Restrap (or any other) in its place, you'll have the exact same problem and probably the same fix will do it. There are solutions that don't require DIY or owning a metal manufacturing business, for example Topeak Bar Xtender - or basically any stem camera mount system can be repurposed to keep the bags at bay. Even a stick and 2 zip ties can do the job if you fiddle a bit with it. Hope this helps others to make a decision, Aeroe is still one of the most stable handlebar mounts in my opinion.

[@chasingmyfreedom3642]

Thanks for the input and I agree what Aeroe has done is good, but not good enough to be called great. I've tried a generic amazon equivalent of the Topeak Bar Xtender and found it suffers from the same issue the Aeroe Spider does - it clamps to the handlebar and relies of the friction of that clamping force to resist rotation. On the kind of terrain I ride it simply does not resist rotating with so much vibration. IMO it requires something that attaches somewhere other than the handlebars themselves such as the fix I came up with. Do you have a sample link of the stem camera mount systems you're talking about? I'm curious to see if that would be a simpler way to stabilize this harness properly.

[@PeterSz73]

​@@chasingmyfreedom3642The Restrap 'bumper bar' looks like a promising solution to stop downward movement. I haven't tried it yet, but it may be a viable solution to this problem.

[@blue0ify]

FWIW Aeroe seem to have new attachments to prevent this issue. I emailed them and they replied quickly saying they'll send them out for mine :)

[@basstrom88]

Funny - I started looking at this mount as a solution that won't need to rest against the head tube of my MTB. I've been using a Revelate Harness for years on my gravel bike and made a 3D printed TPU form-fitting head tube bumper so that the harness could rest and rotate against it without damaging the HT. I considered doing that again for my MTB, but also wanted something that wouldn't squash the cables, as you did also. I was a bit skeptical of the mount's ability to resist rotations with friction alone, and unfortnately your video has confirmed my fears. Back to the drawing board...

[@chasingmyfreedom3642]

They have come close to an outstanding product - just one more part needed to make it a real winner.

[@petermyers4409]

Salsa makes a handlebar cradle which doesn't rotate, or at least that's my first hand experience.

[@jeremybainbridge-smith5273]

Great review. Was considering purchasing this. But will now consider other options. Many thanks.

[@chasingmyfreedom3642]

Glad I could help. Aside from this oversight, it's a very good product. I hope Aeroe improve it.

[@davidbeacham5786]

Personally I would never want that much weight up there so it might not be and issue but I couldn't help noticing the forks are locked out. If they were not then would it absorb impact more? If I were to modify one I would probably look at an Ortlieb style cable set up so nothing would be left on the bike when not in use.

[@chasingmyfreedom3642]

My forks were actually not locked out for this test as they do not have a lockout function. Having said that, they are very cheap Suntour XCT forks with a coil spring. They are not very compliant and do not absorb sharp impacts very well like my test.

[@thispod]

If you're still looking for a bigger daisy chain equipped drybag you can check decathlon. Their handlebar drybag costs 20€, it measures 90cm by 28cm when laid flat. Can I ask you the measures of the aeroe platform? I'm trying to replicate it as I need something to fix my decathlon bags to on the sides ortlieb quickrack as a sort of spider rack knockoff

[@seansixfive]

Within reason, hydraulic cables should not be to much of an issue but mechanical cables are, mechanical disc breaks, front and rear gear cables etc. but good points nonetheless, I still haven’t found a good option for my MTB.

[@raymarks7430]

Sadly I bought the same rack , along with rear. On two bikepacking trips the rack moved down and almost snapped my rear brake cable. Like your friend, I’ve moved mine down under the cables but it’s now close to the head tube .. not a great solution

[@chasingmyfreedom3642]

Sorry to hear it didn't work for you either as delivered. Aeroe is so close to having a real winner. I hope they add to it so it can reach its full potention.

[@ellenbardin1900]

a rubber bumpper ?

[@tobycolquhoun1762]

Nice and informative

[@ellenbardin1900]

My handlebar crafle slips and is definitely an issue!

[@Dutcharmytent]

If Aeroe did this mod I would buy it.

[@ellenbardin1900]

aeroe handlebar adapter would solve the issue

[@davetribear]

You should sell that device

[@chasingmyfreedom3642]

I thought about this although it's probably not practical from a financial perspective. The custom adapter I use was designed to fit my bike. To sell it to others would require development to make it adjustable for different setups. I'm hopeful Aeroe will take this on so they can sell a complete and excellent product we can all get excited about.

[@laynetimba4814]

Use Voile straps

[@chasingmyfreedom3642]

I agree Voile-style straps would be an option and I think they would fit in the existing slots built into the Spider harness. Keep in mind you need to cut the original nylon straps from Aeroe in order to make this change. In my case, I prefer using nylon webbing and plastic clips as it allows me to use the combination of two bags as shown in the video, with easy on-and-off capability without having to adjust the straps each time the bags are mounted.

[@Jaymoid]

Maybe they changed the design since, my spider straps can be easily removed without cutting them.

[@aeroebikepack]

@@chasingmyfreedom3642 our handlebar cradle straps can be removed without cutting the straps them self. :)

[@mutantlego]

Hi, great video and mod for the harness. I made my own harness from a thrift store lumbar support. I have a few other hack ideas on my budget gravel bike set up like waste pipe fork cages. . I'm not a you tuber but I made 1 short video about these , check it out if you're curious ✌

[@mutantlego]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5Onn2uqatl4oacsi=qOtl6Y-7taFcZwK9

[@chasingmyfreedom3642]

Checked out your video - you're definitely creative and resourceful with your solutions! Some good ideas there for anyone comfortable using found materials to come up with unique storage for their own ride.