Reverence: Lezyne Rule 31 Sack
Rule #31 was conceived out of necessity, aesthetics and plain good taste. Seeing an oversized saddle bag hanging limply by velcro under a Flite, Arione or Regal just isn’t right. Frame pumps, while they undoubtedly do the finest job of inflating a tube, add nothing but bulk and clutter to the lines of a frame (and aren’t compatible with the majority of curvy, plastic frames prominent today). While a folded tubular held under the seat with a Christophe toe-strap may have been de riguer and kinda cool back in the day, running tubs nowadays is not only uncommon, but an exercise in futility should one ride on any road less smooth and glass-free than a baby’s bum. So you see, Rule #31 was a no-brainer.
But even this most important of Rules has its drawbacks; stuffing the three pockets of your jersey can leave you looking like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, albeit with the hunch on the lower back, and more akin to a series of tumours across the hips and lower spine. Not a pretty sight. My usual pocket-stuffing routine would entail a tube and tyre levers bundled together with a rubber band, stuffed in the middle pocket, with a mini pump accompanying it. The phone would go in the right hip pocket, along with a camera (if there were to be some photo ops along the route, or blatant bike porn shots) and gels and bars in the left. Any extraneous clothing shed en route (arm warmers, cap, gloves) would then be forced in wherever they would fit. If a jacket was required, then all hell would break loose.
But recently I happened by chance upon an item that has made my life, and my riding experience all the easier and clutter-free. Lezyne products were having a season launch of their new, cool gear, and everyone attending received a free gift; in my case, I was handed the Caddy Sack, a simple PVC pouch. Inside was a metal patch kit with glueless patches, and a pair of mini tyre levers. I took it with a degree of dismissal, thinking it would just end up in the pile of superfluous bike crap scattered around my house. But I decided I’d see how much I could load it up, and was surprised to find that it holds a veritable shitload of gear. There’s room aplenty for a tube, levers, patch kit, multi tool, card wallet and phone. But if I want to, I can easily ft in another tube, a bar or two and a couple of gels. And it fits with ease into the middle pocket of all my jerseys, especially the sweet V jersey which is always the go-to garment of choice. This leaves the two outside pockets with more room than ever for whatever the ride requires from the aforementioned list-of-crap-one-may-carry.
Sitting alongside the 31 Sack is always the best mini pump I’ve ever used, the Lezyne Pressure Drive M (for medium). Why is it the best? Just look at it! It’s sexy, yeah, but for such a small unit it packs plenty of air into each stroke, and I can get a geniune 100PSI into my tubes during any roadside repair. But the best feature is the flexible screw-in hose, which eliminates the chance of breaking off the screw-on end of Presta valves, as has happened to the best of us when vigourously hacking away with a fixed-head pump. C’mon, admit it, you’ve done it. No more chance of that with this little beauty. Quite simply, it rules (31 especially).
I’ve to confess that I’m on the hard side of the tyre
I’m a heavy fellow (ah yes, the world of cycling, where 180 is heavy) and I run my rear tire at 110-120, and my front around 100-110. I just try to eye it with my floor pump, so I’m never exact.
The only time I’ve really noticed tire pressure adversely affecting me was when I neglected to pump my tires for several weeks, and on a ride home from work noticed it was taking more effort than it should to go up moderate hills.
Since I don’t race, my ride times and speeds are all over the map depending on how I feel any given day, so I haven’t really tried to correlate poor performance to my normal tire pressure, or if changing it slightly would help at all.
@Pedale.Forchetta
As am I. On my 25’s, I put 120 in the rear and 105 up front.
Then again I’m 97 kg on a 9 kg bike. And not fast.
@xyxax
Road surface has a lot to do with it too. I weigh 155-160 (in/out of season) and usually ride 95 in back and 85 in front on 25s for training, a little more in 23s to race, a little less in 28s for brevets. That’s optimized for crappy New England roads – out West and down South you can run higher pressure on smoother pavement…
That’s not high for a big fella – at about 100kg and a tad slower than I once was I also run 120 rear and 110 front on my Pro3s. My earlier comments were related to racing sardines who waste heaps of energy riding tyres at too high pressures – there’s absolutely no way a 60kg-ish rider needs more than 120psi in any tubular tyre, even racing in the dry.
