Dirt-Bag cleans up mountain bikes

Chris Varney was new to the sport of mountain-biking but couldn’t keep the interior of his van clean and wasn’t able to find anything on the market to solve the problem.

So he borrowed a sewing machine and created a prototype Dirt-Bag in which he could store his cycle – keeping his interior spotless.

Now the bags are in production, the business has a website and the product is proving a hit.

Chris, who lives in Bournemouth and is from New Milton, said, “I am a recent convert to mountain-biking and I love it. I live near the New Forest and often throw the bike in the back of the van and get out into the countryside.

“The only drawback was that the mud and dirt would come off in the van; no arrangement of plastic sheets could stop it. I assumed there would be something on the market, but couldn’t find anything. So I made myself a Dirt-Bag to keep my bike in.

“Friends loved it and wanted one as well, so I went into production – and it’s doing really well. Each bag is hand made in Bournemouth from materials that are all sourced in the UK. The fabric is an army-grade PU coated nylon which makes it pretty much waterproof but also flexible enough to fold up good and small …

“In short, Dirt-Bag keeps the dirt in the bag until you get home. Once you’re home take the bike out, let the bag dry and then you can shake or brush the dirt off and pack it away until next time. It also stops your bike frame getting scratched or your pedals getting caught in the spokes when you carry more than one bike in your vehicle.”