The ultimate saddle bag

[northwestern]

I have 2 left hands,I am completely atechnical and it takes me 1 hours to change a flat. So I use a saddlebag called Uber. Last time I got a flat it cosy $15 and I did not get my hands dirty at all.

[bilwit]

I have 2 left hands,I am completely atechnical and it takes me 1 hours to change a flat. So I use a saddlebag called Uber. Last time I got a flat it cosy $15 and I did not get my hands dirty at all.

I've always considered this option, but didn't think I'd get a good response once they found out I wanted to put my bike in the car..

[kode54]

I have 2 left hands,I am completely atechnical and it takes me 1 hours to change a flat. So I use a saddlebag called Uber. Last time I got a flat it cosy $15 and I did not get my hands dirty at all.

I've always considered this option, but didn't think I'd get a good response once they found out I wanted to put my bike in the car..

only when i get a double flat and run out of CO2 cartridges. i have a glue patch for just in case, but after going through two flats, i throw my hands up and call uber XL...so a bike can fit.

[northwestern]

I have 2 left hands,I am completely atechnical and it takes me 1 hours to change a flat. So I use a saddlebag called Uber. Last time I got a flat it cosy $15 and I did not get my hands dirty at all.

I've always considered this option, but didn't think I'd get a good response once they found out I wanted to put my bike in the car..

only when i get a double flat and run out of CO2 cartridges. i have a glue patch for just in case, but after going through two flats, i throw my hands up and call uber XL...so a bike can fit.

Gotta get the XL. I'm not jamming my TCR Advanced Sl 0 with CLX40's in the back of a Camry.

[superdx]

I use this during short rides and I carry 1 tube, 1 Co2 canister, 2 tire levers, tire patch kit, and a multi tool.



Thinking of getting one of these soon for longer rides. I'm not quite sure how I would like the roll as water and dirty can easily slip through if I get caught in the rain or through different terrain.

The Velocolour bags look the best, I bought two. The trick is that everything needs to be packed in really tight or the strap isn't able to keep the bag it place. After repairing a flat, you need to put some attention into repacking everything.

[CrankAddictsRich]

really interesting topic....

I HATE sadlle bags. I can't stand how they look on a bike. From the standpoint of how they make the bike look when its just standing alone, it goes from looking like a rac bike to looking like something less than that. That's the primary reason why I don't like them. The secondary reason I don't like them is that more often than not, when you're riding behind someone with a saddle bag, it looks like you're riding behind a horse with its testicale swaying back and forth. Again, its just unatrractive.

I use a Shimano PRO tool bottle... have used it for years.



I carry a Victorinox Swiss Army Bike tool. which includes 2 tire levers, 8 bits for all of the tools I need and is super commpact. I carry 1 spare tube and 2 CO2 canisters, 1 CO2 trigger, a small ziplock (think a dimebag) that has a spare quick link, 1 spare presta valve insert, a 5nm torque key and a pair of latex gloves.

yes, that leaves me with only 1 water bottle.... but after a few months or riding when I first started, I realized something. I was coming home from rides with an over abundance of water. I notice people that go out for the local 30 mile group ride with 2 full bottles and they come home with 3/4 of the water. I started carrying 1 water bottle and i've found that its fine for almost all of the rides I do.. think the 40-75 mile range. Additionally, I live in NJ, so I'm never that far from a conveniance store or gas station and the rides i'm doing are not races... they're rides. If I need to stop or a friend needs to stop for water, we stop. When I was out in Colorado, I realized that the riding situation was much different. You go up into the mountains and its quite possible that you might not see a spot to get water for a LONG time.

[Lewn777]

I hate saddle bags because I'm a control freak and I like to know all my stuff is safe. I also dislike carrying anything on my body if possible, so from bike-packing tours I developed a love for a 'fuel tank' style bag on the top tube behind the stem, in it I have one paired down multi tool, tire levers, tube, money, pump and phone. I'd love if someone could figure out a way of doing something light and sleek in this area I'd be happy. I think the Topeak stuff is too bulky and heavy, mines just a B-Twin mini bike frame bag repurposed. I'd like something slightly narrower and more waterproof.


'Fuel tank' Seems fairly aero and holds everything I need in a place I want it.

[thePrince]

What are y'all putting in your 3 jersey pockets?!?!

Left: Food
Middle: Tube, Blackburn mini pump, 1 Pedro's tire lever, crank bro's mini tool, rubber band
Right: iPhone, credit card, ID

Maybe it's because I take care of my bike while I'm not riding, but that setup has got me home 99+% of the time. Only two times in the last 5 years I needed a cell-phone bailout: 1. forgot to switch out my race wheels - 404 tubulars - and flatted (my fault - not enough sealant in the tires) and 2. got hit by a truck (not my fault). Also in the hot Texas summers, I will go through two water bottles in an hour to stay hydrated, so I've tried the genie a bottle thing but prefer to keep both slots reserved for water in the summer.

[northwestern]

What are y'all putting in your 3 jersey pockets?!?!

