breaking rule 29 – saddle bags

Rules are there to be broken right? I absolutely hate cycling will full Jersey pockets so I habitually break the “No Saddle Bags” rule. For longer rides especially solo you need to carry some “get you home” kit and the easy way to ensure you don’t forget anything is to assemble your kit, put it in a saddle bag and leave it strapped to your bike. Then when you leave the house all you need to remember to do is grab a banana and a cereal bar for your jersey pocket (yes I can cope with that) and you are good to go.

So whilst I just ignore rule 29 there is still no excuse for an untidy saddle bag. I don’t like mine to be any bigger than it needs to be, the smaller the better. I also absolutely cannot stand poorly secured bags that swing about or dangle below the saddle. Small, and tightly fastened is the name of the game.

Previously on my race bike I have used a ridiculously small bag, the Castelli Undersaddle Bag Mini. It is tiny and just big enough for a race light tube, some tyre leavers and a small multi tool. That’s it, no more. For a regular club ride that works for me. I would normally prefer to have 2 tubes for a ride of any distance but on a club run there is always someone else to help out if you are unlucky and have more than one puncture, though I have never seen it happen.

However on solo rides I always like to carry a couple of tubes and had been putting a second in my jersey pocket, however much I dislike doing so.

My new winter bike bought a new problem though, tubes for its wider 28mm tyres are bigger and do not come in racelight versions so I could not even get one tube in my Castelli pack. So a new seat pack for this bike was required.

I still wanted something as small as possible but it had to hold two 28mm tubes, a multi tool and a few other bits a pieces I decided I wanted for longer distance solo rides. My solution was to collect the kit I wanted it to carry and take a trip to my local bricks an mortar cycle store. There I took a bunch of suitable looking saddle bags from the display and then amused myself and the staff while I tested each with my array of spares.

In the end I settled on this, a Fabric Contain Saddle Bag Large.

Yes I know it is “Large” and that goes against my ethos but it is the size I needed. My Castelli bag whilst it contained all the essentials it was a really tight squeeze and I was always worried that on a cold day with freezing fingers it would be a real fiddle to get everything out of it and almost impossible to repack it. Hence the other requirement for this bag was that I could get the essentials in it comfortably.

Before I go on there are a few aspects of the design that I don’t like. The main one is that this is an “expandable” bag. This type of feature is a pet hate of mine on all luggage. It adds weight, and looks rubbish when expanded. My approach is to just get a bag that is the right size to start with. The Seat tube strap is poor quality compared to the rest of the bag but I think I will cope. Otherwise the bag does seem well made and made to last.

On the bike it fits quite snugly and securely under my saddle.

I have protected the seat tube from abrasions from the retaining strap with some helicopter tape. The top of the bag also rubs against the underside of the seat tube and clamp so I used some butyl tape to protect the bag.

So the question you are all asking is “what’s in the bag?” Well here is my “get me home” kit list;

So the most common issue of course is punctures and here is what I carry to get out of trouble;

• Tubes x2 – just in case I am un lucky enough to get a double puncture on a solo ride
• Tube Patches (self adhesive) – if the worst happens
• Tyre Boot – I have split a tyre on a nasty pot hole in the past
• Tyre Leavers – of course
• 6mm Allen key – the joy of thru axels with no leavers
• Small valve core tool – I have a pump with a screw head attachment so it is always a good idea to check valve cores are in tight.

The next most common issues are those minor mechanicals and for that I bring along;

• Mini Took – Topeak mini 18 with chain tool. The chain tool does look small and fiddly but I tested it on a scrap piece of chain and it does work.
• Zip Ties – you can fix anything with a zip tie!

Chain breakages are a ride ending issue if you can’t fix them so here is what I take;

• Quick Link
• Shimano Chain Pins – you could say these are not really necessary since I have a quick link
• Chain Holder – small bent piece of metal to hold the chain ends together whilst you work. Very handy if you are riding solo

I carry a few minor medical items also;

• Some antiseptic wipes – can also be used to wipe dirty hands after a road side mechanical
• Antiseptic dressings

Lastly I carry a spare deraileur hanger. These things are typically bike specific and can take some time to get hold off so I always think you should have a spare in your tool box as a minimum. However I carry mine with me. They are easy damaged in relatively minor crashes and can end your ride but they are not difficult to change at the roadside.

All this fits very snugly in the bag with a little room to spare.  Internally the bag has a large pocket on the right side that I use to hold the sterile wipes, dressings and tyre boot and two small pockets on the left that are ideal for tyre leavers. When I pack this for a ride I wrap the tubes in small plastic bags so they slide in easily and it also gives them a little protection against abrasions.

So overall I am very pleased with my recent purchase. It seems to fit under the saddle very securely and it has not come loose on my recent rides. I like it so much that I am tempted to get the small version for my other bike as the zip on my castelli bag is getting stiff and I am sure is about to fail.