Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Tested at some of the most challenging bikepacking races in the world, the Love Handles rack harness is a new system from South City Stitchworks that makes dry bags more versatile. For more, read on below…
Designed for ultra-distance racing, the Love Handles rack harness by South City Stitchworks turns any dry bag into a much more versatile tool. Made for users to stash essentials within reach in the side pockets, this tough, tidy, and trail-proven harness is built using Ecopak EPX200 and ultra-stretch fabrics with YKK molded-tooth zippers. Said to strike a balance between durability, sustainability, and weight, the harness weighs approximately 8.5 ounces. Available in two sizes, one for sub-4.5” racks like the Mica Rat Tail, and the other for larger platform racks, the Love Handles rack harness can also be made custom for racks that don’t quite fit the bill or have atypical proportions.
Using a Voile strap as a compression system, the harness cinches the dry bag to the rack and adds two zippered 0.8L stretchable mesh pockets that can expand beyond their rated capacity when needed, and it includes shock cord lashing up top for stashing a layer or anything else users can fit. It keeps dry bags solidly in place while shielding them from grit flung up by the wheels.
Tested on the Tour Divide, the Grand Loop, all the Mountain Races, Bright Midnight in Norway, all over Arkansas, and in 10 countries, the Love Handles have been put through a lot before their release. Per Zach Smith, the man behind South City Stitchworks, “The Love Handles project hatched in late 2024 when Alex Kowalski was looking for this sort of solution leading up to the Atlas Mountain Race. That conversation resulted in the first Love Handles prototype, which performed well in Morocco, and really piqued the stoke at SCSW HQ, sending me down the path of prototyping iterations of the idea. Thanks to many friends, the Love Handles were tested on thousands of miles all over the globe. Notably, Andrew Onermaa was bold enough to use one for his all-time highlight reel SS Tour Divide winning ride, and Eric House tested the limits of the Love Handles at all three Mountain Races in 2025.”
Each Love Handles rack harness comes with 25” Voile straps, doesn’t include a dry bag, and retails $175.00. For more information on the Love Handles, visit SouthCityStitchworks.com.
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