Left: Food
Middle: Tube, Blackburn mini pump, 1 Pedro's tire lever, crank bro's mini tool, rubber band
Right: iPhone, credit card, ID

Maybe it's because I take care of my bike while I'm not riding, but that setup has got me home 99+% of the time. Only two times in the last 5 years I needed a cell-phone bailout: 1. forgot to switch out my race wheels - 404 tubulars - and flatted (my fault - not enough sealant in the tires) and 2. got hit by a truck (not my fault). Also in the hot Texas summers, I will go through two water bottles in an hour to stay hydrated, so I've tried the genie a bottle thing but prefer to keep both slots reserved for water in the summer.

Left: keys
Middle: Phone
Right: Wallet

If I take my sunnys off I put those in my right pocket and wallet on top of cell phone. I don't know what kind of back pockets you have that you can fit so many things in them.

[survivor]

Any updates on the progress?

We updated the design to reduce some weight. The current prototype is around 60 grams. We conducted several rounds of testing on long/short rides through gravel roads, rough road conditions, bumps and humps, everything looks good so far! The attachment system is robust and solid. The items inside the bag is organized and easily accessible. The fast speed of attachment and detachment is just unprecedented.

The highlight per feedback from testers of the prototype is the speed of attachment which makes bike swap or tools accessibility easy. A lot of time cyclists try to get the tools from their saddle bag while it is still attached to their bike. This doesn't make the tools easily accessible. The primary reason cyclists do not like to detach their saddle bag is because it is a pain to reattach it after detachment. Our attachment system makes attachment fast and easy.

One could argue that there are already existing "quick release" solution out there in the market today which could do the same thing. Yes that is true but they also limit you to a system (like Fizik one). You will not be able to use their system if you are not using their saddle. Or you will need a special mounting bracket to be attached on your bike to enable the quick release (like Topeak solution). Our attachment system works universally without needing any special mouting bracket to be on your bike.

[CrankAddictsRich]

What are y'all putting in your 3 jersey pockets?!?!

Left: Food
Middle: Tube, Blackburn mini pump, 1 Pedro's tire lever, crank bro's mini tool, rubber band
Right: iPhone, credit card, ID

Maybe it's because I take care of my bike while I'm not riding, but that setup has got me home 99+% of the time. Only two times in the last 5 years I needed a cell-phone bailout: 1. forgot to switch out my race wheels - 404 tubulars - and flatted (my fault - not enough sealant in the tires) and 2. got hit by a truck (not my fault). Also in the hot Texas summers, I will go through two water bottles in an hour to stay hydrated, so I've tried the genie a bottle thing but prefer to keep both slots reserved for water in the summer.

In my pockets..

Left: gopro, sunglasses cleaning bag, anything i take off during ride (gloves, toe covers, arm warmers, etc)
Middle: Inside line Equipment ride bag with phone, wallet, keys if I've driven.
Right: food

[survivor]

I HATE sadlle bags. I can't stand how they look on a bike. From the standpoint of how they make the bike look when its just standing alone, it goes from looking like a rac bike to looking like something less than that. That's the primary reason why I don't like them. The secondary reason I don't like them is that more often than not, when you're riding behind someone with a saddle bag, it looks like you're riding behind a horse with its testicale swaying back and forth. Again, its just unatrractive.

We agree with you completely. The reason we started on this journey is because we cannot find a saddle bag solution attractive enough that we would want to put it on our bike. In general the saddle bags out there today are big, bulky and dorky. Having said that, we realize the practicality that a saddle bag brings and we have since then trying to find a good middle groud: a solution unobstrusive enough that it is not dorky, an attachment system solid and robust enough that it won't look like a horse testicale swaying back and forth, a solution when put on the bike doesn't feel out of place. All in all, we need a saddle bag solution that looks attractive and practical, which is harder done than said.

[CrankAddictsRich]

I HATE sadlle bags. I can't stand how they look on a bike. From the standpoint of how they make the bike look when its just standing alone, it goes from looking like a rac bike to looking like something less than that. That's the primary reason why I don't like them. The secondary reason I don't like them is that more often than not, when you're riding behind someone with a saddle bag, it looks like you're riding behind a horse with its testicale swaying back and forth. Again, its just unatrractive.

We agree with you completely. The reason we started on this journey is because we cannot find a saddle bag solution attractive enough that we would want to put it on our bike. In general the saddle bags out there today are big, bulky and dorky. Having said that, we realize the practicality that a saddle bag brings and we have since then trying to find a good middle groud: a solution unobstrusive enough that it is not dorky, an attachment system solid and robust enough that it won't look like a horse testicale swaying back and forth, a solution when put on the bike doesn't feel out of place. All in all, we need a saddle bag solution that looks attractive and practical, which is harder done than said.

It sounds like you're looking for a solution that I'd ultimately be interested in owning. Please keep me posted.

[1415chris]

@survivor, thanks for the heads-up.
Can you share with us when you are planning to reveal your final product?

[themidge]

sunglasses cleaning bag

What on earth do you carry that for? I wear actual spectacles, you can just wipe rain or dust off with your jersey.