Alternative to saddle bags?

dizzyblonde82
dizzyblonde82 Posts: 100
edited September 2011 in Road buying advice
Hi,

I ordered an altrua speed saddle bag in medium and if I put it on I have no room for the rear reflector and rear light, my saddle is not set very high so not much seat post room. The bag also sticks out quite a bit from the back of the saddle, the saddle has been set forward to give the correct reach.

Other than using a rucksack what alternatives could I try?

Thanks
Sarah

Comments

  • JimboM
    JimboM Posts: 380
    Jersey with pockets or handlebar bag ?

    Can you not clip a light to the back of the saddlebag my Topeak one has a loop for this purpose
    Cannondale Synapse 105
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  • gilesjuk
    gilesjuk Posts: 340
    Fizik saddles have a mount underneath the rear of the saddle for lights. You could clip a light on there and then put the bag on the seatpost.

    Alternatively mount a light on the frame lower down? on one of the seat stays.
  • ex-pat scot
    ex-pat scot Posts: 939
    Tool bottle from PLT
    Commute: Langster -Singlecross - Brompton S2-LX

    Road: 95 Trek 5500 -Look 695 Aerolight eTap - Boardman TTe eTap

    Offroad: Pace RC200 - Dawes Kickback 2 tandem - Tricross - Boardman CXR9.8 - Ridley x-fire
  • dizzyblonde82
    dizzyblonde82 Posts: 100
    Thanks for the replies, have put a wanted post out for a cateye belt clip as can't find the one which came with my light :(

    Are there any reflectors available which do not go on the seatpost - as I understand it you have to have a rear reflector but not a front one, is this correct?
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    How much stuff do you need to carry? I swear by my Innov-8 Race Pro 4 belt bag
    http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/race-pro-4- ... ck-p182450

    which once I've got it on, I don't notice at all on the bike. I can carry
    2x spare tubes
    2x CO2 cannister
    1x multitool
    2x mobile phones
    1x Montane Featherlite jacket
    1x Minipump
    1x wallet
    1x work pass & keys
    plus change of shirt & boxers

    with the benefit that it keeps everything dry. It's designed to take a 4 litre hydration bladder if needed. It's really comfortable and doesn't bounce nor do I get sweaty from it.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • plumpy
    plumpy Posts: 124
    +1 for a large (1 litre) tool bidon (BBB do them too). Totally waterproof unlike (nearly all) seatpacks. Much quicker to whip in/out of the bottle cage than connecting/disconnecting a seatpack. Most frames let you fit two cages so you can still carry a water bidon.
  • dabber
    dabber Posts: 1,928
    plumpy wrote:
    +1 for a large (1 litre) tool bidon (BBB do them too). Totally waterproof unlike (nearly all) seatpacks. Much quicker to whip in/out of the bottle cage than connecting/disconnecting a seatpack. Most frames let you fit two cages so you can still carry a water bidon.

    OK if it's not too hot... but I got through both my 750ml bottles today quite quickly today.
    “You may think that; I couldn’t possibly comment!”

    Wilier Cento Uno SR/Wilier Mortirolo/Specialized Roubaix Comp/Kona Hei Hei/Calibre Bossnut
  • amaferanga
    amaferanga Posts: 6,789
    Decathlon do a tool bottle as well. I use one and much prefer it to a seat pack and any kind of waste pack on a road bike is just wrong. Just be sure to pad it out with something to stop your tools rattling around.

    Or you could just ditch the reflector - totally superfluous if you have a rear light.
    More problems but still living....
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    dizzyblonde82 wrote:
    Are there any reflectors available which do not go on the seatpost - as I understand it you have to have a rear reflector but not a front one, is this correct?

    Reflectors? Usually get binned as soon as I get home.

    Lights can be necessary and I know reflectors are a legal requirement but has anyone been punished for not having them?
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • dizzyblonde82
    dizzyblonde82 Posts: 100
    I took the front reflector off straight away but thought the rear one had to be left on, will take it off as have an excellent cateye rear light - just need to get hold of a belt clip for it so that I can attach it to a saddle bag. Then hopefully will be sorted.

    I have seen the bottle tool holders but as I will be riding lots on country lanes with not many refill opportunities I would prefer to take 2 water bottles with me.
  • amaferanga
    amaferanga Posts: 6,789
    dizzyblonde82 wrote:
    I have seen the bottle tool holders but as I will be riding lots on country lanes with not many refill opportunities I would prefer to take 2 water bottles with me.