@Oli Brooke-White
Heh; I like “racing sardines”. Time spent bouncing in the vertical plane is not well rewarded, if I understand correctly. That said, gravity for us non-wee fellows is a bitch.
@blaireau
True enough; other than the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, which I am loathe to ride, we might have more hard tire-forgiving surfaces here in… where are we…Middle England? I do commute on 28s at 90, though
@all
while this is a metric-centric site, I am glad we are not speaking in kilopascals.
Check out Mike Varley’s take on tyre pressures, and follow the links to more in depth corroboration from experienced guys like Sheldon Brown and Nick Legan.
And more from the cats at Wheel Energy via cyclingnews.com
@Oli Brooke-White
Thanks for that second link… super interesting. Amazing that there is a rolling resistance difference between latex and butyl tubes.
Oli… thanks for these links. V helpful. As a 95kg rider, now realise I’ve been running far too high a pressure… and suffering from punctures accordingly… probably another symptom of my chronic Gyllenhaal Syndrome. Now corrected…
On another topic – have you read the transcript of the Landis / Kimmage interview… sad stuff, but a surprisingly compelling read.
Check out the description of the lezyne caddy sack on realcyclist.com: http://www.realcyclist.com/lezyne-caddy-sack-tool-bag
I just happened to be researching this bag and I thought the references to the rules were interesting, although a primarily online cycling retailer like realcyclist referencing the rules seems wrong somehow and also seems to really violate Rule #58.
Is a non silca pump allowed to be concealed in the pocket?
Brett, I picked up Le Sack and the jury is still out on it for me. I’d been using a SciCon pocket protect for phone+wallet in middle pocket, tube+lever right pocket, multi-tool in left pocket with gel.
Decided to try the Caddy Sack. I’ve only used it once, but packed with tool, (very thin) wallet, tube+lever, & Co2 + head it felt really heavy and bulky. Did you love it from first use? Or did it take some getting used to?
The upside is all my gear is in one pocket, with one totally free and one with a very small cell phone.
The downside is I felt like I had a brick in my center pocket. Using a crank brothers m-17, nothing crazy. Maybe a few more rides? Or maybe being not that big the Sack feels like a tramping pack?
In my left pocket I’ve got a pair of levers and spare tube folded around a Lezyne Air Chuck tied all together with one of my daughter’s hair bands (couldn’t find a rubber band) and a CO2 cannister. There’s plenty of room for an additional cannister and tube if it’s going to be a long ride. In the right pocket, my blackberry (in a simple zip lock if the weather looks iffy) and a gel or two. My multi tool, a Crank Bros 19 goes in the centre with a lightweight rain jacket stuffed tightly into a plastic sandwich bag with a twist tie (annoyingly it’s not one that packs away into itself).
Doesn’t feel too bulky and I can’t really thin what else I might want to take with me.
I had a look at the sack but the only real advantage I could see was grouping more stuff together so you’re less likely to forget it.
WTF was I thinking, two levers! I at least have enough V in my blood to get a tyre of the rim without resorting to a pair of levers!
My Sack has a tube, two levers, small multi-tool, phone and a tenner in it. Goes in the middle pocket and the mini-pump goes in my right pocket. Left is empty or has a Castelli Squadra rain jacket in it. the sack has been great and I finf it just keeps everything together, snug as the proverbial bug.
I used C02 when I was MTBing and used a camelbak, but it’s just weight I don’t need in my jersey – I’m going to take a pump regardless, so no C02 for me.
@Chris
That’s brilliant to put the chuck inside the tire. I may try that. Get rid of that bulky tire lever, though, and get one of these.
@frank
Thanks but no. That looks longer than the Pedros lever I’ve got. I’m quite happy with mine, if it can remove these without bending, breaking or bloodied hands, its all that I need. Plus the bright green is easy to spot on a disorganised workbench or a roadside at night.
Good call, Chris.
Frank, be advised that those Mavic hub tool/tyre levers are prone to snapping at the drop of a casquette.
I remember a heap of odd mavic tyre levers sitting around the workbench at the shop not getting used. Pristine looking even, while the Pedros levers would be the go – to levers. Scuffed, covered in grease, chipped to hell but still in one piece and they never bend. I think I’ve only ever snapped one, but that was trying to get a pair or 19mm tires off some old bastard rims.
