Hello all, please be upstanding for (drum roll) ... The Marin Bikes Bedroll Handlebar.
In all the glitz and glamor of Marin Bikes you might think "so what" about a new bikepacking handlebar but we'll admit to being pretty darn excited about this one.
We love making our own components, to our own exact specifications, that are exactly what we want to ride on our bikes. The Bedroll bar is just that, a bike packing and adventure handlebar that we made simply because we wanted one.
The Breakdown
The Marin Bedroll Bar is a handlebar for bikepacking, adventure cycling, mountain bikes, gravel cycling and pretty much anyone that wants to strap some frame bags to their bike and head off on a two-wheeled escapade.
This one's for the "what's over the horizon?" crowd and for those riders that are more about good times and long days than top speeds and super-light bikes.
Sure, some of our rides are all about those fast and zippy drop bar bikes (more about our drop bar gravel bikes here) but sometimes it's more about taking in the views than going places fast.
In fact, we made the Bedroll Bar to be the perfect partner for our multi-day riding, bike packing and gear-hauling Marin Pine Mountain.
Inspired By Our Own Bikepacking Trips
Like all of Marin's accessories, we've designed and tested the Bedroll Bar 100% in-house at Marin.
This isn't an off-the-shelf product, made by someone else with our logo stuck on. No sir.
The idea came from the team, specifically, our Director of Product Mr. Aaron Abrams who took the whole project from trailside "Damnit, I wish I had one of those!" to reality.
He combined a whole heap of rider feedback, ideas and inspiration into a wish list that he then turned into the Bedroll Bar, combining all of those ideas into the very best handlebar for bike packing that we could possibly create.
Here are a few of the key features that we've built into the Marin Bedroll Bar...
Mount Up!
We made the Marin Bedroll bar because we needed an easy, no-hassle way to attach bikepacking gear, handlebar bags and sleeping bags to our bikes. We think it's the ultimate bikepacking handlebar.
See that unusual crossbar design? That gives loads of room to strap your favourite bikepacking equipment tightly in place, with plenty of freedom to fit whatever your chosen gear looks like.
Ever tried to mount a handlebar bag and found your brake and gear cables get in the way? The Bedroll Bar helps fix that by lifting your bag up and away from those all-important cables and hoses.
And, of course, the added crossbar provides even more freedom to mount all of those gizmos you need for your next bike tour. Navigation, cycle computer, bike lights, a water bottle, whatever you've got the Bedroll Bar has room for it.
Tough and light
You can make a handlebar out of a few different things, but we opted for good old, tried-and-tested 6061 aluminum. It's tough, it's light and it's inexpensive to manufacture.
It can take plenty of knocks, scuffs and scraps without compromising its strength and it'll stay strong long after its good looks have faded.
Given all the crashes and bashes, scuffs and scrapes our bikes go through on a typical adventure, aluminum was a perfect choice.
Made For Comfort And Speed. But Mainly Comfort.
For big days, loaded bikes and mixed terrain we wanted to create a comfortable, easy-to-ride flat-bar position.
We want to sit up on our adventure and bikepacking bikes, taking in the views, chatting with our buddies and keeping our backs and shoulders comfortable. Because bikepacking routes are all about the experience, amiright?
To help that we made the Marin Bedroll Bar with a high 50mm rise, a generous 10° back sweep and roomy 780mm width.
That 50mm rise is generous enough to help lift your hands up, roll your shoulders back and lift your head up when on the bike. It helps to create a super comfortable, easy-to-maintain body position that shouldn't get uncomfortable after several hours in the saddle.
Similarly, that 10° back sweep creates a relaxed, comfortable, easy-to-ride hand position that should keep achy arms at bay without compromising your bike's handling.
780mm width means plenty of room for riders of all sizes, no problem strapping on luggage and plenty of freedom with your setup. If they're too wide, simply cut them down to size!
You can buy the Marin Bedroll Bar here on the Marin Bikes Webstore or at your local Marin Bikes Dealer.
