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padma_Iakshmi on
Uhhhhh… pretty bad, for a number of reasons. My question is how are you going to fasten the bag to the frame? By just putting bolts into the holes??
Master_Block1302 on
I have exactly that bag bolted to my top tube. The bolts failed to transform my life, so I reckon you should stick with the old Velcro.
designocoligist on
That’s a good idea, for your dentist. You really don’t want a snapped top tube. If there was to be a hole for an accessory mount there would be some extra material there and it would all be done before the frame was heat treated. Extremely high chance of cracking it if you drill now.
Fishy-Business on
Thats insane. Any sort of frame warranty would be out the window and you want to drill through the top an bottoma!?
Why dont you get a back that goes around the headset as well. That keeps my bag from moving. This is the exact bag i use
Get a Tailfin top tube bag, they’re specifically designed to not slip around.
abedfo on
I wouldn’t risk it for peace of mind
Crash217 on
YMMV but I’ve drilled the frame and then installed riv-nuts on the top side of my top tube and bottom of my downtube for bags/bottle cages. Aluminum frame, Kona Rove. 2016 model. Been hammering it for well over a year with zero issues.
Terrible idea. Aluminum is very sensitive to fatigue and the frame is designed accordingly to handle this. Drilling holes will introduce a point of possible failure depending on the stresses in that region.
Ned_herring69 on
Worst idea ive ever heard
jstrawks on
How do you feel about your warranty?
trajtemberg on
You’ll have to crimp some threaded bosses, as the wall thickness is not enough even for an m2.5 bolt (it would get rounded and stripped in no time).
Not worth it imho.
That_Option5761 on
i have that exact bag bolted with the delivered plastic screws. i dont wanna overtighten them so it always sits kinda meh and i dont like to put heavy things in it as it leans from side to side
history-of-gravy on
Don’t do that. It’s bad. Use Velcro.
49thDipper on
Yeah don’t do that. Spendy mistake.
Where is the stem strap? Velcro around the stem is the way.
prikprak on
I would try it, what could possibly go wrong?
Both_Mouse_8595 on
Very
6GoesInto8 on
That tube isn’t even round, it should be enough to prevent rotation, maybe the Velcro isn’t tight enough. Just store a tire lever between the frame and the Velcro.
Insteadly on
Just use the Apidura supplied Velcro around the headset. u/LukasLuke1115’s photo has it missing. My top tube bag sits tight with the headset Velcro.
By the way, the inventor of Velcro passed away last year. May he RIP.
MikeSRT404 on
Is the frame still under warranty. Then don’t. If it isn’t or you bought it used. Drill it .
AnalogReborn on
It’s possible but you have to know how to do it properly. By that I mean avoiding locations close to the junctions between the tubes, being able to drill precisely on the center lane AND straight, cleaning the hole to prevent stress points, use a riveted and threaded plug. And even after that you’ll always risk a failure because aluminum is a fragile material, it doesn’t bend like steel and can fail in an instant. In the end it’s a lot of work for something not so important so I won’t advise you to do it. When they do it in the factory they also weld the plug which make the mount and tube a lot stronger. By the way you stated in another comment that you intended to drill through both sides of a tube, use a screw and a nut. That’s really NOT the way to do it, you’ll ruin your frame.
bigDpelican42 on
Personally even bolted on, my Bombtrack comes with brazed threads, the Apidura moves side to side more than dogzballz – double sided tape on top of frame and under frame where Velcro sits does an ok job on other frames. The head tube strap makes a bit of difference but still a bit meh. My Bike Bag Dude top tube bag is much better.
lowlightlowlifeuk on
I like how you jumped straight to drill holes in the frame rather than sew a loop onto the bag to loop around the stem (if there isn’t one they’re already).
Seriously, if you’re going to modify anything, modify the cheaper part that’s also probably easier to modify. Worst comes to worst then sell the top tube bag and buy a different one that’s going to work better.
funktion on
Do it, then post your pictures from the hospital.
Bulldogskin on
I just bought a couple of these suckers to try and mount fork bags. Haven’t tried them on a trip yet but they’re cheap as hell.
Bad idea. It will affect the integrity of the aluminum frame. When your aluminum bike frame cracks it done. Guess what could cause alloy tubes to crack? Drilling holes at them.
Working on aluminum tubing (cutting, drilling and welding) weakens the material. That’s why aluminum frames are heat treated at an industrial oven to regain its strength back.
Go for it. Also make sure you have good medical insurance in case your frame snaps.
sean_cassidy on
I just got the Tailfin top tube bag. They have a rubberized plastic stabilizer that goes against the frame. It makes it very stable and I’m happy with it.
CuTiDen on
Look like you will need a few more bags to hang on your fork as well, so don’t stop
35 Comments
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* Bike details (make, model, accessories, and gear)
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You can also use **post flair** to give additional context about your post.
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Uhhhhh… pretty bad, for a number of reasons. My question is how are you going to fasten the bag to the frame? By just putting bolts into the holes??
I have exactly that bag bolted to my top tube. The bolts failed to transform my life, so I reckon you should stick with the old Velcro.
That’s a good idea, for your dentist. You really don’t want a snapped top tube. If there was to be a hole for an accessory mount there would be some extra material there and it would all be done before the frame was heat treated. Extremely high chance of cracking it if you drill now.
Thats insane. Any sort of frame warranty would be out the window and you want to drill through the top an bottoma!?
