Frequently Asked Questions!
Read on to see if what you’ve been noodling on is answered here and, if not, drop us a line!
Can I get GCB products shipped outside the US?
-Sure can! My e-commerce site doesn’t allow international address to be added at checkout, but if you email me your shipping address and what you’d like to get, I’ll work up some shipping options for you and a price quote and we’ll roll from there!
What’re your bags made out of?
-Any brightly colored part of the bag is made using mostly Challenge Ecopak recycled sailcloth. This is a waterproof layered laminate material that is strong, colorfast, and each yard upcycles about 20 plastic single use bottles. Sweet deal! And the colors look great! One other color(Coral) is a holdover from when I used a non-recycled X-pac fabric, but the color is too good to let go-of when I made the switch to the recycled Ecopak. That Coral.. Gotta have it! And finally, by popular demand, though I’ve also come to really enjoy it myself, is the Splatter fabric. This is a digitally printed Cordura fabric with a Durable Water Repellant(DWR) finish. This fabric is not technically waterproof because it’s a woven construction, but the DWR coating makes it pretty close! A thin packcloth liner keeps the insides bright and easy to see down into the frame bag depths.
The zipper I use is a #8 YKK Uretek water resistant coil jobbie in either matte or glossy finish. Durable, pretty darn impervious, and never failed me. If you have a finish preference for the zip on your bag, don’t hesitate to mention it!
Anywhere a frame bag or toptube bag touches a frame you’ll find black Cordura fabric.
Beyond that, a mix of velcros, webbing, and shock cord hold your bags securely to the bike. Did I miss anything?
Cool, cool. Can I get a sample of some of those sweet colors to hold up to my bike?
-Abso-freakin-lutley. I’d love to send you some! I have tons of scrap pieces just waiting to be put into service in this way. Drop me a line with your address and what ye’d like to see, and I’ll get ‘em out to ya!
How waterproof are your bags?
-I call them highly water-resistant, but not waterproof. I don’t seam-seal or tape, but the main colorful fabrics I use for the sides are 100% waterproof by their laminate manufacture(except the splatter fabric), and the Cordura(including the splatter fabric) has a Durable Water Repellant coating on it. The zippers are water resistant, but at the end of the day, they’re a big hole in a bag, so do with that what you will! I’ve done a number of above-the-pedals water crossings with loaded frame bags and had very little water ingress. I always advise folks who’re concerned about water on their gear to double bag anything that you absolutely don’t want to get wet(i.e., in a ziploc, then in the frame bag.) Hope that helps!
How long’s all this gonna take, Doom?
-At the top of the website is a black announcement bar where I try to keep an updated turnaround estimate for custom work. I’ve had one person in 4 years whose browser wouldn’t show it, so if you’re also in that unfortunate position, shoot me an email for current estimates!
GCB is a one-person draft-design, production-poppin’, supply-ordering, computer-consternating, noobie-marketing, cat-petting, shipment-slinging operation, and I make each bag by hand, made to order for you, so I hope you feel they’re worth the wait! All that being said, if you’ve just found out about GCB, I’ll make space for you if at all possible if you’re headed to an event or decided to take on a personal quest within that estimate and you wanna take a Ghost Cat along with you! Hit me up and let’s see if we can work something out! I’d love help you get out there!
My Ghost Cat needs a bath. How do I wash it?
-When my bags are getting a little too dirt-patinaed, I hand wash the outside with soap, water, and a brush or sponge. If the inside is sticky or dirty, I’ll do the same and rinse really well to get all the soap and dirt out. Then, I hang dry, all zippers open, in a well-ventilated area. That usually get me where I wanna be, cleanliness-wise.
If that doesn’t get you there, I have machine washed bags in the past. No structural issues, but they will be considerably wrinkly-er when they come out. Wash in cold water and detergent with your other laundry. Close all velcros and zippers so they don’t get too tangled up with other laundry. No bleach. After, hang dry as mentioned above. Do not put Ghost Cats in the dryer!
Any care tips or tricks to avoid issues?
I’ll address a couple common question topics(beyond washing) with this one:
Avoiding frame rub and marring the frame’s paint: In my experience, frame rub comes from dirt and grit accumulation under places where the bags rest on the frame or where velcros attach to the frame. My best suggestion, if you’re worried about frame rub, is to pre-tape your frame in wear areas. There are pre-made kits for some bike models, but you can also get a roll of helicopter tape or clear Gorilla tape and add it to anywhere your bags touch(i.e. inside the frame triangle, where all the straps wrap around the tubes, on the headtube where a handlebar bag rests, etc.). Wilderwild is a brand that offers tape in clear and in patterns to add a little flair to your rig, as well as protection(I have no affiliation with them, just an easy brand to point folks to!). I would also suggest after a particularly muddy or dusty ride or tour, remove all bags and wash them(see above) and your frame. When you do this, you can also see where the bags settle to after riding, and see if you need to add add’l protection.
Zipper care: I’ve personally never had an issue with the zippers I use, and I stand by them as bomb-proof. That being said, a few Ghost Cat users in dry and dusty areas, like the American Southwest, have had a couple issues with continued dust abrasion in the zipper pull. I’ve replaced one frame bag’s worth of zippers for one customer, but the others just needed a light lube added to the pull and the teeth to continue working just fine, and still are to this day, as far as I know! I suggest, as regular maintenance in dryer climates, or as needed in more temperate areas, dropping some chain lube in the zipper pull where it engages the teeth of the zipper, and working it back and forth to spread the lube. Remember to wipe up any extra lube after. Do this a couple times, and your zipper should be largely trouble free!
What’s your warranty policy?
-I want you to be completely thrilled with your Ghost Cat! To that end, if there’s any issue please let me know and we’ll work together to find a solution.
Frame bags are guaranteed to fit your bike and have all the features and the design you and I have agreed on. This is why I insist on getting an accurate bike photo from you and then spend a lot of time with you hammering out the design and details before we agree on a price. I’ve only had one bag in 4 years not fit(it was 1/2” too long), and I made a whole new bag in that case, and sent it out with a return label for the incorrect one.
Also, if there’s a road-worn or broken part on a frame bag(i.e. a worn zipper, busted stitch, or a velcro has pulled out, etc.), I’ll repair it. Email me about it and I’ll make it happen! At this point, I’ve repaired and updated a few frame bags. I would love to keep Ghost Cats running, rather than have someone need to throw them out and replace them, wherever possible.
Any bag with what seems like a prematurely faulty part or stitch, I wanna hear about it and figure out a solution. I get better at my design and sewing with every bag, and maybe I’ve figured out a better way of doing things since you ordered your bag that would solve the problem.
TL:DR - Any issues, hit me up and I’ll do my best to make it right!