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Do you carry a saddlebag....?

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Do you carry a saddlebag....?

Old 05-22-20, 04:36 PM
  #1  
JRonaTrek
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Do you carry a saddlebag....?

I've been off the forums for a while, mostly because I had forgotten my password. With that being said, I don't know if this topic is somewhere, but i'd like to ask if you carry a saddlebag, or where do you carry your repair kit? Do you carry a repair kit?

I haven't carried a bag in a while, i've made attempts, purchase one and then end up giving it away to one of my buddies or something.

I was at the pet store and there was a bag dispenser (for when your dog poops) and it seemed the perfect size to fit some patches, my id, some bills, levers, tanks and a valve. I use a piece of velcro and wrap a folded tube under my seat, the bag dispenser in a jersey pocket. I'll post pics later.

But I am curious if anyone else has "rigged" a repair kit and maybe give me (us) some ideas...

Thanks in advance.

-El J.R.
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Old 05-22-20, 04:51 PM
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caloso
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I have this one on my road bike: https://www.castelli-cycling.com/us/...890010420P-010

Fits everything I need: tube, lever, patch kit, CO2 cartridge and chuck; minitool. Fits nice and snugly up against the saddle rails and does not have a velcro strap on the seat post.
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Old 05-22-20, 05:04 PM
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WhyFi
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I've got a Silca Premio roll. Like caloso's, it doesn't have a strap around the seat post but it still holds very securely, both of which are very appreciated.
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Old 05-22-20, 05:16 PM
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Used to. Got tired of moving it from one bike to another. Got a small drawstring bag which holds essentials and fits in middle jersey pocket.
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Old 05-22-20, 05:17 PM
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I have an Evoc saddle bag. Carries everything I need.
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Old 05-22-20, 05:27 PM
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A small topeak case, clip only (no velcro or straps). With tubeless tires I don't carry a tube or patch kit anymore; the sealant is in the tires. Two CO2 carts, a small Lezyne inflator head. A small cable luggage lock - just to prevent a grab and run should I need to turn my back to the bike for a moment. A 4mm hex key, a 3mm hex key. A couple of disc brake stoppers (in case the bike needs to ride home in a car sans either wheel). Some tire plugs, a couple of spare valve cores, valve core key, and a very small bottle opener. Being clip-in the bag is very easy to move between bikes, or take off to get something out. With the Canyon I will also need to carry a 5mm hex key.

Oh, and for the weight conscious among you:



Oh, I also replaced the standard zipper pull with a piece of string. It would tap against the bag... continuously... driving me mad.

Last edited by sfrider; 05-22-20 at 05:40 PM.
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Old 05-22-20, 05:29 PM
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I tried carrying a saddlebag for a while, then decided it made much more sense to attach it to the bike.
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Old 05-22-20, 05:35 PM
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On my commuter bike, I carry a Topeak trunk bag which holds everything including my lunch and on my road bike, I just ordered a Topeak saddlebag which will hold my car keys, tool kit, spare tube, CO2 cartridge and dispenser, patch kit and disposable gloves.
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Old 05-22-20, 06:03 PM
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Originally Posted by sfrider
A small topeak case, clip only (no velcro or straps). With tubeless tires I don't carry a tube or patch kit anymore; the sealant is in the tires. Two CO2 carts, a small Lezyne inflator head. A small cable luggage lock - just to prevent a grab and run should I need to turn my back to the bike for a moment. A 4mm hex key, a 3mm hex key. A couple of disc brake stoppers (in case the bike needs to ride home in a car sans either wheel). Some tire plugs, a couple of spare valve cores, valve core key, and a very small bottle opener. Being clip-in the bag is very easy to move between bikes, or take off to get something out. With the Canyon I will also need to carry a 5mm hex key.

Oh, and for the weight conscious among you:



Oh, I also replaced the standard zipper pull with a piece of string. It would tap against the bag... continuously... driving me mad.
I have / had that one too!
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Old 05-22-20, 06:05 PM
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Old 05-22-20, 06:16 PM
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Take a bandana or piece of canvas, lay your tools side by side in the center. Fold the top and bottom over the tools and then roll from one end. Secure under your seat with an old toe strap or piece of Velcro.

it will weigh just a couple of ounces and you will have a place to lay your tools when working on your bike.
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Old 05-22-20, 07:00 PM
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Yes. Ortlieb mini. I love it. It clips on and off my saddle but is stable when riding.
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Old 05-22-20, 08:32 PM
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I have various under seat bags , one on each bike except for one handlebar bag. I carry tire levers and a patch kit , a spare tube , and a few band aids. I started carrying band aids as I got older because my skin is thin and I bleed with even a small scratch. My phone and wallet go in my jersey pocket with my breakfast bar.
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Old 05-22-20, 08:48 PM
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Each bike has a pump beside the downtube bottle cage and a saddlebag with multitool, patches and tube. Fill the water bottles, put on the garmin if needed, and go.
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Old 05-22-20, 09:05 PM
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I have a Banjo Brothers Canvas one.+/-'s. Pluses, it's huge, can easily carry "one more thing" always, water resistant, looks great(If you're into the aesthetic). Minuses, it's large enough that you need at least 18" clearance from top of seat to top of back tire, you'll always know it there if you stand up to sprint, cause it'll follow your movements with a millisecond of lag. That being said, I wouldn't leave home without it...
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Old 05-22-20, 09:08 PM
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I carried one for a while, but then I decided to just use the down tube storage in my Trek Domane. It only fits one tube, but in 1,200 miles of riding, I have yet to have a flat, so it works pretty well. The storage holds one tube, a CO2 canister, a couple of tire levers, a CO2 adapter, and a multi tool.
I realized I don’t like carrying a saddle bag. If I really wanted to carry a second tube, I think I’d put it in my jersey.
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Old 05-23-20, 01:05 AM
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Topeak medium aero wedge: 2x tubes, levers, mini tool, pliers, small pouch with extra allens, screw driver and foreceps, small container of wire caps, links and tube adapters, i.d. x2, credit card and boot bills.

