Testing New Products at The Mid South Gravel Bike Race
Greetings folks. I hope you are all doing well and that winter is in the rear view mirror! I have been a bit quiet over here at Iceworm MFG for a number of reasons. One of those being I was working on a new personal project, a bag design to carry my camera(s) at The Mid South Gravel Bike Race. I wanted to share with you some images of the early prototype as well as share some details of the set up. Hope you enjoy!
First, let me show you the set up I used at the event.
At the moment, this is just a prototype but I can tell you that I am very, very pleased with the performance at The Mid South Gravel Bike Race & Ride. The middle picture above is my bike set up just minutes before the start of the event.
In the bar bag I carried the following:
Ricoh GRIII camera in a GR specific carrying cradle (another prototype). This kept the camera secure at all times.
iPhone - I used a second carrying cradle for my iPhone. While the course was marked I used Ride with GPS to both track progress, times, speed, etc as well as use as a reference for course navigation if needed. Both the phone and camera were held vertical by the internal carrier and gave me quick access at all times.
Food - I stuffed every other open space with food including figs, protein bars, electrolytes, and even a small bag of cured meat & cheese. Having it in the bar bag with quick access allowed me to eat often and quickly. Honestly, quick access likely made me eat more frequently and kept my body fueled. As a result, I ended the event with less caloric deficit than normal and o felt great.
I also stored my gloves and arm warmers when I removed them at the first aid station.
I am not going to go into all the features now as they are still in development, but I will share with you the design goals.
Quick access - There are already many bar bags out on the market that have multiple straps & flaps that are focused on security of the contents 1st with access second. I wanted both access & security with this bag. I promise you all that you will take less pictures if you do not have quick access to the camera.
Security - Needed the bag to be secure so it didn’t bounce around, make noise and jostle the contents. To that end there are attachments at the bar as well as to a lower support, bag brace. I am using the Swood Cycles Twisted T-Bar on both the bikes shown above and I attach the bag via hook & loop straps to the both the bar and to the lower cross bar of the Swood T-Bar. Honestly, I think this is an outstanding product. And think you all should buy one from Swood!
Internally, there is a full hook & loop internal to attach dividers, pockets, camera carriers, etc. In addition, there is a cinch style closure to close up if you anticipate a rough road or mild dust, moisture, etc.
Rain/Mud Coverage - I built this with an external, roll top flap. This is not something intended to be opened or closed while riding. It is there to give you the extra coverage and security above and beyond the cinch flap if and when needed.
With that out of the way, here are some pictures taken during the ride/race. Hope you enjoy them. It was a beautiful course and stunner of a day!
The bag worked incredible well and I will be cutting and sewing an updated version with a few changes later this week while the experience is fresh. I’ll keep you updated as this camera bag progresses.
On the personal front, I am happy to say that I felt great. The event was a few miles longer than last year as well as more difficult. The conditions were great and I finished 20+ minutes ahead of my time the previous year! Very pleased with that start to the year.
Lastly, I wanted to share a few images from walking around. This year my son Nathan joined me so I did not focus on photography. Rather, I took a few shots here and there. Hope you enjoy them too.
Thanks again for checking this out and thanks to Bobby, The Mid South crew and all my friends & family for the support. You all make life great and I came home from the Mid South energized. Love you all!
