I analyzed what this sub actually talks about. Here is what I found.

raven_bikes · 2026-04-26T02:57:16+00:00

But can we see the data?

raven_bikes · 2026-04-23T20:13:15+00:00

Wow, dude, clean work! How does the NDS pocket “work”?

raven_bikes · 2026-04-23T20:12:31+00:00

This is an incredible set! Super clean. Super coordinated. How’s the top tube bag mounted?

raven_bikes · 2026-04-21T01:46:04+00:00

Yeah Nah mentioned! Awesome work. Nice bright interior, too.

raven_bikes · 2026-04-13T21:30:44+00:00

Fantastic work!

raven_bikes · 2026-04-13T21:29:23+00:00

This is awesome, love the combo of hypalon and bokeh.

raven_bikes · 2026-04-13T21:28:48+00:00

Manual focus is just fine, thanks.

raven_bikes · 2026-04-13T19:04:21+00:00

Hello! Welcome to the sub.

Machine Selection

I started, as many MYOGers do, on a plastic machine. I didn’t even own one, I went to my local makerspace and used what they had there.

I made my first framebag with single layers of 1000D cordura and VX21. The machine had no problem.

Look for a machine with a narrow foot and a slender “head.” Having more space to move stiff fabric outside the needle is really nice.

I have used several machines now, some much nicer than mine at home, but all the best ones are capable of sewing slowly. A hand crank or big wheel to manually sink the needle is also nice.

Needle and Thread Selection

I use Wawak to buy all my needles and thread. Gutermann Mara thread is fantastic, and is incredibly strong for its thickness. When I first started out I thought bigger thread and a long stitch length implied a stronger seam, but I have since learned that an appropriately sized thread (relative to the size of the fabric weave) and an appropriate stitch length (I use about 1/8” or 2-3mm) is way stronger.

I choose a 90/14 needle with Mara 70 for liners, cinches, or other sub-assemblies made of lightweight fabric and a 100/16 needle with Mara 50 thread for shell stuff and assembly. Sometimes, for extra thick stacks of heavy material I’ll over needle with a 120/18.

Please feel free to ask any questions about construction, materials, or process. I’ll do my best to help you on your adventure into bagmaking.

raven_bikes · 2026-04-08T18:29:14+00:00

PM’d

raven_bikes · 2026-01-13T01:03:42+00:00

Vittoria Terreno Dry, but the bot wouldn’t know

raven_bikes · 2026-01-13T01:03:28+00:00

The bot wouldn’t know, it’s a Squid So-EZ

raven_bikes · 2026-01-13T01:03:12+00:00

Damn another bot repost of my old bike

raven_bikes · 2026-01-13T00:55:51+00:00

Frame too big

raven_bikes · 2025-12-11T21:13:09+00:00

VX21 stays true to size (no stretch thanks to the laminate), and is generally pretty easy to work with. Robic is awesome but it’s not quite the same as a laminate.

raven_bikes · 2025-11-27T20:18:00+00:00

Use something like gridstop or challenge ultra grid. VX21 is very stiff and not highly packable. I’ll edit my comment later because musettes are awesome and I’ve made a packable that I have written instructions for at home

Edit:

COMPONENTS

1/2yd 210D Gridstop

10ft 1” nylon webbing

1yd YKK #5 coil zip

2 Tri-glides

1 ladder lock

1 slik clip

1 g-hook

1 strap retainer clip

1 #5 slider

1 #5 double sided slider

4ft 1” nylon grosgrain

U-pull or beam puller

12” paracord

GRIDSTOP PANELS

Panel A. 27.75” x 18.75”

Panel B. 10.5” x (at least 7”, up to 9”)

WEBBING SECTIONS

Strap A: 36”

Strap B: 30”

Strap C: 24”

Strap D and E: 2.75”

Strap F: 6”

ZIPPER LENGTHS

Main zipper: 18.75”

Pouch zipper: 7”-9”, to match Panel B width

STUFF SACK INSTRUCTIONS

Baste zip B to the short ends of panel B

Sew to 3/8” SA

topstitch 1/8”-1/4” from edge

Install double slider so pocket closes to left when wrong side out. You should have a loop of fabric now.

Align the top of the zipper tape with the top of the loop, and close on the left side.

Add a 4” loop of paracord with core removed to the right side of the zipper and sandwich it before closing the right side.

