Recommend a Bicycle Top Bar Pannier for Pistol.

I'd like to get my pistol off my person when riding and would like it mounted at my head tube and top bar. Any recommendations for a good holster or small bag/top bar pannier that will do the trick?

I'd like it to be as far forward and discreet as possible. I don't want to be banging my knee on it but I think this will be the best solution for carrying a pistol in the right and a few mags and other small things on the left.

I wish I could design the things I conceptualize in my head . . .

 

Any luck Chaz? I've considered this as well, but my Tactipac Fusion for my LC9 works awesome for road and trail.

 

I've been riding bikes since I could walk.. but im no hardcore enthusiast. I'm guessing by the terminology u mean the triangle where the handlebars, top tube and bottom meet.

Not sure I understand strapping your sidearm to a bicycle, but I have been drawing up James-Bond type devices for ages. The problem is.. like if its a mountain bike and you ride rough terrain... cargo naturally loves to exit the vehicle.

It would be hard to carry a sidearm on the bike itself because while riding a bike.. the best natural shock absorber is the human body riding it. You would be better off wearing a backpack in all practicality for that reason, being that if you want to conceal a pistol on ur bike, it would need to be open carry, otherwise..it would have to be zippered in a pouch on the bike to be really practically secure... which is not much better than a tactical backpack.

If you wanted to open carry it on a bike, im sure there is a solution, but drawing the weapon from the riding position is definitely not the best stance. If that makes sense. I can see why you wouldint want it on the side of your person when riding, but effectively concealing it on the headtube (depending on size of gun) would require some sort of less-than-effective harness that is tactically impractical....You do not want to be dragging your bike out of an unexpected assault zone to retrieve your weapon. Unless you can pull it off the bike quickly... while taking cover, it wouldn't be the best idea.

Keep your weapon near and dear. When on my MTB, I usually carry a small lightweight pack to hold more water than my bikes frame can. This is also a great place for your weapon.

 

I don't understand how it would be hard to carry a pistol there. It would be in a custom made holster/pannier. It will not fly out. It will not go off. And it will be infinitely more accessible than in a backpack. Not to mention there is no possible way anyone could convince me to wear a backpack while riding many miles when my back, hands and shoulders hurt enough already. I want things off my person, not more things on.





Plan is to make up a custom pouch since nobody makes anything. It will be a long time before I figure anything out since I'm a busy guy who does not own a sewing machine, but this is the plan nonetheless.

 

Unfortunately.. this is the price of preparedness if you want to be less of a victim.. you need gear. If you are riding for recreation or fitness, then personally, just leave the weapon at the door. I never carry mine into the gym. If you are commuting? then it only makes sense to carry gear to your job...and a weapon is a tiny addition to weight..

The position you have the G19 situated in the picture shows that the fork would hit the muzzle causing problems.. not to mention you might hit the handlebars if drawing the weapon under pressure.

The point was, if you were randomly shot at....would you be able to access it faster than typical cargo you could access otherwise? Even a rear rack? probably not... and if you failed to retrieve the gun in time...and had to take cover...The gun is still strapped to your bike!!!!

 

I'm a Marine. I train hard. I checked the angles. I know myself and my gear. Not a single thing you said made sense. This thread was to ask if anyone has a solution for carrying there. Not in a backpack, which, I say again, would quite obviously take much longer to get to.

I'm not looking to go to war with a 9mm and a bicycle. I'm looking to take my pistol off my person when I ride, and then put it back on when I'm not riding.

Have you any forward mounted top bar pannier suggestions that would fit a G19? Thanks if you do.

 

End transmission.

 

See if one of the custom kydex holster makers can make one for your specific need. I think that would be your best bet for this application.

 

I was thinking, order some kydex and material (probably waterproof) and some heavy duty velcro and make some prototypes. Maybe some thin padding to keep the heavy pistol from clanging on the head tube.

You can get kydex from knifekits.com and elsewhere for personal projects.

 

I also wish someone local did custom stuff. It's really hard to convey measurements and design over internet or phone. I'd rather get hands on with someone who sews a bit better than I, haha.

