Ditching the saddle bag

I carry this in Jersey pocket sometimes
Silca Eolo Wallet
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And this was a pain to get packed initially but it looked slick once installed. Didn’t work on my subsequent saddle though, and of course the name…
CycKit AeroClam
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I just suck up the saddlebag, especially since the 7 stitches in my back from a (closed/ folded over) car key in my back pocket when I crashed.

Phone (in a waterproof wallet, that’ll also take a key) and food is all that goes in my pockets now if I can possible help it.

I think Phil Gaimon said it best:
“If you make fun of me for my frame pump and large saddle bag you really are saying you don’t ride a lot”

How do you get the top bottle out of the cage? It looks really close to the top tube.

I wanted to make sure I could fit a large bottle in the cage on the seat tube. And it does. But I generally reach for the bottle on the down tube first. When I empty that bottle, I switch bottles between cages. Make sense?

Yes, I bought the SWAT box separately.

You can’t see it very well in the photos, but you secure the SWAT box to a single bottle cage boss on the frame - or, in my case, to a Wolf Tooth B-Rad 2. There is also a hole in the top of the SWAT box and a hole in the bottom of the Zee Cage II (maybe the Ribcage has the same hole) that you bolt together. It is quite solid and meets my needs nicely.

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I use a small saddle bag … it works :smiley:

I tried carrying everything in my jersey pockets for quite awhile. It sucked! To much weight in the pockets. 2 tubes, C02’s, tool kit, mini pump. Add nutritional items on longer rides and jersey pockets were to heavy. I opted for a SpeedSleev. It holds everything I need minus the mini pump which I still carry in the center pocket of my jersey along with my gels and a nutrition bar of some type, and Endurolytes capsules in mini pill case. Works out perfect and still have all my emergency supplies. I think everyone knows the guys that wants to look more pro and has no emergency supplies, don’t be that guy :wink:

Had to think of this thread when I saw this pro’s bike earlier today:

grafik

I guess he does not care about not looking pro :slight_smile:
Even with fenders :open_mouth:

His saddle bag was probably filled with bricks or lead pellets. How else would you expect a pro to climb in Andorra during the winter?!? #respect

like putting sandbags in the back of a pickup truck, need that traction when the roads get icy!

And some big cajones for rim brakes with all the wet/snow/cold/mountains !!!

yeah, that dude is the definition of HTFU

They’re all at it …

https://twitter.com/DeGendtThomas/status/1198979852956774402?s=20

I’ll admit it…I share this photo with more than a little pride… :fire:

This is my gravel racer. If you look closely you’ll see a mini-pump unobtrusively mounted behind the rear bottle cage. A Co2, a dynaplug and a multi-tool are elegantly enclosed in the Silca seat capsule to round out my overall awesome tubeless set up :metal:

I defy anyone to tell me this bike doesn’t look slightly outstanding :neutral_face:

To me, nothing looks less pro than all 3 jersey pockets stuffed and gestating with gear for which modern engineering has come up with far more elegant solutions.

Every time I see someone riding with a cold, stiff, metal mini-pump jammed in their rear pocket I think to myself, “There goes a rider who thinks ‘the rules’ are to be taken seriuosly.” And then I sigh … and drop them :wink:

I use a Torhans VR bottle in the lower triangle. I cut the bottom of the bottle out and keep flat stuff, cash and phone there. It’s aero, low as far as weight distribution and really effective.

https://www.torhans.com/collections/vr-series

I have a spare tube, a CO2 and adapter or rolled into a nice shape, fixed with electrical tape which fits into my pocket. My phone, and some money. It depends on how long the ride is with nutrition. Typically, 1 bar and 1 gel (just in case) You can hardly notice what I am carrying. I don’t like bags that move around, I haven’t had a look at any saddle bags recently and I suspect there are a few which are really nice.

I’ve been using this Dakine bag and I like it. The strap will rub the paint a bike, so it needs a spot of tape there. Otherwise it’s just the right size, out of the way, and easy to get stuff out of. https://amzn.to/2pWuaLI

https://imgur.com/8b7M4DX
https://imgur.com/4BYlMrv

I also carry a dry bag with a bandage, tools, and some cash https://amzn.to/2XMWLzm

I’m jealous that he was able to fit the front Raceblade. I don’t have the clearance between tyre and downtube.

Nice, a bikepacking bag on a pro’s bike.

Nothing I hate more than having things in my jersey pockets. Too many falls means it’s hard to reach back there anyway. Every bike has its own seat bag. Some have randonneur front bags.