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The ultimate saddle bag

Oct 20, 2017
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Several close friends and I have been working on a bicycle saddle bag prototype and would like to get some inputs and feedbacks from fellow cyclists here. We want to make sure we are on the right path to help address the issues that current saddle bags have.

As avid cyclists ourselves, we often time have our dilemmas when it comes to saddle bag. Practical or aesthetic? Size or storage? At one hand we want the saddle bag practicality of carrying around the essentials items like spare tubes and multitools during our rides. On the other hand we want to keep the clean aesthetic of our bike. In the case where the practical sense won the first dilemma, we typically still need to trade off between storage space or utterly bulky saddle bag. Even the ones least concern with aesthetic would shake their heads staring at the brick like saddle bag hanging below the bicycle saddle. Majority of the saddle bags in the market today are boxy and black, which doesn’t help to promote the saddle bag’s stylish or aesthetic aspect.

What do you guys look for when choosing a saddle bag? What is in your wish list of the ultimate saddle bag? If you are not a saddle bag user today, what is holding you back and what will make you switch camp?

Would you be interested if there is a saddle bag that can do the following?
1. Compact enough to carry most of your essential items. Think 2 spare tubes, 2 tire levers, 2 CO2 canisters, Multitools with chain tool, patch kit, all these in a compact form factor.
2. Stylish enough to not ruin your bike aesthetic, this can be quite subjective and personal but assume it meets your styling requirement.
3. Quick attach and release. Much faster than dealing with Velcro.
4. Abundant styling/color choices.

We love to hear your inputs and hopefully we will be able to create something that all the cyclists want to use. Thanks!
 
Oct 20, 2017
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Re:

Giuseppe Magnetico said:
You must have a massive R&D budget if it takes "several" people to design a saddle bag. :lol:

We are just a few close friends who enjoy cycling but can't find a saddle bag on the market today that meets all of our expectation. Our R&D budget is a few cups of coffee and donuts every time we meet :lol:
 
Apr 8, 2012
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It really should only take one person for something so simple as a saddle bag. Even the largest bike bag manufacturers only have one or two designers handling the entire line. Bikes, coffee, and donuts... Well, at least you fit the stereotype.
 
Oct 20, 2017
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King Boonen, thanks for your input. We definitely look at the benefits of a saddle roll and see how it can be incorporated into our design. Maybe there is a solution better than a saddle roll?
 
Giuseppe Magnetico said:
King Boonen, do you have any clue as to why this forum is turning into the amateur survey/questionnaire dump?
It's not, believe me.

I personally screen any and all surveys/questionnaires and can safely say that I turn away almost all of them. Probably 99% of all the attempted surveys and questionnaires never see the light of day in these forums and the ones that do are there because they're harmless.

You have no idea how much crap is stopped from being posted here by the diligence of our forum moderators and partially from spam filters. It's ridiculous the effort that spammers go through to try and get a comment posted here.

For the very few surveys that make it through the screening process, it's okay if you don't respond to them.

Cheers
 
Apr 8, 2012
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Irondan said:
....You have no idea how much crap is stopped from being posted here by the diligence of our forum moderators and partially from spam filters. It's ridiculous the effort that spammers go through to try and get a comment posted here.

I have a very good idea. Remember, I used to work here. Can't imagine it's any slower.

For the very few surveys that make it through the screening process, it's okay if you don't respond to them.
Nice little swipe there, touché.
 
Jun 10, 2009
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survivor said:
Would you be interested if there is a saddle bag that can do the following?
1. Compact enough to carry most of your essential items. Think 2 spare tubes, 2 tire levers, 2 CO2 canisters, Multitools with chain tool, patch kit, all these in a compact form factor.
2. Stylish enough to not ruin your bike aesthetic, this can be quite subjective and personal but assume it meets your styling requirement.
3. Quick attach and release. Much faster than dealing with Velcro.
4. Abundant styling/color choices.

We love to hear your inputs and hopefully we will be able to create something that all the cyclists want to use. Thanks!
1) too big, single tube, compact patch kit, small multi tool and plastic banknote which doubles as emergency tyre boot are enough. CO2 is for suckers, just use a small pump. I don't need tyre levers to change a tyre.
2) if people are sad enough to by looking at my saddle bag, I'll happily offend them with cheap black boxiness.
3) no thanks, Velcro is fast and light and works great. Clip systems are universally heavier, less secure, leave your bag jiggling around and it's contents rattling because they aren't compressed.
4)black box with a 20mm reflective strip running all the way round. Job done.
 