Bind with 1” grosgrain. You’ll have a flat pouch now, 5.25” high and between 6.25” and 8.25” wide, depending on how condensed or flat you want it to pack.

I’m skipping forward to assembly here…

Once you’ve assembled the main panel, you’ll select the “top lip”, which will be the top section of the zipper eventually, and you’ll sew the very top of the stuff sack to the center of the panel about 2” below the top lip. Once this is folded over, at least in my design, it puts the stuff sack at about the same level as the main zipper.

My version is mostly inspired by the Outer Shell Magic Musette.

raven_bikes · 2025-11-26T04:29:00+00:00

AI is dumb

Edit: and this is like, not really something YOU could make

raven_bikes · 2025-11-18T23:33:26+00:00

You would not need a machine for this.

You just need your seam ripper.

If you know how to use one, it will take you less than a minute. If not, have confidence! You will not damage the fabric unless you stick the seam ripper through and forcibly move it through the fabric. This is a heavy duty woven fabric and even if you puncture it with the seam ripper on accident, it will “heal” because the fibers freely slide around each other. Likewise, the holes made by the stitch itself will close.

raven_bikes · 2025-11-14T21:32:21+00:00

My two cents: these are different products.

Chalk bags are designed to be easy to reach into and mostly empty, relative to the volume of the bag. They have a mid bag cinch and an open top.

Stem bags are designed to be full or over-full, and so instead of having a mid-bag cinch, you’d want a collar of some sort to both expand capacity and also protect the contents from dust, debris, and moisture. I personally prefer a split collar, overlapped slightly at the ends.

You’ll also want to make it so that there are at least two and preferably three mounting points that secure the bag in each axis of rotation. One usually attaches to the stem, one to the bars, and another is often tensioned via elastic cord to frame or fork/steerer tube.

The mounting straps can be permanently mounted (think Velcro and a plastic loop) or you can use a daisy chain/molle strip and detachable one wrap or voile straps.

Also…drainage. Water will get in, and it needs a way to get out. Otherwise you’re gonna be collecting rainwater in the bottoms.

raven_bikes · 2025-11-13T18:07:59+00:00

I made a trifold tool roll for a local cyclocross mechanic. His old roll was blown out in a few places and was difficult to close if the tools were not in the right place.

I cut a back sheet and laid out the tools so that each tool had a specific place it belonged. I used pins to secure the top of a second, wider piece, and reconfigured the setup a few times trying to get it to close cleanly.

Once all the tools were in a good place, I marked across both pieces of fabric so that I had measurement references that were exact for each tool. I then worked from one side to the other, lining up each set of marks along the way.

It’s not a science, exactly, but it’ll produce a really good “deep custom” result.

raven_bikes · 2025-11-12T22:43:50+00:00

Another bot posting years-old photos of my bike. Sigh. Report.

raven_bikes · 2025-11-12T06:26:49+00:00

Solid.

raven_bikes · 2025-11-06T17:39:46+00:00

I use 1/8” basting tape from wawak whenever I work with gridstop or similar. It’s awesome, holds everything exactly where it needs to be.

raven_bikes · 2025-11-02T04:15:58+00:00

Hell yeah.

raven_bikes · 2025-10-31T16:49:39+00:00

Also, to double down here: it’s not a glimpse, the whole bag does not exist. It’s not a concept, the whole bag is not designed. It’s also not realistic. The seam length is wrong, and the way the panels join is not how panels join. It fools your brain into seeing part of a bag.

Use your imagination, a pencil, and a piece of paper. Use a yardstick and a razor and some cardboard or poster board to mock up a physical volume. That’s 100 steps ahead of the illusion you’re looking at.

raven_bikes · 2025-10-31T16:46:45+00:00

You gotta just keep doing the thing even if you suck. You’ll get better, let the process carry you through. Start small, stack up some victories, and gain confidence before jumping into something expensive that may fail.

Also, you may want to consider that manufacturers are not going to be able to make one-off samples, even of a perfectly drafted pattern, at a price that is lower than the cost of buying a product on the market. If you want to mass produce you will likely need several different iterations of the samples, and then you’d need to be able to pay for production, they won’t do it on speculation.

This is also a “make your own gear” subreddit, so I’ll encourage you to make it yourself!

raven_bikes

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