bikelovejones

Product review: Acorn Bags seat bag and handlebar bag

(Note: this is an UNsolicited review)

Acorn bags are made in the USA, one at a time, by a husband and wife team. In a world of ever-increasing emphasis on global commerce, Acorn is truly a cottage business. From the looks of the products, the makers seem to have studied a lot of other bike bags before making their own.

The small seat bag measures roughly the same size as the Berthoud and Rivendell “banana” bags, but is less paisley-shaped and more pod-shaped. This means it holds more because it’s a fairly round bag. However, this "pod" shape also means that some creativity is required to get it to hang more vertically; the bag’s roundness and the placement of the leather strap cause the bag to hang almost horizontally from the saddle rails. If you use a Brooks saddle, you can loop the leather strap through the saddle loops and pull it tight so the bag hangs closer to the underside of the saddle, which I prefer. Note: the leather strap that came with the saddlebag was not quite long enough to allow me to use the saddle loops. I replaced it with a leather toe strap, which did the job.





Other very nice touches on the seat bag include d-rings for additional lashing points on the top flap; zippered compartments on both sides of the bag and inside the top flap; and a nylon drawstring “apron” that allows for a fair bit of overstuffing in a pinch. The nylon cord zipper pulls are finished with leather mini-fobs for easier grabbing with cold fingers.





I used the seat bag this summer on several training rides and a 200-mile charity ride in changeable weather. The bag performed beautifully, holding spare tubes, tools and a first aid kit, plus sunglasses and medication. It took a pre-ride treatment of proofing wax easily. The result was that my things stayed dry, even in an hourlong downpour at the start of the charity ride.

The handlebar bag is a more recent acquisition for me. It is patterned along the same lines as Rivendell’s “Hobo” bag, with some subtle differences. Firstly, the Acorn version is an inch shorter, meaning it will fit easily between the drops on handlebars as narrow as 40cm wide and still allow room for your hands on all areas of the bar. It’s more truly rectangle-shaped than Rivendell’s version which has more rounded corners. Where Rivendell offers a couple of small pockets inside the bag and a tiny pocket on the outside front that’s almost an afterthought, Acorn replaces these with one large pocket on the outside front that runs the length of the bag and closes with a zipper. (I would probably locate the zipper opening about an inch higher if I had my way, but that’s a minor quibble).





Two nice touches that improve upon the Rivendell design are: (1) nylon shock cords with spring toggles on the lower d-rings, for easy looping around the brake hoods (you can still run the loops under the hoods, just locate the toggle at the bottom near the d-ring to keep it out of your hands’ way); and a shoulder strap for the upper pair of d-rings, to be used if you remove the bag. Removing the bag isn’t snap-click easy, but the leather straps can be undone in a minute or less and the bag carried easily with the shoulder strap.





Rivendell’s first generation of the “Hobo” design, made in waxed canvas by Duluth Bag and then by Carradice, fit only with wider sizes of drop handlebars. The second generation, their “Smythe” handlebar bag, made in England, fit between the drops of narrower bars but came in a wool tweed that was not at all waterproof. (Rivendell has since begun to offer the same new design in canvas, as supplier availability allows.) The Acorn bag comes in your choice of tan, loden green or black canvas with simple leather trim where reinforcement is needed. (Important note: the canvas Acorn uses is NOT waxed, but can easily be waxed at home with the same cotton proofing wax used to re-proof Carradice cotton garments and bags.) Acorn’s version of this design is about twenty dollars less than Rivendell’s, though I suspect that as Acorn bags grow in popularity their prices will probably rise over time.

Both bags come beautifully sewn, with great attention to detail. Double seam-stitching where needed, and the bags are trimmed with contrasting-color cordura around the edges most likely to show wear. (Tan bags come with dark brown trim, green bags with black trim.) The handlebar bag also features a wide patch of cordura over the rear-facing middle of the bag, where it would come into regular contact with the stem, headtube and cable housings.

What I like most about these bags, besides the sturdy construction and consistent stitching throughout, is their elegant simplicity. They’re handsome and classy without being overwrought.

The only drawback at this time is the issue of supply. Acorn bags are made one at a time by two people who have day jobs. At present, the only place to find them is on Ebay. The maker has told me this might change in the future if he can train at least one or two more people to do the sewing. In the meantime, check Ebay (search under “acorn bag”) and wait for more bags to appear.