Excellent use of space
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Old 05-23-20, 03:57 AM
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Absolutely not!!

i carry my tube, inflater, and cartridge in a zip lock neatly wrapped tight with rubber bands and I hold it in my right pocket to balance out my phone in my left. (Center pocket is for lens safe rag of which I keep one in each Jersey and wash together)
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Old 05-23-20, 04:24 AM
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Originally Posted by JRonaTrek
I've been off the forums for a while, mostly because I had forgotten my password. With that being said, I don't know if this topic is somewhere, but i'd like to ask if you carry a saddlebag, or where do you carry your repair kit? Do you carry a repair kit?

I haven't carried a bag in a while, i've made attempts, purchase one and then end up giving it away to one of my buddies or something.

I was at the pet store and there was a bag dispenser (for when your dog poops) and it seemed the perfect size to fit some patches, my id, some bills, levers, tanks and a valve. I use a piece of velcro and wrap a folded tube under my seat, the bag dispenser in a jersey pocket. I'll post pics later.

But I am curious if anyone else has "rigged" a repair kit and maybe give me (us) some ideas...

Thanks in advance.

-El J.R.
I find your post interesting as it was exactly my situation, I forgot the password and the email used was my university email when I was training and they deactivated it when I finished school. However since I started a PhD they reactivated my mail box and could reset my password after 4 years!

I have stopped using a saddle bag when I started racing and after recommendation of my bike mechanics who was also racing.

he said the extra weight in the seatpost is bad for sprints as it add weight lever. So I just put 1 tube in my rear pocket with my Levine small pump, I put patches and Allen key tool in my right pocket, iPhone in my left jersey pocket.

I bring cliff bars only when I go for over 60 miles rides
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Old 05-23-20, 04:27 AM
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speedsleev, best ever. Only thing I put in it is for tire fix/repairs and some emergency cash.
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Old 05-23-20, 04:33 AM
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I don't like to carry flat repair kit or tools in my jersey. Stuff I actually use while riding goes in the jersey pockets: snacks, asthma inhaler, phone, bandanna, etc. Tools go on the bike.

Lezyne Road Caddy. Very small and discreet. By far the best value in a minimalist saddle bag. It's what I use on my carbon fiber bikes. Everything I need, no extras: tube, lever, patch kit, CO2 kit, multi-tool. I had to shop carefully to choose those bits to fit properly: Conti Race 28 Light tube (only latex would be thinner), CO2 valve, etc., all had to be smaller than usual. But everything works. I've fixed one flat of my own, and another for a friend, using my kit. Everything works. And I clip a mini-pump onto the frame water bottle cage (Topeak Race Rocket HP).

And I use a Serfas Speed Bag, small, on my old steel road bike. It's bigger than I need but not too big or heavy. Typical small wedge bag, but better made and organized than most. Nifty little pockets, key clip, etc. That bike is already fairly heavy so the bag doesn't add much weight.


Lezyne Road Caddy under my saddle. Flat, secure, weighs little. Photo taken the moment I pulled over to fix a flat -- so far the one and only flat on that bike in a few thousand miles. I hit a chunk of cinder block and got a snakebite flat.
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Old 05-23-20, 04:56 AM
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No .I carry everything in my jersey
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Old 05-23-20, 05:03 AM
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I carry everything except the kitchen sink because I ride alone in rural areas with no cell service.

Two tubes
Patch kit
Duct tape on a section of pencil
Zip ties
Three 16g Co2 cartridges
Inflation head
Tire levers x 2
Multi tool w chain breaker
Quick link
3,4,5 & 6 regular allens
Rubber gloves
Hand sanitizer
20 dollar bill
Two derailleur pulley wheels & bolts (out of spite for having lost one earlier this year on a ride)
Bead jack strapped on the outside

I don't know what it weighs and don't care because it isn't the difference between what I am now and what I was 30+ years ago.


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Old 05-23-20, 05:54 AM
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Just got a Deuter saddle bag, carry pump, tire levers and tube. It also has a pouch for a second bottle of water, and some energy bars fit inside, too. Once I get a bike computer, my phone would also go in there. I do not carry a multi-tool, never had a reason to. I will only take this on longer rides, shorter ones where I do not stray all too far from home I would leave it at home.
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Old 05-23-20, 06:10 AM
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I stopped carrying a saddle bag for a long time because the velcro that went around the seatpost would invariably catch my shorts and mess them up. But it was always a pain on long summer rides where I'd have to carry an additional bottle and lots of food. But then I saw a saddlebag that only attaches to the seat so I got that and have been using it since. Frees up pockets better, especially since I now always carry my phone in my center pocket.
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