Slickest saddlebag alternative, components and weights

[sbkidd]

http://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FMTKB
smallest i've seen

[weaverdcivw]

^ That's what I'm using. 190g total with regular tube, lever, patch kit, C02 and a couple paper towels for anti-rattle and minor grease cleanup. No complaints.

[Ritterview]

Is there a very small, lightweight alternative to the saddlebag that is also easy on the eye? ... but I generally dislike the look of having a saddlebag at all...

I've weenied the toolset down to the bare minimum so I don't need much space, but I would really like something other than the typical saddlebag.

There is the strapless Fizik saddlebag, which hangs gracefully and atypically from it ICS mount.



I described how it can sequester everything needed, including pump and multitool, here. At 80 grams, however, it isn't particularly WW.

Fizik now has an aerodynamic ICS saddlebag as well.

[Geoff]

I guess my 'craft paper and toe strap' option is out, huh?

[DMF]

I would kind of have to argue that the Fizik ICS bag is neither light, as you mentioned yourself, nor small (more than 50% larger than Vaude), nor very easy on the eye... that last one is ofcourse IMHO, but that has to be one of the least well hidden saddlebags I've ever seen... and also unless you're using a Fizik saddle (I'm not) it's just utterly useless

But I'm sure it's functionwise one of the more clever saddlebags on the market, I like the idea of a quick mount instead of straps even if it's not for me right now.

- But to be considered super small, I reckon 0.25L is the absolute maximum capacity.
- To be considered WW, I reckon anything above 40g is unnecessary weight.
- And to be considered slick or sleek, I reckon it should draw none or as little attention to itself as possible and leave as much as possible of the remaining bike visible... i.e I like the look of my carbon seat rails, and the head of my seatpost with Ti screws, and so forth. But bottom line is, there is really nothing beautiful about any saddlebag - not in comparison to the beautiful parts of the bike that it covers...

[daj]

That's what I use too. I don't really care about the looks when I'm training. But of course I unclip it when I race, because I do need my bike to look cool on the race pics

[mrfish]

I like the Fizik bag, but the waterproof bits and seams got in the way of the zip and it broke after about 5 rides. Not recommended. On the other hand my 15 year old Cannondale Seat Cleat bag is still almost like new.

[rustychain]

What's best for Tubulars? Currently I use a sock!

[dgasmd]

Like I said, using either a sunglass carrying bag or a sock is extremely easy and makes for a very compact packet. Below is the one I use, which is actually the bag that one of the Ritchey stems I bought came in. It is the same size as a larger sunglass bag though.

[whoopsie]

Interesting topic and got me thinking. Ended up wrapping my latex spare tube around a 6mm dowel and securing it as I wrapped with electrical tape. This I inserted up the seatpost. Put a thin wire down a length of old tube- 1 1/4" is perfect- and put 2 CO2 bottles, 2 tyre levers and the CO2 inflater valve (and other stuff if you want/have room) in the tube. Wrap and twist the wire to close one end. Insert this "tube" down the seat tube and use the wire to pull out when needed (put the extra wire hanging out of the seat tube up the seatpost before fully inserting the tube). The tubing also keeps things from rattling. On the road, when undoing the seatpost collar allen screw, count how many turns to undo and tighten up the same amount so as to keep about the same torque on the screw. Make sure you carry the right size allen key for the seatpost screw or tape it somewhere!

[prendrefeu]

Carrying stuff in a pocket to avoid a saddle bag is dumb.

Depends on why you avoid saddle bags in the first place. I stopped using them because my ass and thighs were too fat and would ruin my bibs from rubbing against the saddle bags.

Ditto. The saddle bags (and I tried many) were ruining my shorts. The Fizik system is great... if you are using a Fizik saddle. I'm not.

I'm using the same method as dgasmd: two tubes, a few patches, boot sticker, one multi-tool, one tire lever + pump in a sunglasses bag = 279g total. It fits in the back pocket even on the smallest of jerseys. plenty of room in the other pockets for nutrition, arm warmers/vest, phone, "riding wallet" (which is a reduced wallet to the essentials).

Now I only use a saddle bag when my planned ride is over 120 miles. Anything less than that, no need for a saddle bag.

As for the "ride with one bottle" option - yeah that would be awesome, if I lived in Europe. Water spots are available here if you know where to seek them, they are not always common knowledge or publicly visible, and sometimes you'll need to be o.k. with the taste of vinyl/plastics from the garden hose you took the water from. Until I move to Europe, two bottles for long rides.

[DMF]

Interesting topic and got me thinking. Ended up wrapping my latex spare tube around a 6mm dowel and securing it as I wrapped with electrical tape. This I inserted up the seatpost. Put a thin wire down a length of old tube- 1 1/4" is perfect- and put 2 CO2 bottles, 2 tyre levers and the CO2 inflater valve (and other stuff if you want/have room) in the tube. Wrap and twist the wire to close one end. Insert this "tube" down the seat tube and use the wire to pull out when needed (put the extra wire hanging out of the seat tube up the seatpost before fully inserting the tube). The tubing also keeps things from rattling. On the road, when undoing the seatpost collar allen screw, count how many turns to undo and tighten up the same amount so as to keep about the same torque on the screw. Make sure you carry the right size allen key for the seatpost screw or tape it somewhere!

Very clever idea! Do you have a 27.2mm inner diameter seat tube on your frame?

A CO2 cartridge is 22mm wide, leaving 2,6mm of free space for the tube on either side of the cartridge. I haven't got any spare 28" race tubes at home, and a MTB tube certainly doesn't fit so I wasn't able to try it for myself. But I was just wondering if it really fits in a 27.2mm (ID) seat tube, as I imagine there might be some stiction between the tube and the seat tube?

[whoopsie]

My seatpost is 31.6mm OD so the cartridges fit easily. You might try wrapping the wire- only about 0.9mm dia.- around the thread and not using tubing- if you want 2 cartridges tape the 2 threads together and wrap wire there. But I still think you will have room, especially if you use an old latex tube which is thinner.

[DMF]

I think a tube would be nice to stop the rattling, I'll definitely give this a try as soon as I sort out an old tube

Thanks for the tip!

[andreszucs]

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