Saddlebags

hipshot

Pilot Pete wrote:

Err, why would you want to access a mini-pump, lightweight multitool, your door key, cash or a phone whilst riding? :shock:

PP

Ah, you see, I wasnt referring to those items. Although I do use my phone on occasion.

But as I said each to their own.

teisetrotter

A man on a bike with lycra is not cool. Collect the stuff you need put it some where, where ever and then get on with working out hard .......... very hard. If that is to difficult then play golf or go fishing.

I do all three. Any one who tells me I should care where I carry something after three hours at full cadence can f-off. Because I will be knackered and I will be going fishing ...........if the missus is away of course.

upperoilcan

Saddle bags should only be seen on horses........Period.

seanorawe

ben16v wrote:

saddle bag and pump on frame on the winter bike, but on the nice bike i put whatever i need in in a tool bottle in the seatpost bottle cage

Not a bad idea for shorter rides. I think I will try it out.

Longer rides I need two bottles though.

Bozman

I don't get this at all. Where else do you put your bits and bobs? If i'm doing any distance of 60 miles plus which could leave me 40 miles from home , you need a spare tube, tools and pump for a start... the water bottle is a non starter for any ride of distance because you'll need two, plus you've got to be a sandwich short of a picnic to put any sharp metal work in your jersey pockets.
A small tapered bag under your saddle isn't an issue, it only becomes an issue when these things start to grow and hang below the saddle. I use my jersey pockets for my phone/money and flapjack(if required), that leaves a bit of space for arm warmers or my cap when they're not needed anymore.

Velonutter

Mr Will wrote:

Ron Stuart wrote:

I recently posted this on this Forum on a related topic.....

Don't drop the saddle bag and put less or nothing in those pockets.

Reasons:-

1.) Every time you lift yourself out of the saddle you lift the additional weight..... If it's in your pockets!

2.) Its very annoying once you’re out of the saddle to have the weight of the kit swaying from side to side behind your back.

3.) On hot days it just adds to the insulating effect at the base of the back adding to additional sweating (dehydration).

4.) The contents of the pockets can end up covered in sweat and along with your clothing just adding additional weight.

5.) The only items that are smart to keep in pockets are those items that need accessing whilst on the move, such as route card in clear plastic wallet, gels, energy bars, maybe a banana or other nibbles to suit.

So basically if you don't have a support car anything that will be needed whilst stationary :- puncture kit, rain cape, spares etc are much better off being carried in that saddle bag or as some do in a holder in the second bottle cage.

I'll say it again - You are carrying too much junk. My entire emergency kit, plus phone, keys, card, etc all fits comfortably in one pocket with room to spare. It doesn't rattle, sway or dangle. It doesn't make me look like Quasimodo. It doesn't cause the slightest bit of hassle so why on earth would I want an ugly great saddle-bag hanging off the back of my bike?

Junk expands to fill the available storage. It's as true in cycling as it is in every other walk of life.

If you road some of the distance that I do then you would find the need for a bag.

In my bag Top Peak Micro Wedge Bag I have a spare innertube, patches, tyre levers, 3 CO2 cylinders, Lezyne V10 Multi Tool, CO2 adapter.

Typically in a 3 pocket jersey I would carry: -

Pocket 1 Phone, Money, Credit Card, Keys all in a Zip Waterproof Bag
Pocket 2 Waterproof Jacket & Glasses in a crush proof case.
Pocket 3 2 Banana's. 1 Bar, 1 Pack of Shot Blocs

Not sure how you would get anything more in your pockets if you didn't have a saddle bag.

As has been mentioned, you really don't want to be carrying anything in your rear pockets that could damage your kidneys or back, so for me a bag suits me perfectly, it changes quickly onto all my bikes using the Topeak Quickloc system :roll:

Ron Stuart

Bozman wrote:

I don't get this at all. Where else do you put your bits and bobs? If i'm doing any distance of 60 miles plus which could leave me 40 miles from home , you need a spare tube, tools and pump for a start... the water bottle is a non starter for any ride of distance because you'll need two, plus you've got to be a sandwich short of a picnic to put any sharp metal work in your jersey pockets.
A small tapered bag under your saddle isn't an issue, it only becomes an issue when these things start to grow and hang below the saddle. I use my jersey pockets for my phone/money and flapjack(if required), that leaves a bit of space for arm warmers or my cap when they're not needed anymore.

+1
Plus maybe two spare tubes, pump or (gas+spare cartridges) or combined.

The length of ride between water stops dictates whether I would carry more than one biddon, quite often just one 750ml does fine. then I secure a compact saddlebag (specialized) in my spare bottle cage. If I need two biddons I secure the same saddlebag/pack unobtrusively beneath my saddle.

Here's part of a send up aimed at the cycling fashion police:-

To look cool, ride without a saddle bag. Put one small tube, a tiny pump and a tire lever in your middle back pocket. To look Euro-cool, ride without a saddle bag and with nothing in your pockets. This is cool because it means you must have a team car following you with all your supplies.