Oct 20, 2017
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dsut4392 said:
1) too big, single tube, compact patch kit, small multi tool and plastic banknote which doubles as emergency tyre boot are enough. CO2 is for suckers, just use a small pump. I don't need tyre levers to change a tyre.
2) if people are sad enough to by looking at my saddle bag, I'll happily offend them with cheap black boxiness.
3) no thanks, Velcro is fast and light and works great. Clip systems are universally heavier, less secure, leave your bag jiggling around and it's contents rattling because they aren't compressed.
4)black box with a 20mm reflective strip running all the way round. Job done.

Thank you for your inputs.

Judging the need for storage space among the vast majority of cyclists is a delicate process. Frankly everyone's storage need is different. We are trying to strike a balance that meets majority needs.

Styling is again another personal thing. There is no right or wrong. As long as you like it then it is the style for you. We are just trying to provide more styling options. The choice is ultimately still yours.
 
I carry all the stuff you mentioned and more in my Topeak Aero Wedge large and a medium bags, and I also like the much cheaper BV expandable large bag too; both of those are made very well and lasts a long time; I don't happen to think any of them as being ugly. I carry more stuff than most people but that's because I don't rely on a cell phone to call my "mommy" when things go wrong, and I also like riding out in rural areas far from home so walking home would be quite a chore, so I carry stuff that can fix most things that go can go wrong. If you've had a Topeak Aero Wedge bag before then you'll like the BV because it's made of the same material but it cost less then the Topeak. The BV large bag is about the size of the Topeak medium Aero Wedge bag; the Topeak Aero Wedge large is a great bag if you ride far distances in a day and need a place to store a small amount of food with your repair stuff. But the BV bag is the better deal.
 
[quote="survivor
Would you be interested if there is a saddle bag that can do the following?
1. Compact enough to carry most of your essential items. Think 2 spare tubes, 2 tire levers, 2 CO2 canisters, Multitools with chain tool, patch kit, all these in a compact form factor.
2. Stylish enough to not ruin your bike aesthetic, this can be quite subjective and personal but assume it meets your styling requirement.
3. Quick attach and release. Much faster than dealing with Velcro.
4. Abundant styling/color choices.

We love to hear your inputs and hopefully we will be able to create something that all the cyclists want to use. Thanks![/quote]

I have no desire to carry two tubes, unless I'm touring, because I'm highly confident of repairing a flat on the side of the road with patches. Nor do I use CO2 since I'm not racing and don't want to pay for my air, nor worry about the trash, or worry about having to take all the air out and repump air back in when I get home; but I understand some would, though some CO2's attach to the side of a bottle cage or to a hybrid pump. It should also be able to handle a couple of protein bars and a cell phone. I also have no problems disconnecting my saddle bags that use Velcro, and if you use high quality velcro it will last a very long time plus it's lighter than the quick release, though you could offer a bag that offers a choice of either style.

Maybe what could be interesting is a expandable bag that can open a lot larger than current ones on the market, maybe employing two separate ways to enlarge it so you can take your choice from a smaller bag with the expansions closed, to a medium bag with one expansion open, and a larger bag if both are open. Probably the best way, and maybe the only way to do that is to have the bag expand out the bottom of the bag, plus have it expand out the rear.

In addition the bag should be made tough, durable and water resistant, or better yet waterproof, and of course offer a very sturdy non stretch rear tail light tab, as well as reflective stuff like maybe the entire rear of the bag be completely reflective with wide reflective side bands, and keep the bag around $45.

Color wise...well I'm not good about color matching. Black seems to be the universal color that matches almost all the bikes today. Problem with making colors like red etc is that they won't match a red or whatever colored bike because the colors are not going to be exactly the same, besides as time goes by colored stuff tends to fade, so maybe black is the best choice?

And of course if you make such a bag as I've described send me one for free since I offered the ideas! LOL!! besides you'll make a fortune and I get a bag, that's a highly favorable deal for you.
 
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avanti said:
Include internal pocket for tweezers and small items (e.g. car key, patch kit, tire boot).

Yes, and made of a high quality stretch elastic band that will last the life of the bag. While the Topeak bags are very good they use a cheap quality elastic band for their internal pocket and for their external straps designed to carry a pump, the internal one is completely stretched out, and the external ones which I NEVER used are sagging and completely useless to carry anything. I'm sure they used the cheap elastic because it's lighter.

Also the bag needs to be waterproof because after all some people stick cell phones in them nowadays. All the bags that I know of are not waterproof so I give mine a good dosing of water repellant spray when I buy them and then once a year at the start of the season. While the water resistant spray works ok, waterproof material and zipper would work a lot better.

I doubt you want to make a bag as cheap as the BV, but if you're going to make a bag make it better then other bags to justify whatever price point you're going after to make a profit. You have to show value for what the people will be spending more money for vs a standard bag.
 

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