The ultimate saddle bag

flasher

Best bag for me is the Lezyne Road caddy, nice and neat and close to the rails, if yours could quick release as close to the rails you'd be onto a winner, don't think I've seen a QR bag that doesn't hang way too low.

survivor

Pilot Pete wrote:

I have one of these http://cyckit.com/ fitted to my C60.

It is a minimalist type with only just enough room for the essentials. However, I think it is currently the neatest solution on the market. I have had several comments along the lines of “oh, I thought it was part of the saddle”, which says it all.

The pluses;

1. Minimalist; does not detract from the lines of a top quality road bike (so obviously won’t for a cheap road bike either ) Fit is excellent.
2. Weatherproof. It is hard plastic with a rubber tab. The base fits into the lid (which is attached to the saddle rails).
3. No zip/ material to fail/ fray.
4. Very robust and easy to clean (just wash it in situ with the bike).
5. Packed properly it doesn’t rattle (the packed internals) or swing about. It is solid and won’t wear any part of your bike due to friction under movement.
6. I pack a spare tube, inflator and head, a tyre boot, two levers and a Topeak rescue box with patches and chain link. I also have a few small cable ties in there and valve extenders with the little Conti tool for unscrewing them.
7. It is available in a few colours.
8. The base, with all your packed kit in, hinges down and can be removed quickly, so you could buy extra lids and swap the contents and base between multiple bikes.

The downsides/ possible improvements;

1. It really is minimalist. On longer rides I carry two tubes and two inflators, so have to put one tube and an inflator along with a multi tool in a jersey pocket.
2. There isn’t quite enough room for what I would ideally like (two inflators) and a half descent multi tool with a chain tool (I’ve just upgraded to a terrific, flat, little Lezynne multi tool with chain breaker) I could forego the second tube and just carry patches...
3. There is no provision to mount a light. Also no reflectives. It would be quite hard to stick anything to the flap (which forms the back of the pack) as it is rubber.
4. Only available in NZ (or at least it was when I got mine in 2016)

So far it is the best pack I have used and I recommend it regularly. For me, if you could improve on that to achieve your aims you could well be on to a winner.

PP

P.s. food for thought;

If you compromise on a light mount that is universal you will end up like all the others just having a clip on strap. I found that any light when clipped to these both wobbled about and never pointed in the optimal direction.

Take a look at the new Fabric front light that fits on your Garmin mount. I have pre-ordered one. This seems like a great idea for a ‘be seen’ daytime flasher. I could envisage a similar rear light with a Garmin type mount moulded to the underside of the Cyckit seat pack. This is another advantage of a solid box as opposed to a soft bag.

Based on your feedback, I think you will be very pleased to see what we have come up with. It is also minimalist, but with all the improvements that you are looking for!

coops1967

Th best aesthetically i've seen is the aeroclam by cyckit - won't have room for too much, but nfortunately won't fit on a SMP saddle...



http://cyckit.com

survivor

coops1967 wrote:

Th best aesthetically i've seen is the aeroclam by cyckit - won't have room for too much, but nfortunately won't fit on a SMP saddle...



http://cyckit.com

We are driven to come up with the saddle bag that has the best aesthetic. While we understand it is something heavily depends on personal preferences, at the very least we want it to look good on our bike. We want to create a product that we would use it ourselves.

While we are still finalizing our design, hopefully get it finalized within the next couple of weeks, in general you can think of our design having close aesthetic vibe as the Cyckit but with more universal adaptability and storage flexibility.

sgt.pepper

I keep my tools in one of these (tyre levers, few spare nuts and bolts, multi tool) https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Multi-B ... eLevelAB=0

My detachable rucksack on my commuter panniers is too tall for a large saddle bag - so it just contains some more patches and a spare tube. Road bike and mountain bike also have saddle bags with spare tubes only, means I can easily switch my tool kit between bottle cages when I take the others out. I also like having that weight central and lower down.

pilot_pete

Sgt.Pepper wrote:

I keep my tools in one of these (tyre levers, few spare nuts and bolts, multi tool) https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Multi-B ... eLevelAB=0

My detachable rucksack on my commuter panniers is too tall for a large saddle bag - so it just contains some more patches and a spare tube. Road bike and mountain bike also have saddle bags with spare tubes only, means I can easily switch my tool kit between bottle cages when I take the others out. I also like having that weight central and lower down.

That is a lot of tools to be carting around everywhere...