Extract from http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fulls ... tatus=True

lawrences

I'm a big fan of saddle bags. I absolutely hate the feeling of anything heavier than a mobile phone in my jersey pockets. plus I bought an aero bike so strapping an extra bottle rack on and filling it with tools is much worse than a bag tucked away under the seat.

spin_city

Reading through this thread I'm finding it difficult to believe that people would prefer not to use a saddlebag to keep their essential items in.

I can see that some people might prefer to use one of their bottle cages to hold stuff in but, to my mind, this must curtail the amount of time they can be out on their bikes. I'm on my second drinks bottle after about an hour and a half or so. I suppose you could be forever looking for somewhere to refill your bottle though.

There are a few things that I would happily put in my jersey pockets and these include mobile phone, snacks, gillet and ipod (please don't start an argument) but everything else goes in my saddlebag e.g. pump, inner tube, levers, patches, disposable gloves, money, emergency details, keys, extra food and most of it stays in there in between rides. I know some people attach items such as a pump to their bike frame but I prefer not to do that. I think the size of my saddlebag is approximately 1 litre.

On all day rides when things such as extra tools, spare chain links, extra undiluted drink, rainwear, glasses (to read certain information), medical equipment, lock (possibly), etc need to be taken along then what do these people do? I tend to use my large saddlebag which is about 2 litres big (and sometimes a handlebar bag as well).

I can only think that some people don't venture very far from home or if they do, they must have alternative arrangements should anything untoward, but entirely possible, happen.

Mr Will

Velonutter wrote:

Mr Will wrote:

...stuff...

If you road some of the distance that I do then you would find the need for a bag.

In my bag Top Peak Micro Wedge Bag I have a spare innertube, patches, tyre levers, 3 CO2 cylinders, Lezyne V10 Multi Tool, CO2 adapter.

Typically in a 3 pocket jersey I would carry: -

Pocket 1 Phone, Money, Credit Card, Keys all in a Zip Waterproof Bag
Pocket 2 Waterproof Jacket & Glasses in a crush proof case.
Pocket 3 2 Banana's. 1 Bar, 1 Pack of Shot Blocs

Not sure how you would get anything more in your pockets if you didn't have a saddle bag.

As has been mentioned, you really don't want to be carrying anything in your rear pockets that could damage your kidneys or back, so for me a bag suits me perfectly, it changes quickly onto all my bikes using the Topeak Quickloc system :roll:

I'm not sure how far you ride, but pockets does me just fine on weekend rides of 60 to 80 miles as well as the shorter, sharper evening training rides & chaingangs.

I've posted this before, but this is the emergency kit I'll carry on a short ride:

(There is a debit card hiding under the BC card, and the £10 note is missing)

That little lot will all fit in to the zipped pockets of my jersey, leaving the main pockets free for clothing or food. On a longer ride or when riding with a group I'll add a chain tool (zipped pocket with the rest of the tools) and a spare tube (centre main pocket) but that's it for tools. Even including the extras not shown, I'd wager that it weighs less and takes up less space than one of your two bananas yet performs exactly the same functions as the contents of your saddlebag.

I haven't mentioned clothing or food because it varies so much from ride to ride, but there is no shortage of space as I hope I've illustrated.

As for the falling off excuse? If I'm going to fall off I'll be much more worried about hitting the tarmac/trees/traffic at 20+ miles per hour than a few small items in my pockets in an area that is unlikely to bear the brunt of an impact.

spin_city

Mr Will, I'm not sure what you do when your inner tube needs repairing/replacing?
Do you have some patches hidden in the picture somewhere?
What do you do if the inner tube goes at the valve? I guess that may cause you some problems if you don't carry a spare inner tube.

I carry one spare inner tube and some stick-on patches for the following reasons:
If I get a flat I will replace the inner tube.
If I get more than one flat I will repair one of the inner tubes with the patches I have.

The reason I also carry a mini pump and not gas canisters is if I need to pump up the tyre up on many occasions during the same ride either because of a) multiple flats or b) a slow leakage (which happened to me this weekend).

There is, of course, the tiny chance that I will need more than one spare inner tube and if that happens I would have to get to a shop or call for some help.

alihisgreat

Spin City wrote:

Mr Will, I'm not sure what you do when your inner tube needs repairing/replacing?
Do you have some patches hidden in the picture somewhere?
What do you do if the inner tube goes at the valve? I guess that may cause you some problems if you don't carry a spare inner tube.

I carry one spare inner tube and some stick-on patches for the following reasons:
If I get a flat I will replace the inner tube.
If I get more than one flat I will repair one of the inner tubes with the patches I have.

The reason I also carry a mini pump and not gas canisters is if I need to pump up the tyre up on many occasions during the same ride either because of a) multiple flats or b) a slow leakage (which happened to me this weekend).

There is, of course, the tiny chance that I will need more than one spare inner tube and if that happens I would have to get to a shop or call for some help.

