Cogimade cogimadeDare to do it your way.

Why I made it

I didn't want to ride short trips with a backpack on. I designed the bag to hold the basics: a water bottle, a pump and a lock. There is still room for a snack or a jacket. I made the pattern the way most tutorials do: I traced the inside of the frame onto cardboard, cut it out and adjusted it until it fit. It was an experiment with an uncertain ending, but the bag turned out surprisingly well and now comes with me everywhere.

What came of it

The bag worked, but I kept wondering if there was a simpler way, without tracing, with just a tape measure. So I turned the process into a guide with a pattern calculator. Measure your frame and the calculator works out the pieces to fit your bike. You'll find the details in the guide.

Finished

Mountain bike with a black frame bag and a saddle bag
Close-up of the frame bag with a blue zip pull and hook-and-loop straps around the top tube
Open frame bag with a water bottle inside and striped lining
A bottle, a pump and a lock. There is still room for a snack and a jacket.

Making of

Cardboard template from the calculator held up in the bike frame
A cardboard template made with the pattern calculator, held up in the frame as a test fit.
Bag pieces, cardboard template and tools on a cutting mat next to the sewing machine
Cardboard outline of the bag in the bike frame below the saddle
Side panel with striped lining clipped to the gusset
Sewing on the side panel, the edge held with red clips

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