HANS BAGWORKS

New Website

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:43:23 -0400

I’ve decided to set up a proper domain for Hans Bagworks and am more accustomed to using Wordpress. Sorry Tumblrs!

Our new home will be at http://hansbagworks.com/.

Paul & Jesi
Hans Bagworks

New Mini Bag, Changes

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:20:38 -0400

This past weekend I finished up a new design for a small handlebar bag. It’s very simple and functional. Just enough room for your wallet, phone and a light jacket. It attaches with velcro and can be taken in off in seconds. I’ve made a larger version as well. I’m digging these even more than the zippered rectangular bag offered in the past. Expect to see this in a variety of colors in the coming weeks.

Also, my partner in crime, Jesi, has joined Hans Bagworks, so it’s now a two-person nano-venture. Expect twice the output from here on out. We’re putting final tweaks on some previously prototyped bag designs and will be building a stock of bags for summer sales. In addition, I’m working on a slightly more legit website. Stay tuned.

New Bike, New Rides

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:11:00 -0500

I did it. I pulled the trigger on a new bike. A Salsa Vaya. Just in time for the winter thaw, it arrived a few days ago and I’ve excitedly been riding it as much as I can. I went out for a nice ride after work yesterday, taking a familiar paved route out of town and turning off to check out the surface on a favorite packed dirt road which received a good amount of snow and ice this winter. It was mostly dry, with some bits of ice and mud, but it gave me an opportunity to test out the Vaya on some mixed surfaces, including a nice climb and a chance to test out the BB5s on a big, slippery descent. Here are a few photos, complete with a new top tube bag I made last week.

Handlebar Bag & Pocket

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 19:45:00 -0500

Today I finished up a handlebar dry bag which I’ve been working on for the past week or so. It’s constructed of Dimension Polyant VX21 XPAC fabric and is reinforced with 500D Cordura patches in a few key spots for abrasion resistance. It secures to the handlebars and head tube with a system of webbing, buckles and velco and features dry-bag style openings on either end of the bag as well as a small, flat pocket with reflective tape on the front. I also made a detachable, zippered pocket which attaches to the bag via velcro and would work well for carrying a few snacks or a tool kit. Though width is variable between about 12” to 16”, it has a diameter of approximately 7.5” and weighs in at just under 11 ounces (with the add-on pocket).

This bag is intended for carrying soft goods on an overnight bikepacking trip or would serve as an alternative to a standard handlebar bag on just about any tour. In the photo, I’ve stuffed it with a 30 degree down sleeping bag and a fleece jacket. Solid construction through and through, and perhaps the best bag I’ve made yet.

Drop me a line if you like what you see and would like one for yourself.

Roll-top Backpack

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:27:00 -0500

I finished this cool roll-top backpack a few weeks ago for my lady. It’s constructed of 1000 denier Cordura on the outside and lined with a 14 oz vinyl coated polyester on the inside. It was my first time working with closed cell foam, so there’s 1/2” thick foam in the shoulder straps and in a back panel. The loops on the bottom rear of the pack were a special request to hold her yoga mat. It came out very nicely and is seeing daily use. I’m currently working on a prototype of a porteur bag using some of the same ideas and materials. Will post on here when it’s finished!

Great Divide Wallets Now Available

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:23:51 -0500

I now have a pile of Great Divide Mountain Bike Route map wallets available for order. As with the other bicycle map wallets I’ve made, a portion of each sale will go to support Adventure Cycling Association. Thanks for your support!

Little Black Bag

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 12:17:35 -0500

Yesterday I finished up a custom order for a black mini handlebar / seat post bag. At the orderer’s request I made it slightly wider than the ones I had previously made and added two interior velcro straps to hold a small frame pump in place. This bag came out great and in my opinion, is the best I’ve made yet.

Dimensions on this bag are 9” x 4” x 4”. Black duck canvas, black trim, black straps, a loop for a blinker and a strip of reflective tape for added visibility.

If anyone is interested in ordering a custom, made-to-order mini handlebar bag / seat post bag, contact me or visit my store for ordering info.

Also, a few weeks ago I finally got a chance to photograph one of my earlier prototypes of this in seat bag mode on a Brooks saddle. Thanks to Josh for loaning one out to me, as I’m too poor to own one myself.

Rack Bag for a Pugsley

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:44:00 -0500

Earlier this week, I finished and shipped out this nice custom, mini rack bag for a front rack on a Surly Pugsley. It came out nicely with black XPAC fabric on the exterior, red ripstop nylon lining the inside, waterproof zipper, a loop for a blinker, some d-rings and stretch cord on top. Hopefully it does the job!

Map Wallets Back in Stock & iPod Cases, Too

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:10:00 -0500

I now have all of the map wallets back in stock, including wallets utilizing maps sections from the following bicycle routes: Atlantic Coast, Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, Great Parks South, Lewis & Clark, Northern Tier, Southern Tier, Transamerica Trail and Western Express. These can be ordered here.

