Terracycle Side Seat Mount and Arkel Handlebar Bag

Arkel handlebar bag with shoulder strap

I've added a new Arkel handlebar bag using the Terracycle Side Seat mount to this year's touring kit that I'm excited about. Recently, I upgraded my camera to an Olympus OMD M5 mark ii mirrorless with a 12-40mm lens. This camera is much bigger than the compact Panasonic Lumix p&s I've been using on my last few tours. I love taking pictures while riding my trike and needed a way to keep this new camera protected and handy. 

Pat Franz, of TerraCycle, has 3 bags offered with his newly designed side seat mount. The Arkel bag is the most expensive ($139) and my camera fit in it the best. The bag is waterproof and the zippered side pocket will keep my phone, wallet, keys and lip stuff close at hand and organized.  The real benefit of this bag is how easily I can take all my valuables off the trike whenever I stop. I've left the shoulder strap attached for comfortable carrying.

Contents of bag

In the main section of the bag I keep my Olympus camera, a lightweight weatherproof jacket, snacks, Sony helmet camera and wrist monitor. There are 2 net side pockets. On one side I keep a small packable cloth grocery bag and the other side I keep sun screen.

The Terracycle side seat mount has lots of placement flexibility to get the bag exactly where you want it. Pat has also designed mounts for most of the major trike brands. The main bar attaches on the back of the Euro mesh seat with 2 clamps. The mount also has a longer bar set up to use 2 bags, one bag on each side of the seat. I'm using the shorter bar for one bag. 

Attachment clamps and shorter bar for use with one side bag looking down from the top and back of the seat.

The Arkel bag is designed to use on upright handlebars. The supplied attachment clamps are a good 2 inches long which puts the bag farther away from the seat. Pat designed and machined new clamps for trikes that put the bag right next to the mount. These will be especially useful for anyone using 2 bags. Very nice! 

This picture shows the difference between the long clamps Arkel supplies and the new Terracycle shorter clamps

After getting the mount set up, I had trouble getting the bag to go on and off the clamps easily. Pat spent lots of time fixing the bag. First he took the clamp attachments on the back of the bag and smoothed out the edges. This helped but the bag still didn't come off the clamps as easily as I wanted.  Then he looked closer and noticed the clamp attachments and the back of the bag were bowed. He replaced the clamp attachments from a new bag and then machined a new metal stiffener. Pat also added a solid piece to the bottom of the bag and foam around the edges. Now my camera is well protected and the bag goes on and off smoothly, like butta. The amount of time Pat put in to make this bag right is impressive - it's not even his product! 

The bag is close to the seat and within the width of the front wheels.

At first, I had the bag on the right side of the seat. I ended up moving it to the left side because I make sharper turns to the right than the left.  Occasionally, the bag would brush up against objects when I turned tightly.  Putting the bag on the left has solved that issue.

I have short arms and the handlebars need to be farther back. Just enough clearance with the bag!

I think this bag will be a wonderful addition to my touring gear kit and I'm very interested to see how it handles the elements over time.

Myrtle with the new Arkel side bag