My IM is coming up in 3 weeks and I haven't found the opportunity to fabricate something good to replace the Calpac. I've been using it for holding gels in training. It'll hold 6 High5 gels at a push and because the sachets are long and narrow they're easy to retrieve. I have my Calpac taped in place with black electrical tape to keep it secure.
For training I've had my spare tube, multi-tool and inflator in a bottle mounted on the rear of seat tube bottle mount. I've got a small pump mounted there too. I'd prefer not to fit a saddle bag since I've got a bottle cage zip-tied there.
I'm struggling a bit to find a good way to store everything I want to carry for the race.
I have a profile bento bag that I could perhaps press into service as a new cover for the Calpac (option 1 below). I think someone here suggested this a while back but it won't give enough extra capacity for everything.
The ideas I'm currently working with are the following or some combination of these:
- Cut out most of the bottom of the bento bag. Then remove the Calpac tray and sit it through the hole in the bag and re-install it so the bag is clamped between the tray and the frame. Gives you a more secure, slightly bigger volume with easier access via a top zip.
- Cable tie a container for gels onto the bridge on my extension risers. This would sit behind my BTA (Profile Design FC-25) and I could then use the Calpac for just the tube, multi-tool and inflator. If I can figure out a suitable container this might be a very practical option, but perhaps not very pretty!
- Cable tie a gel reservoir to the extensions or onto the bridge behind the BTA. This would be a bladder or bottle with a way to meter usage, for example a rubber bulb that pumps a known quantity per squeeze. Seems a little over the top though.
- Make a simple T shaped frame to bolt onto the bottle mount behind the seat tube. use velcro straps to attach the tube, multi-tool and inflator to this frame and fabricate a very simple fairing (much easier than a proper Calpac conversion).
- Fit one of these behind the saddle to hold the spare tube, multi-tool, inflator and a single water bottle.
Any other ideas or suggestions?
I have a BTA in place and also want to carry the following, preferably without anything taped to the top tube:
- One water bottle
- lots of gels (15-18 if possible - I don't like the Powerbar gels available on course)
- Spare tube, multi-tool & inflator (incl 2 canisters)