PP

sgt.pepper

Pilot Pete wrote:

Sgt.Pepper wrote:

I keep my tools in one of these (tyre levers, few spare nuts and bolts, multi tool) https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Multi-B ... eLevelAB=0

My detachable rucksack on my commuter panniers is too tall for a large saddle bag - so it just contains some more patches and a spare tube. Road bike and mountain bike also have saddle bags with spare tubes only, means I can easily switch my tool kit between bottle cages when I take the others out. I also like having that weight central and lower down.

That is a lot of tools to be carting around everywhere...

PP

Meh, I prefer to be prepared - and my main commuter isn't a lightweight bike. Only just stopped taking the mini-pliers out as well - now they WERE a bit heavy lol.

pilot_pete

survivor

It has been a while.

We are hard at work and getting really close now. There are several adjustments we made to our design since the last update. Below is a quick comparison with some other saddle bags out there today. We haven't name our product yet so it is call "Project X" for now.

It took us some time to balance the size and storage capacity. We would like to hear your further feedback on flexibility of storage. Is this something matters to you? If we took away the feature of expansion, we could potentially shrink down the size further.

We are also very excited about our proprietary attachment system which is tool-less installation, no special mounting bracket needed, works universally across saddles, and very fast to attach and remove. How fast? Typical Velcro attachment would probably takes 10 - 15 seconds to attach and probably slightly faster for removal. Our proprietary attachment system can do it in 1 - 2 seconds, either attachment or removal.

All feedback is welcome!

Disclaimer: Below comparison details are based on our personal usage of respective saddle bags and the storage items are based on the items we have and doesn't represent every variations of equivalent items out there in the market.

lakesluddite

Sorry Survivor, in my old age this image just isn't big enough to be able to form an opinion!

chrisaonabike

LakesLuddite wrote:

Sorry Survivor, in my old age this image just isn't big enough to be able to form an opinion!

^^ Agreed.

It looks quite good in profile, but I'd want to see better pictures before I knew if it would suit me.

Will it fit a Selle SMP Drakon?

Currently I use a small Topeak Aero Wedge small, or large for long rides.

survivor

LakesLuddite wrote:

Sorry Survivor, in my old age this image just isn't big enough to be able to form an opinion!

I will try to upload a better image later

survivor

ChrisAOnABike wrote:

Will it fit a Selle SMP Drakon?

Yes. We tried it on Selle SMP and it fits.

step83

Where you say it could expend for two tubes, how so? Also tube wise I run 82mm valves (because deep rims are cool) would It be able to take two of those?
Currently using the specialized Micro Wedgie but have managed to get a separate chain breaker and missing links in there.

survivor

Step83 wrote:

Where you say it could expend for two tubes, how so? Also tube wise I run 82mm valves (because deep rims are cool) would It be able to take two of those?
Currently using the specialized Micro Wedgie but have managed to get a separate chain breaker and missing links in there.

The saddle bag has the ability to stretch and accommodate more storage. We have tried on 42mm and 60mm valves tubes. Haven't got a chance to try 82mm yet. Will put it on our to-do list.

froze

Ultimate? I don't think there is such a thing, there may be some bad ones, but there are a lot more really nice ones.

I usually buy Topeak Aero Wedge bags, but a couple of months ago I thought I would try something different and bought a low cost BV Strap On Saddle Bag (large, and expandable like the Topeak) that cost only $13 but got rave reviews by over 2000 buyers on Amazon. I haven't had it long enough for durability tests but I did compare it to the Topeak and to my surprise is made of the same materials! So now I have to wait a few years to see how long it will last but I think it should last as long as the Topeak for a lot less money.

sam_anon

survivor wrote:

It has been a while.

We are hard at work and getting really close now. There are several adjustments we made to our design since the last update. Below is a quick comparison with some other saddle bags out there today. We haven't name our product yet so it is call "Project X" for now.

It took us some time to balance the size and storage capacity. We would like to hear your further feedback on flexibility of storage. Is this something matters to you? If we took away the feature of expansion, we could potentially shrink down the size further.

We are also very excited about our proprietary attachment system which is tool-less installation, no special mounting bracket needed, works universally across saddles, and very fast to attach and remove. How fast? Typical Velcro attachment would probably takes 10 - 15 seconds to attach and probably slightly faster for removal. Our proprietary attachment system can do it in 1 - 2 seconds, either attachment or removal.

All feedback is welcome!

Disclaimer: Below comparison details are based on our personal usage of respective saddle bags and the storage items are based on the items we have and doesn't represent every variations of equivalent items out there in the market.

Looks like you've been working hard, well done!

bendertherobot

The silca is a tight fit, that’s really the point. Best one I’ve used. But for a major long ride the lack of a second tube is a flaw. You may need to look at the new seat capsule though which really does appear to be the ultimate.

survivor

bendertherobot wrote:

The silca is a tight fit, that’s really the point. Best one I’ve used. But for a major long ride the lack of a second tube is a flaw. You may need to look at the new seat capsule though which really does appear to be the ultimate.

