I've not mucked about with frame bags beyond the cheapie Nashbar triangle; however, have you thought about a seat bag instead, whether purchased or DIY?
This or this, for example...
2014-02-12 14:55:17
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Full frame bags?
Am wondering if anyone has experience with full frame bags, either bought or DIY.
Backdrop: Going to finally get my road bike soon. I want to use it most of the time when the weather improves, and so I need to be able to carry lunch. But with the (hopefully soon) improving weather, the idea of going back to carrying a backpack is... unattractive.
My bike will almost certainly have eyelets for a rack. Flexibility matters. But that's still way overkill for the everyday need, I'll be keeping my craigslist beater anyway for grocery running or carrying picnic supplies for the family.
The test rides so far have been fun and showed a really marked contrast in bike feel. I want to enjoy the light, tossable, and fast feel of a road bike whenever I can. I've been thinking of a full frame bag as the way to keep it as best as possible while still definitely having room for lunch.
I somewhat doubt I'll be doing much of the multi-hour at a stretch riding, so I'm fine with sacrificing mount locations for water bottles to make the bag as large as possible.
Feedback appreciated. I assume the major drawback is time (diy) or cost (presumably, anything but little bags are pretty hard to find and it's hard to know how well the big bags would fit).
2014-02-12 14:47:52
seat bag will be much less unpleasant in the wind too.
2014-02-12 14:56:25
Others may disagree, but I imagine a new nice bike, even with a rack and pannier(s) would feel zippy compared to whatever you're riding now and they'd be able to handle your lunch fine
One thing I don't like about frame bags (I have a little corner one) is that it gets in the way of where you'd be accustomed to grabbing the frame to pick the bike up
2014-02-12 15:03:53
It's true this is all very silly coming from riding a loaded down beater. But the contrast test riding road bikes has made me well nigh giddy, so I really do want to keep that feel as best as possible.
Understood about crosswinds. If this were Chicago that would be the end of the conversation, but Pittsburgh's not bad at all, even directly along the river, and this would be a fair weather rig and what winds we would correlate at least somewhat with bad weather I'd think.
Otherwise, the frame bag seems like less of a spoiler aerodynamically and in terms of weight distribution. I don't think I'll have much need to carry the bike so again, good point that I choose to ignore :)
Other points pro and con and experiences?
2014-02-12 15:15:53
I've never used a frame bag because I always thought they looked too small to be useful. If your bike will have a rack, consider a small trunk bag. I got a basic one from Nashbar and it feels markedly different than when I use my pannier. The trunk bag sits directly behind me, which makes its aerodynamic impact pretty negligible.
You might also find a seatpost rack that you can use with a trunk bag for trips to/from work and then take off easily when you want to go full Fred after hours.
2014-02-12 15:25:38
I tried frame bags years ago, but they are just not as good as a rack. You can really load down a rack if you need to, while a frame bag fills up and gets in the way of your legs. And there are the other problems people have mentioned, like making it more difficult to carry your bike, using up the water bosses if you ever decide you need them. And since they're made of fabric they wear out, get dirty and also look a little ugly.
Just get a rack, a proven solution, and you'll be happy.
2014-02-12 16:29:15
This might be an overly fancy/pricy solution:
http://www.arkel-od.com/us/all-categories/bicycle-bike-pannier-rack/arkel-randonneur-rack.html
But you could bungie a lunchbox right on there
2014-02-12 17:59:42
Frame bags are awesome. Don't let anyone tell you different.
https://www.revelatedesigns.com/index.cfm/store.catalog/Frame-Bags/full-frame-bags
I have a Porta-Pack wedge bag, which is a mini-frame pack. It is cheap, sturdy, made in the US. http://www.porta-pack.com/
I kinda hate racks and panniers, so take my advise with a grain of salt.
2014-02-12 23:48:35
they just got a bunch of revelate stuff at thick. its AWESOME!
I'm pretty sure I'm getting stef the terrapin before ctc.
2014-02-13 00:09:28
I'm pretty sure I need one of these, but it's diy, not commercially available: 
2014-02-13 06:09:16
Why does that ghost bike have a tea set and fire extinguisher?
2014-02-13 07:52:41
I saw one of those red things on a bike before. I think it's propane. The tea set is so they can have tea, in a civilized fashion.
2014-02-13 08:16:14
Frame bags are fantastic. The wind is a non-issue.
Check out www.bedrockbags.com. He made a custom one for me.
They are not THAT huge, so if you are going for a super long tour or something you will need some additional capacity.
2014-02-25 15:47:49