 

heat 2 pieces of kydex. have one person hold the gun in place and another person place the kydex where you want to mount it (think sandwiching the gun and frame together between the kydex). clamp it in place with several small spring tension clamps untill its cool.
Make sure the kydex that is against the frame wraps around far enough to keep the gun off the bike frame.

 

You might check on wheelchair holster mounts. Same concept, just different size/shape tubes. Might at least give you ideas...
http://www.safariland.com/dutygear/product.aspx?pid=WCM

 

Not sure about the how of your mount, but a few years back, I rode with someone who carried the in a similar way. His holster was about 3-4 inches further back, diagonally pointed down at about a 20 degree tilt toward the front axle. The holster did not actually mount to the head tube, but rather the top tube and down tube. This kept it a little farther back, so it never contacted his fork if he had to tilt his wheel all the way to the side (track stand, etc.). If I recall, he got some type of normal kydex holster or full holster with a solid backing, and used some hose clamps like this:
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/Half-Clamp-6YDR4

He drilled a few holes into the holster and lined them up with the clamps on the tubes. A little rubber stripping kept them from rattling or damaging his frame.

On a side note, he actually had to use his firearm on the way back from a group ride. Some hick had a big Rottweiler that went after him. The dog's owner grabbed the dog's collar after it tried to bite my friend, and after looking at him for a second, let the dog go and yelled "get him". My friend dispatched the dog with a single shot. Fortunately, there were a few witnesses that corroborated his story. The police showed up, and the owner actually got arrested.

 

If you're not totally set on carrying a pistol.. what I do for riding where I am back pretty far is carry bear mace. It'll (most likely will) be more effective than a pistol depending on the type of animal / issue you're having. I've carried I think once or twice on my rides and normally stuff it in my camelback, which ultimately doesn't do me a TON of good if I need it quickly.

I ride somewhat aggressively and dont want a firearm on me if I go tumbling down a hill. Yes I know my firearms should not discharge, but eh.

 

Great idea! I would never have thought of this. Thank you for you input.

I'll check out that link as well. Thanks for all the ideas.

on a side note. I feel bad for the dog that had to die. It's not his fault his owner was a crappy person, but, alas, such is this world we live in.

Hey, thanks for the advice, man. I don't carry 24/7 and the same goes for when I ride. There are many more times than not that I just leave it home. However, this holster idea is for the days that I want to specifically bring my pistol and not an alternative. Thanks again.

 

http://www.thewilderness.com/safepacker-concealment-holster/

I love my safepacker, they make a running belt for it that carries water and works great.

IMO, and that of a few officers I have talked to about this. It is a bad Idea. It is VERY easy to separate a person from their bike. Which in turn would separate that person from any holster that is mounted on said bike. I ride and carry when ever practical, my pistol NEVER leaves my body!

That said, good luck.

 

I appreciate the concern. I am looking into a solution, such as a decent sized top bar pannier, to carry a pistol and some other things there. I do understand there are many alternative ways to carry, many other things I could carry, and that I could leave it at home. I employ all of these things very often. I would, however, specifically like to find a pannier that will fit a G19 and mount in this location (top bar) for the instances when I deem it necessary to do so. I'm not bashing alternatives even one slight bit. I appreciate the feedback. I just wanted to clarify so this doesn't turn into every single other thread on TW that is completely off topic and a bunch of suggestions that don't solve the initial inquiry. Just looking for a top bar pannier or other concealed carry solution.

 

I had success a few years ago mounting an under-seat bag by Fox vertically to the right side of my stem and then placing my Walther P22 in the same orientantion your pic above shows. A quick zipper pull made it quickly accessible while riding and it was very solid and didnt squirm around. The bag was Fox's larger model that had an extra zipper that allowed the bag to accordian out for more cargo volume, but iirc I used it collapsed.

edit: tried to post photobucket iphone vid of setup, but I'm not smart enough to pull it off

 

It's the thought that counts haha thanks. I'd really like it around that area but I will keep any bag in mind and see what I can do with it. I'd really rather find one that works than make something.

 

R&D has begun.

I need to source materials. I'm thinking something waterproof and velcro for quick access.