    I guess we're all different, but a bottle will last me at least 2 hours if I make sure I'm properly hydrated before I set off so I rarely see the need to carry the extra ballast.
    More problems but still living....
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    amaferanga wrote:
    I guess we're all different, but a bottle will last me at least 2 hours if I make sure I'm properly hydrated before I set off so I rarely see the need to carry the extra ballast.

    Two hours? How do you keep hydrated after the warm up? :lol:
    Faster than a tent.......
  • plumpy
    plumpy Posts: 124
    I guess we're all different, but a bottle will last me at least 2 hours if I make sure I'm properly hydrated before I set off so I rarely see the need to carry the extra ballast.[/quote]

    +1 I carry a single 1 litre water bottle for longer rides which works for me. Even for really long rides, I'd rather stick a spare drink tablet in my pocket and count on being able to find a shop/pub/garage/nice old lady in her garden who'll top me up with tap water, rather than stick another kilo of liquid on the bike (which would make even more of a mockery of all my carbon fibre bits and pieces).
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Stick it on the rear triangle just below where the split is to hold the wheel. Most cateye mounts (mine, anyway) will go small enough to be secure and have tilt adjustment so you can angle it correctly.

    Just make sure the end of the strap doesnt poke out sideways or it scrapes your leg (as mine does)
  • prawny
    prawny Posts: 5,439
    These are cool, I'm thinking about getting one so I don't get my tools and stuff mixed up in the same pocket.

    http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... ries_Pouch

    I also use a non coverted bottle, just refold the tubes and ram everything in, No good for huge rides though. Although I coped for 85 miles the other day with one fill up at a petrol station shop.

    Edit - I have a saddle bag too at the mo, light clips on there but used to go on the seat stays, I had one each side.
    Saracen Tenet 3 - 2015 - Dead - Replaced with a Hack Frame
    Voodoo Bizango - 2014 - Dead - Hit by a car
    Vitus Sentier VRS - 2017
  • amaferanga
    amaferanga Posts: 6,789
    Rolf F wrote:
    amaferanga wrote:
    I guess we're all different, but a bottle will last me at least 2 hours if I make sure I'm properly hydrated before I set off so I rarely see the need to carry the extra ballast.

    Two hours? How do you keep hydrated after the warm up? :lol:

    Stop at a village shop for a refill. I can't think of many routes in the Peaks (where I do most of my riding) where I'd ever be more than half an hour from a village with a shop.
    More problems but still living....
  • dabber
    dabber Posts: 1,928
    This year in France... 40 degree temperature, no habitation for miles and miles. Two bottles wasn't enough. It just depends on the circumstances.
    “You may think that; I couldn’t possibly comment!”

    Wilier Cento Uno SR/Wilier Mortirolo/Specialized Roubaix Comp/Kona Hei Hei/Calibre Bossnut
  • plumpy
    plumpy Posts: 124
    Dabber wrote:
    This year in France... 40 degree temperature, no habitation for miles and miles. Two bottles wasn't enough. It just depends on the circumstances.


    Mon dieu.

    Amaferanga is in Sheffield and I'm in Bradford. Dehydration comes way, way down on a list of pre-ride worries that has "mugging by metal thieves" at the top of it.
  • amaferanga
    amaferanga Posts: 6,789
    Dabber wrote:
    This year in France... 40 degree temperature, no habitation for miles and miles. Two bottles wasn't enough. It just depends on the circumstances.

    Totally irrelevant isn't it. I mean, I've ridden round Africa and obviously didn't only carry one 500ml bottle of water, but here in the UK two bottles is rarely absolutely necessary (it might just make you more flexible with regard routes sometimes though).
    More problems but still living....
  • dabber
    dabber Posts: 1,928
    As I said... it depends on the circumstances.

    Yesterday I did a 4 hour non-stop ride with the temperature around 28 degrees. The last thing I wanted to do was stop and hunt around for a source of top up liquid. But I agree that for a moderate 2 hour ride one bottle will probably be sufficient.

    It just depends on what you are doing and what the weather is like.
    “You may think that; I couldn’t possibly comment!”

    Wilier Cento Uno SR/Wilier Mortirolo/Specialized Roubaix Comp/Kona Hei Hei/Calibre Bossnut

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