The New Grand Cru Handlebar Bag

The new Grand Cru Handlebar bag's design is based on traditional French handlebar bags. These days almost no one attaches bags like this to the handlebar. Instead they sit on a small front rack and are attached with a decaleur.

This bag is made in an artisanal sewing shop right here in Maryland. The fabric is heavy dark green treated cotton canvas. Wickett and Craig of Pennsylvania provide the oiled bridle leather for trim.

The large main compartment holds about 9.5 liters. There is also a front pocket, two flat side pockets, and two small rear pockets which I use for a cell phone and a small camera. The top has a map pocket. One of the neat features is the stiffener which goes in a long sleeve so no plastic is exposed.

Outside dimensions are: Width = 28cm, depth = 21cm, and height = 25cm. This bag is considerably larger than the VO Campagne bag. (And a bit larger than the Ostritch bag that we used to stock.)

The Grand Cru handlebar bag is designed to be used with, or without, a decaleur. There are two webbing patches running front to back under the bag. these are spaced at the same width as the rails on most small front racks. You can pass a strap through them to attach the bag to the rack if you're not using a decaleur.  An old toe clip strap works well for this. We chose this method rather than Velcro because the latter seems to wear out after a few years of heavy use.

The bag comes with a shoulder strap, very useful when walking around. No handlebar straps are included, since hardly anyone uses them anymore, but there are slots for them in case you're a true traditionalist.