Why dont you get a back that goes around the headset as well. That keeps my bag from moving. This is the exact bag i use
https://www.packnw.com/all-products/top-tube-bag
Bad.
Get a Tailfin top tube bag, they’re specifically designed to not slip around.
I wouldn’t risk it for peace of mind
YMMV but I’ve drilled the frame and then installed riv-nuts on the top side of my top tube and bottom of my downtube for bags/bottle cages. Aluminum frame, Kona Rove. 2016 model. Been hammering it for well over a year with zero issues.
Get this, problem solved.
https://us.76projects.com/products/ass-anti-strap-system?variant=44395344068847
Fucking bad.
Have a spare bike ready. Don’t do it yourself. Take it to a bike shop, some have the proper tools to do it properly.
Yeah…don’t do that. You will compromise your frame.
I would just use something like Velcro or [3M hanging strips](https://www.amazon.ca/Command-PH217-10NA-Picture-Hanging-X-Large/dp/B09WBRNRHB) so that it doesn’t slip around. should still well enough to the frame. Maybe use some stronger glue on the bag if they don’t stick.
Bad idea… Strap around the stem is the way.
Terrible idea. Aluminum is very sensitive to fatigue and the frame is designed accordingly to handle this. Drilling holes will introduce a point of possible failure depending on the stresses in that region.
Worst idea ive ever heard
How do you feel about your warranty?
You’ll have to crimp some threaded bosses, as the wall thickness is not enough even for an m2.5 bolt (it would get rounded and stripped in no time).
Not worth it imho.
i have that exact bag bolted with the delivered plastic screws. i dont wanna overtighten them so it always sits kinda meh and i dont like to put heavy things in it as it leans from side to side
Don’t do that. It’s bad. Use Velcro.
Yeah don’t do that. Spendy mistake.
Where is the stem strap? Velcro around the stem is the way.
I would try it, what could possibly go wrong?
Very
That tube isn’t even round, it should be enough to prevent rotation, maybe the Velcro isn’t tight enough. Just store a tire lever between the frame and the Velcro.
Just use the Apidura supplied Velcro around the headset. u/LukasLuke1115’s photo has it missing. My top tube bag sits tight with the headset Velcro.
By the way, the inventor of Velcro passed away last year. May he RIP.
Is the frame still under warranty. Then don’t. If it isn’t or you bought it used. Drill it .
It’s possible but you have to know how to do it properly. By that I mean avoiding locations close to the junctions between the tubes, being able to drill precisely on the center lane AND straight, cleaning the hole to prevent stress points, use a riveted and threaded plug. And even after that you’ll always risk a failure because aluminum is a fragile material, it doesn’t bend like steel and can fail in an instant. In the end it’s a lot of work for something not so important so I won’t advise you to do it. When they do it in the factory they also weld the plug which make the mount and tube a lot stronger. By the way you stated in another comment that you intended to drill through both sides of a tube, use a screw and a nut. That’s really NOT the way to do it, you’ll ruin your frame.
Personally even bolted on, my Bombtrack comes with brazed threads, the Apidura moves side to side more than dogzballz – double sided tape on top of frame and under frame where Velcro sits does an ok job on other frames. The head tube strap makes a bit of difference but still a bit meh. My Bike Bag Dude top tube bag is much better.
I like how you jumped straight to drill holes in the frame rather than sew a loop onto the bag to loop around the stem (if there isn’t one they’re already).
Seriously, if you’re going to modify anything, modify the cheaper part that’s also probably easier to modify. Worst comes to worst then sell the top tube bag and buy a different one that’s going to work better.
Do it, then post your pictures from the hospital.
I just bought a couple of these suckers to try and mount fork bags. Haven’t tried them on a trip yet but they’re cheap as hell.
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804580313642.html?spm=a2g0n.order_detail.0.0.6c74f19ccxZkaO&gps-id=msiteOrderDetail&scm=1007.38956.373968.0&scm_id=1007.38956.373968.0&scm-url=1007.38956.373968.0&pvid=14366243-90d4-4316-97bb-4221258649f3&_t=gps-id%3AmsiteOrderDetail%2Cscm-url%3A1007.38956.373968.0%2Cpvid%3A14366243-90d4-4316-97bb-4221258649f3%2Ctpp_buckets%3A668%232846%238110%231995&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21USD%214.03%212.10%21%21%214.03%212.10%21%402101fb1617070180728663851e0903%2112000030393188157%21rec%21US%21133171197%21&_universallink=1&m_page_id=kfvfhqzasecauxmo18d7234af6a7cc9e5401091e5c&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa
Bad idea. It will affect the integrity of the aluminum frame. When your aluminum bike frame cracks it done. Guess what could cause alloy tubes to crack? Drilling holes at them.
Working on aluminum tubing (cutting, drilling and welding) weakens the material. That’s why aluminum frames are heat treated at an industrial oven to regain its strength back.
Decathlon has [APB 300 bottle holder bracket](https://www.decathlon.com.hk/en/p/apb-300-bottle-holder-bracket/_/R-p-12559?mc=4766980&c=grey) that can install a bottle cage without drilling holes on a frame. It’s work a try that out to see if it works.
Go for it. Also make sure you have good medical insurance in case your frame snaps.
I just got the Tailfin top tube bag. They have a rubberized plastic stabilizer that goes against the frame. It makes it very stable and I’m happy with it.
Look like you will need a few more bags to hang on your fork as well, so don’t stop