To those of you who ride bikes and read this, I have a question about CamelBak bags.
See, I have a frame for the rear of my bike, and with its bag it’s great for touring type riding, but it has a couple deficiencies:
· It rattles a LOT on even small bumps.
· While it holds the normal bike stuff I’d want to bring (multitool, spare tube, pump, keys, wallet, cell phone, tire levers, Clif bar) it doesn’t hold my camera very well.
Yesterday I swung by REI and picked up an Aero Wedge Pack (Medium) for $26. It was really easy to fit to my bike, but with it I have nowhere to put my pump. I can fit a tube or patch kit, but not any method for reinflating things.
I’ve been hesitant to get a CamelBak because of the price, and because when outside in warm weather while wearing a backpack my back tends to get really, uncomfortably sweaty, to the point where it makes me hot a lot quicker than normal.
I’m just not sure what to do, and I’d love suggestions. I could keep the small Topeak bag, and carry a patch kit and CO2 inflator in it instead of a spare tube. The on-bike water (about 1.5L) is sufficient for most rides I’ve been on so far. I could return to Topeak bag and get a CamelBak and use it instead of the rear rack / bag full time, or at least until I need the rear stuff. Or I could deal with the really loud / bothersome rattling and lack of space.
If you would recommend a CamelBak for me, which model? The M.U.L.E. seems to be the most popular, but it’s also REALLY big. I don’t know if it’d be overkill. It’s $86 and REI, and returning the bag I purchased yesterday would offset $26 of that.
Something I’ll post about later, probably with a photo: While riding The Rollercoaster at Stony Creek yesterday my rear brake suddenly seize, accompanied by a loud howling sound. What had happened? Somehow the upper bolt on the rear disc brake mount had come out, causing the brake to pivot forward and the upper edge of the caliper to stop the bike as it ground against the edge of the disc.
I actually found the bolt a little ways back down the path, and it wasn’t too difficult to get it back in and get the brake readjusted. I did run into the problem the rear rack being in the way of the bolt, and my multitool wouldn’t fit in there. Thankfully someone who had stopped had a shorter one and I was able to tighten things up with that. What’s strange, though, is that this bolt was tight not too long ago, and it was Loctited.