The new seat capsule is massive. Our goal is to create a product that is compact but doesn’t sacrify the storage capability. If you see the comparison I posted earlier, our prototype has similar storage capability as the Silca Seat Roll Premio but much compact. It also has the capability to extend to store second tube, all within the same unit. So it kinda like the Silca Seat Roll Premio and Capsule, all in one unit, and smaller

bendertherobot

survivor wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

The silca is a tight fit, that’s really the point. Best one I’ve used. But for a major long ride the lack of a second tube is a flaw. You may need to look at the new seat capsule though which really does appear to be the ultimate.

The new seat capsule is massive. Our goal is to create a product that is compact but doesn’t sacrify the storage capability. If you see the comparison I posted earlier, our prototype has similar storage capability as the Silca Seat Roll Premio but much compact. It also has the capability to extend to store second tube, all within the same unit. So it kinda like the Silca Seat Roll Premio and Capsule, all in one unit, and smaller

Pics would help demonstrate

grenw

I use the Lezyne road caddy and it happily fits in all of the stuff crossed out in the pictures above - 2 canisters and the inflator plus the patch kit (as well as the tube, multi-tool and levers).

A second tube would make it just too big but that's easy to fit in a jersey pocket if I feel the need for it.

not-another-hillǃ

I use a Topeak mini wedge - it has a nice clip attachment so I just transfer it from one bike to the next, leaving a clip on each saddle. I can carry 2 tubes, 2 CO2 canisters, the CO2 head, 2 levers, some zip-ties, some sticky tape, and a small multitool. I’ve never needed anything else when out on the road. My phone goes in my jersey pocket so it’s easy to get to on the fly. Oh, and the Topeak one appears pretty waterproof...and it was about 12 quid!

survivor

bendertherobot wrote:

Pics would help demonstrate

Project X is our prototype. Top left corner in the comparison picture.

bendertherobot

survivor wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

Pics would help demonstrate

Project X is our prototype. Top left corner in the comparison picture.

That's a small black mass under a saddle. Impossible to tell anything about it.

I have the things listed in my Silca. It's not a tight fit. But it would be with 2 tubes, it would be impossible, in fact. It's not a tight squeeze on the saddle, not at all.

Pics of the things in the pack, how it attaches, how it expands would help form some thoughts.

survivor

GrenW wrote:

I use the Lezyne road caddy and it happily fits in all of the stuff crossed out in the pictures above - 2 canisters and the inflator plus the patch kit (as well as the tube, multi-tool and levers).

A second tube would make it just too big but that's easy to fit in a jersey pocket if I feel the need for it.

There are several caddys that Lezyne make, just want to make sure we are talking about the same one. The road caddy is below:


After putting a tube and a canister, it is already quite full. I have to force in the canister. You can see the bag actually deformed a little bit due to the canister being forced into it.


Then I put the tire levers on top of the tube, multi-tools and inflator with control knob to the pocket. I can't get the bag to close. If I swapped out the inflator with control knob with a basic inflator, I can forcefully close the bag.

survivor

We are hard at work and we are very close now. Tentatively we are planning for October launch at Kickstarter. We are still working out the details.

As a preview, checkout THE WORLD'S FASTEST SADDLE BAG at https://www.vouel.com

If you are interested, subscribe to our newsletter and get the latest updates from us! More details to come, stay tuned!

sam_anon

Exciting stuff!

But how do you subscribe to your mailing list?

lettingthedaysgoby

survivor wrote:

We are hard at work and we are very close now. Tentatively we are planning for October launch at Kickstarter. We are still working out the details.

As a preview, checkout THE WORLD'S FASTEST SADDLE BAG at https://www.vouel.com

If you are interested, subscribe to our newsletter and get the latest updates from us! More details to come, stay tuned!

Looks good. Is that mechanism simply clicking on to the saddle rails, or is there another bracket attached?

joey54321

It'd be good to have an elastic loop on it for a mini pump.

I don't carry that much stuff, but I need to buy huge saddle bags as I prefer to rely on a mini pump rather than CO2 for fixing punctures and the dimensions make it difficult. I also switch my saddle bag between multiple bikes which means I can't/don't want to mount the mini pump on the bike, I like to have everything I need in one place.

survivor

sam anon wrote:

Exciting stuff!

But how do you subscribe to your mailing list?

If you go to our website at https://www.vouel.com, scroll down to the bottom there is a field to input your e-mail address and click "Notify Me" to sign up for the mailing list. We look forward to sharing some exciting news with you in the coming weeks!