LTL Frame Bag FAQs: Mounting and Packing your Frame Bag
Mounting your Frame Bag
Mounting points encircle the bag for maximum versatility in mounting options for your frame bag. We’ve mounted the frame bags all over our bikes - under the top tube, near the bottom bracket, on the top tube and seat tube junction, they can be strapped on anywhere they’ll fit.
Prepping your frame
As we like to strap the bag packed with a flat repair kit on the bike and forget it, it's a good idea to add some kind of abrasion resistance on your frame. The straps won’t blemish your paint or finish on a few rides, but over time, things bouncing around on the trail can change things. A season of winter riding and being exposed to dirt and muck weekly creates wear on everything. Many of us are already using some kind of 3M ride wrap on our carbon and alloy frames, and it isn’t a bad idea to add some where you mount your bag.
Our favorite solution has been to add a layer of Gaffer Tape underneath the hook & loop straps. Gaffer tape is designed to avoid leaving residue when removed. A heavy-duty, pressure-sensitive cotton cloth tape, it sticks well and its textured surface helps keep things in place. This has worked well for free-hanging two strap setups, and helps keep the bag from bouncing around. There are lots of options, get creative!
Packing your bag
How much gear can you carry in a frame bag? This is often determined by how much space is in your frame once it’s mounted.
Depending on the orientation of the bag on your frame, we generally pack a small mini-tool and tire lever at the bottom of the bag; squeezing it under the inner tube automatically offers compression from the rubber, which helps press it down and in place.
The width of the frame bag was designed with the width of a standard inner tube and frame tube in mind. To avoid excessive bulging and potential knee contact and to keep items secure, we recommend packing tools or items vertically. You also want to make sure moving suspension components are not rubbing against the bag, as they will eventually wear through the material.
The last thing we want is loose tools bouncing and rattling around as it could be loud and noisy - and don’t underestimate what that could do over the course of a riding season - though we try to use strong and abrasion-resistant materials in our bag, you’ll want to minimize wear and tear to get the longest life from your investment. If you have excess space in your bag, wrapping everything in a rubber band or something similar will help keep items secure - a number of multi-tools use this in their design to stay closed.
Protect your tube
Over time, a hard plastic lever or metal tool rubbing against your tube could (will - it's happened to us) cause abrasion after a season of bouncing around. The last thing you want is your flat tire insurance policy to have a flaw, so it's a good idea to wrap the tube in a protective covering to avoid damage over long periods of time.