I’ve also created a new product: a fancy iPod / iPhone case using the maps, which is a bit more heavy duty than the wallets, with a map sandwiched between a layer of heavy plastic for the exterior and lined with colorful, wool felt for the interior, with a velcro-closing flap. These can be ordered with our without a slot for headphones. See ordering details in my online store. Additionally, I’m working on a prototype for a larger iPad / tablet case using a similar construction, which I hope to make available in the coming weeks.

Thanks for the support!

-Paul / Hans Bagworks

Holiday thanks

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 09:59:31 -0500

Many thanks to everyone that has checked out my site or ordered a wallet. The response has been really wonderful and a bit overwhelming. Two small updates:

1. I am leaving town Dec 16-27 for the holidays. I am bringing a small supply of wallets to mail from the road and will try my best to fill orders while traveling, but I can’t guarantee they’ll arrive for holiday gift giving.

2. I have sold through my initial stock of the Atlantic Coast, TransAmerica Trail, GDMBR, Northern Tier and Western Express wallets. However, I will be making another big batch of these after the holidays. Please feel free to put in an order for any of these, but please note that your order will not ship until the end of the year. Thanks for your wonderful support!

Made-to-order mini bags

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:48:00 -0500

I am now taking orders for the mini handlebar / seat bags I posted about a few weeks ago. They will be available in three color variations: black with black trim, tan with brown trim, and forest green with brown trim. See details on ordering one here.

Please note that these will be made individually for each order, so please allow a few weeks for assembly and delivery. Thanks for your support!

Over the weekend, I cut materials and started work on a small...

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:53:00 -0500

Over the weekend, I cut materials and started work on a small run of all-black tool rollers, but I unfortunately ran out of black thread about halfway through the process of piecing them together. So those guys are on the sidelines until a restock of thread (and some cool, new hardware) arrives. In the meantime, I’ve started work on a canvas prototype for a small trunk bag which is coming together nicely.

Btw, thanks to Jesi and Ian for the nice mentions on Facebook!

I just finished up the big green bag. It came out pretty nicely,...

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:03:00 -0500

I just finished up the big green bag. It came out pretty nicely, though it’s a little rough around the edges. I learned a lot from this project and what my machine is capable of and will be be making some changes the next time around. I’m hoping to post some better quality pics soon.

This bag measures 11” wide, 7” tall, 7” deep. It features 8# duck canvas for the outside and 18 oz vinyl coated polyester for the lining. Complete with a clear map sleeve, velcro and buckle closures, 1 front pocket, 2 rear pockets, 2 side pockets and side D-rings for attaching a carrying strap (or for securing to drops). It has four velcro straps on the bottom intended for mounting onto a platform-style front rack.

The holiday weekend gave me some spare time to work on this big,...

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 22:30:31 -0500

The holiday weekend gave me some spare time to work on this big, boxy randonneur-style handlebar bag. Just waiting on an order of trim to arrive and I’ll put the finishing touches on this one. Looking sharp so far with a heavy, forest green duck canvas exterior and yellow vinyl interior.

If anyone is interested in a bag order for the holidays, please drop me an email.

I recently acquired a handful of out of print and soon to be...

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:05:00 -0500

I recently acquired a handful of out of print and soon to be discarded waterproof and tear-resistant bicycle route maps from Adventure Cycling Association. Inspired by their dedication to recycling, I figured they could be used for something else and given a new purpose, rather than just ending up in the landfill. After some experimenting, I put together a design for a simple, billfold wallet and soon went to work with my sewing machine, initially creating a stack of them for friends and family for the holiday season.

So far I’ve created wallets from map sections of ACA’s TransAmerica Trail, Northern Tier, Southern Tier, Atlantic Coast, Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, Great Parks South, and Western Express bicycle routes.

They are a great, affordable gift for a friend or family member who may have completed one of these classic bicycle routes, or for any bicycle touring enthusiast or lovers of maps. And for every wallet sold, I’ll donate a dollar to Adventure Cycling Association, to support their ongoing work in creating routes for bicycle travel throughout the US.

They can now be ordered in my new online store here. All orders will be mailed within a few days.

A snowy, rainy weekend gave me some quality time with the new...

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 22:36:00 -0500

A snowy, rainy weekend gave me some quality time with the new sewing machine and I hammered out two mini handlebar bags. Both turned out great. Going to make a few tweaks, then I’ll be making a few for public consumption.

New sewing machine ordered and on the way. And some new fabrics and designs too.

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:51:00 -0400

New sewing machine ordered and on the way. And some new fabrics and designs too.

A custom frame bag I created for my friend Mo’s Salsa El...

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:44:00 -0400

A custom frame bag I created for my friend Mo’s Salsa El Mariachi Ti 29er. Pics in action (hopefully) coming soon!

Prototype for a padded, top tube bag. Perfect for snacks,...

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:41:00 -0400

Prototype for a padded, top tube bag. Perfect for snacks, camera, phone, etc.

Frame bag for the Karate Monkey, made in August. Still going...

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:19:00 -0400

Frame bag for the Karate Monkey, made in August. Still going strong.