If you think you'll need it then just whack a tube in your pocket... its not that hard. You'd still have room for warmers and/or gilet + plenty of food.

Hoopdriver

I never go out expecting to need any of the repair stuff I might have on hand - tube, pump, patches, levers, or the multi-tool, chain tool and spare links that I would add to the aforementioned list. And in point of fact I almost never do need these things. But they are light and easy to carry and if I have them in a saddlebag they are always on the bike - I don't need to worry about forgetting anything, it's already there, ready to use if need be.

Mr Will

Spin City wrote:

Mr Will, I'm not sure what you do when your inner tube needs repairing/replacing?
Do you have some patches hidden in the picture somewhere?
What do you do if the inner tube goes at the valve? I guess that may cause you some problems if you don't carry a spare inner tube.

I carry one spare inner tube and some stick-on patches for the following reasons:
If I get a flat I will replace the inner tube.
If I get more than one flat I will repair one of the inner tubes with the patches I have.

The reason I also carry a mini pump and not gas canisters is if I need to pump up the tyre up on many occasions during the same ride either because of a) multiple flats or b) a slow leakage (which happened to me this weekend).

There is, of course, the tiny chance that I will need more than one spare inner tube and if that happens I would have to get to a shop or call for some help.

Patches, tyre boot and spare chain link in the little red box under the multi-tool. As I said before, I will carry a tube on a long ride or with the club (so as not to keep people waiting). As it is though, punctures are a rare enough occurrence that I don't worry about one on my normal evening rides.

I agree with you on the mini-pump though. I'd only switch to gas for club runs where speed is more important and a pump can be mooched if required.

Mr Will

Hoopdriver wrote:

I never go out expecting to need any of the repair stuff I might have on hand - tube, pump, patches, levers, or the multi-tool, chain tool and spare links that I would add to the aforementioned list. And in point of fact I almost never do need these things. But they are light and easy to carry and if I have them in a saddlebag they are always on the bike - I don't need to worry about forgetting anything, it's already there, ready to use if need be.

For your style of riding I am in firm agreement. I'm actually shopping for a fast tourer at the moment and that will have a tool roll pretty much permanently attached along with panniers, lights, mudguards and plenty more creature comforts. For me though, this isn't what a road-bike is about. A road bike is a statement in minimalism. It should be light and fast and hard and carrying nothing that isn't needed.

I think this comes back to a discussion I believe we have had before, where we both agreed that a lot of modern road bike riders would actually be better suited by a fast tourer in the vein of classic British steel racers rather than the modern carbon fibre wonder-bikes that are marketed to us so relentlessly.

Hoopdriver

Mr Will wrote:

Hoopdriver wrote:

I never go out expecting to need any of the repair stuff I might have on hand - tube, pump, patches, levers, or the multi-tool, chain tool and spare links that I would add to the aforementioned list. And in point of fact I almost never do need these things. But they are light and easy to carry and if I have them in a saddlebag they are always on the bike - I don't need to worry about forgetting anything, it's already there, ready to use if need be.

For your style of riding I am in firm agreement. I'm actually shopping for a fast tourer at the moment and that will have a tool roll pretty much permanently attached along with panniers, lights, mudguards and plenty more creature comforts. For me though, this isn't what a road-bike is about. A road bike is a statement in minimalism. It should be light and fast and hard and carrying nothing that isn't needed.

I think this comes back to a discussion I believe we have had before, where we both agreed that a lot of modern road bike riders would actually be better suited by a fast tourer in the vein of classic British steel racers rather than the modern carbon fibre wonder-bikes that are marketed to us so relentlessly.

I am with you there.

TakeTurns

I have a large Topeak saddle bag. I'll be honest, I don't like it. It slightly kills the look of my bike. However it's a necessity.

What I carry:
1x Inner tube
2x Tyre levers -GP4000. Enough said.
1x Blackburn mini pump -Incase a fellow cyclist doesn't have one.
1x Small puncture repair kit
1x C02 Adapter + 2x spare C02 Cartridge
1x folded wind/waterproof
-Some cards/loose change/Key

Last time I weighed my saddlebag it came in around 650g. +3 water bottles, it doesn't really matter. It's called training for a reason. Come race day I take it all off and I feel it's a different bike.

In my jersey pockets I carry nutrition, phone and mini bottle. I only have one zip pocket so the phone goes in there. However because the route to my courses are quite bumpy (London), my nutrition is always flying about in my pockets which is annoying hence I stash everything I can in the saddlebag.

migrantwing

diy wrote:

Would these people who complain about bags be the same folk who where team sky kit stretched over their over weight bodies?

+1

LakelandBiker

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/mini-wedgie-saddlepack-ec027072

I use one of these filled with spare tube, multi tool, patches, £10 note, spare powerlink my pump just gets stuck in my pocket. It's super easy to take off if I'm going on a short ride and don't want to take any of that stuff. Just velcroe loops there's no extra bits to clamp to the saddle.

Also compared to some saddle bags I think it's pretty discrete and doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.