DIY Bikepacking Handlebar Cradle

This is a low-cost, lightweight, and stable handlebar cradle for carrying a dry bag when bikepacking.

OK, so maybe calling it a "cradle" is pushing the term a bit, but it does the same job, whilst being much cheaper than the bought ones, and even lighter and more stable in many cases.

I made this a couple of years ago now and it has been serving me well on the various trips I've done with it, including some quite rough trails.

I haven't included any photos with the steps, but it's so simple to make, that with pictures of the finished product and the notes I've added, I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out. There are a number of variables with handlebar and stem length, cable and hose routing, and the shape of the bar ends used to give it the support, that you will need to think through as you make it. I've detailed some of the main things you'll need to think about.

For the rear rack seen in some of the photos, have a look at this Instructable.

Materials

1. Bar ends (you've got an old set sitting in the shed, right?)
2. Eye straps x 2 (I used wire eye straps, but webbing eye straps might work better)
3. Rivets
4. Webbing straps - I used the Sea to Summit 1 m x 20 mm (like this but without the hook release)
5. Dry bag/dry sack - longer is better, and it needs to be robust enough to withstand some rubbing (I used the Overboard 12 L dry tube bag, which is a little heavy, although less than stated without the shoulder strap)

Tools

1. Allen/hex tool
2. Marker pen
3. Drill and drill bit
4. Riveter
5. Eye protection for drilling

Remove grips, brake levers, shifters etc, and install the bar ends on the inside of the aforementioned items. Then put them back on again!

The eye straps should be mounted towards the end of the bar ends. Consider where the bag will sit and where the straps will run to help find a good spot to mount the bar ends. As the bar ends might be able to be used for something akin to their intended purpose along with holding the dry bag (i.e. resting your hands on then), it's also worth checking if they can be mounted so they don't get in the way of your hands if using them for that purpose.

Once you've found a suitable spot, mark the location for the holes, drill these out, and rivet the eye straps to the bar ends.

If you've completed the above steps, you've made the "cradle"! The first time attaching the straps can take a while as you figure out how they will fit around the various hoses and cables. I loop the straps around the bars ends twice to help them hold in place when tightening them. I run the straps diagonally around my stem, which fits well with the shape of my bar ends and seems to work well.

Slide the bag in from the side and tighten the straps. At this point, you may figure out that you've actually put a strap on the wrong side of a hose or cable and need to re-do it! Check carefully for rubbing at this point, between the dry bag and bars/stem, and also the hoses and cables, and add tape or foam as needed. Also check that cables or hoses aren't being squashed. Experimenting with the angle of the bar ends can also help with this: I have mine set so that my brake hoses sit in the gap between the dry bag and bar ends.

I normally leave the straps on the bike overnight on trips. However, when using the Overboard bag on a wet trip the smooth material became somewhat slippery, so I threaded one of the straps through an eyelet on the bag,

Start out near to home and check the tightness of the straps and stability of the dry bag regularly until you know the system is working. I've found this to work really well and quality straps that don't slip make a difference; I'll often check it during a ride, but usually find I don't need to make any adjustments.

Enjoy your ride, and please let me know if you've made this, and any modifications you made.