The Route Werks System is designed to fit most handlebar styles. With so many possible cockpit combinations, one of the most common questions we get is: “Will this bag fit my bike?” In truth, the answer isn’t always straightforward - angled levers, stem heads, housing routing, personal preferences & bar diameters are just a few factors affecting the answer to this question.

Over the next few weeks, we're going to dive into this highly nuanced topic in what we’re calling our Fit Series. In it, we’ll take an in-depth look at several prominent factors affecting fit and guidelines to aid in determining if your bike’s setup is compatible with the Route Werks System.

In the kick-off to this series, we will cover the foundational points of our System - handlebar shape & diameter, some key measurements, and finally, handlebar type. One important note before diving in; all the examples expressed in this series are meant to be general guidelines. We can’t test every possible combination out there. Instead, we’ve collected our notes covering testing, adventures we’ve been on, and, most importantly, feedback from our supporters over the past four and a half years.

With that out of the way, let’s roll.

Handlebar Shape & Diameter

The load rating of our Bags (4kg), means that there needs to be adequate clamping forces between the Bike Mount and handlebar. To achieve sufficient holding power, our Bike Mounts can only be used on round handlebars. Our System does not accommodate aero or flattened profiles of any kind. 

Diameter

After shape, the diameter of your handlebars is the next most important factor. Currently, the Route Werks System offers two primary Bike Mount sizes:

• 31.8mm Bike Mount: Ideal for most modern bikes.

• 35.0mm Bike Mount: Designed for oversized handlebars often found on mountain bikes.

With the addition of our Big Handlebar Bag, we have added our 31.8mm High Mount. This Bike Mount allows for additional clearance on smaller frames due to the larger dimensions of the Big Bag, but it can also be used with the Original Handlebar Bag. We’ll address clearance in more detail in our third installment.

If you have smaller diameter handlebars, we also make two sizes of Bike Mount Adaptors that fit either of our 31.8mm Bike Mounts, allowing you to size down to 26.0mm or 25.4mm.

How to Measure Your Handlebar Diameter

If you aren’t sure what size handlebar you have, most manufacturers specify the diameter in their product details, either on the complete bike specifications or the standalone handlebar product page. If that’s not available or you simply can’t find it, don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Check out the Quick Tech Tip for a guide to measuring your handlebars. Once you know this measurement, you’ll be on your way to picking out the base of your Route Werks System.

Stem Head Width/ Spacing

Earlier, we mentioned that our Bike Mount only works with round handlebars. Taking this a step further, the round shape must not make any changes (shape or direction) within a range on the handlebar. Additionally, the head of your stem cannot be wider than 50.5mm for the 31.8mm Bike Mounts or 55mm for the 35.0mm Bike Mount. If you use one of the Bike Mount Adaptors on your 31.8mm Bike Mounts, that maximum stem head width is reduced to 47.5. The image below further explains these specifications. 

Handlebar Type

Handlebars come in a variety of styles—flat, drop, riser, cruiser, and everything in between. For the sake of capturing the largest cross-section of riders, we’re going to focus on drop and flat bars.

Drop bar applications are at the core of our designs. This handlebar style lends itself to long days in the saddle and is most commonly used when cargo is involved. We also see this style possessing the most variables impacting fit. Key among these variables are handlebar width, drop angle (flare), lever/hood angle, shifter throw & cable/housing routing. 

Top most to consider is bar width. For our Big Handlebar Bag, a minimum width  of 42cm offers the best fit when using our Handlebar Stub Accessories. Without these, you can go as narrow as 40cm. Our Original Handlebar Bag can fit down to 38cm with Handlebar Stubs or 36cm, without.

As you survey available drop bars, you will see a large number of them with some type of flare or angle to the lower section of the handlebar. This can be as little as a few degrees to nearly flat. This flare directly affects where the hoods of the brake levers are located. Whether or not you experience interference will depend on the degree of flare, angle of your levers, whether you are using Handlebar Stubs (and the accessory in use on them) and lastly what your personal preference is for clearance when your hands are on the hoods. This collection of factors is one of the most challenging for us to quantify in advance of purchase. What we can say is that if you don’t plan ever to use Handlebar Stubs on your Bag, it simplifies the process. 

Last but not least is cable/housing routing. Let’s face it, over the evolution of the bicycle, cables have been sticking off our bikes in every way. Unless you’ve been riding a new bike from the last 2-3 years that has all internal routing, chances are good that you are dealing with at least 3 pieces of housing containing cables and/or hydraulic fluid. The rigid nature of our System allows us to space the Bag away from the handlebar. This serves to allow the housing from your brakes and shifters to pass behind or under the Bag without affecting shifting or braking performance. If you have older brake levers with the housing coming from the top of the lever and arching toward the headtube, we even work with these!

Flat Bars (those typically found on mountain, fat-tire & hybrid bikes) are a fairly straightforward fit, with only two major interrelated fit concerns - brake lever location and housing routing. Most modern mountain bikes early 2000’s to present, have handlebars ranging from 700-780mm wide. As you move toward the wider end of this spectrum, there are few fit concerns as it relates to our System. However, as you creep toward the mid point and lower, we’ve observed that the angle at which the housing leaves the brake lever can lead to interference with the side of the Handlebar Bag. Sometimes a slight downward adjustment to the lever can help alleviate this but because this housing, especially hydraulic housing, doesn’t enjoy bending too much, it is something to consider. This is most prevalent on cross-country, hybrid, older  and most small size frame bikes. 

Final Thoughts

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that due to the myriad possibilities of bike setups. There will be some cockpit combinations out there that our system simply won't work with. We continue to evolve our Bike Mount offerings while trying not to get bogged down in creating hundreds of sizes. As we develop more sizes, we will always seek to create mounts that can provide solutions for several fit scenarios. This helps us manage inventory while working to welcome more riders into the Route Werks System.

Still have questions about compatibility? Drop us a line at info@routewerks.us. We’re here to help you create a system that fits your bike, your style, and your adventures. 

In the next installment of the Fit Series, we’ll talk about carbon fiber handlebars & other especially bar use with our System.

Until then, 

Happy Riding!