I gotta say, from my point of view as someone who uses and has used a shit-ton of outdoor gear, especially small sacks that are purposed with keeping shit dry, I’m not entirely impressed with the caddy sack. The material could be more supple and the zipper, while supposedly a “dry” zipper, does not inspire confidence. Furthermore, the material becomes very crinkly in colder temps. For 10 bucks or whatever I paid, it’s not bad. It could be better.
As referenced here: Rule #31.
I mean here.
Though a bit bulky, I’m a fan of the Pedros tyre lever.
I can fit all that I carry in the Caddy Sack, but I prefer to space my stuff out across all three pockets. But, the CS is great for heavy rain or when I’m commuting and put all my pocket-gear into it, toss it into my pack & ride off. Nice to have it all in one spot.
On most days I prefer my Sci-con Pocket Protector to Le Sack, but I’m glad I own the Caddy Sack, as it is quite useful in some conditions.
Nothing like having two of everything, even pocket sacks, because if you ride enough, they’ll be useful.
This is a pretty european option to follow……
http://www.rapha.cc/seat-pack
Prety european option for the sadle bag..
by virtue of breaking the velcro off the seatpost strap of my man sachel, i am now Rule #31 compliant. huzzah!
@Juan
For the love of Merckx, that thing is so f’n hideous and expensive. On what planet is that a tasteful alternative to anything?
In an attempt to conform to “the rules,” I once removed my Lezyne road drive from the frame and put it in my jersey pocket. At one point I hit a big bump, the pump popped out of my pocket and rolled into the path of a large suv, who promptly crushed it. My new road drive is mounted on my frame under a bidon holder. Don’t fancy buying a new one every time I go out for a ride.
@sierracanon
My Lezyne goes in my left pocket without issue. I have the smaller “carbon pressure drive” that fits completely inside my pocket easily, though. Doesn’t budge even over massive bumps. I feel your pain in having your pump crushed. If I had the longer “road drive”, I would probably go with the frame mount too.
Damn. A smashed pump. Never had that happen to a pump but have lost two tail lights that way. Heard them drop, tried to furiously turn around get them, saw one, two, three cars miss them…then the fourth smashed them to bits. Ugh.
The tire pressure discussion was from awhile bike but I’m more of a squeeze it and see guy than reading the psi gauge. I’m quite picky about most things, but for some reason that isn’t one of them.
Do you guys also carry co2 as well as the Lezyne pump?
Marko posted a picture the other day of his fancy calf-tattoo upgrade, and I noticed his was mounted right to the side of his bidon cage on the downtube.
Seems like a pretty good spot for it, and by far the heaviest items in my jersey-pocket gear bag are my two co2 canisters and chuck. Getting rid of them in exchange for the Lezyne is an option, and I don’t get flats often enough (knock on wood!!!!) that I’m really worried about needing the speed of co2 all the time…
@mcsqueak
I don’t. The only time I have considered it is on the rare cold and rainy day here but the lezyne pump doesn’t take much longer than co2 and helps keep you warm anyway. That is my rationalization, at least.
@mcsqueak
I’m with you on this. I’ll be purchasing a Road Drive M (black) and mounting to my seat tube within the next week or so. That, combined with the tire levers velcroed under my saddle, leaves my pocket contents to:
– money clip (Ti, of course!) with $ & cards
– single key (either house or car)
– phone
– tube
Minimalist, for sure – but I hate crap in my pockets if I don’t have to.
@mcsqueak
I’ve never used the co2 canisters. Never have seen the need. Just a small hand pump in the back pocket for the last 5 years. Used to have a slica frame pump back in the 80’s/early 90’s. Maybe I should try the canisters b/c I truly have no idea what I am missing, although I have never had a problem with my mini handpump either.
Mmm love the look of Lezyne stuff all that brushed aluminium…but I am afraid I deliberately break this V rule by sticking with my very tidy little willy!
My Caddy Sack has developed two small holes at the corner seams, near the zipper. My seems (silver version) have always been pretty tough, even sticking in my back a bit. Material is very stiff and they are pointy.
Anyway, now water will be able to get into the Sack. Mine was purchased in June 2011.
Has this happened to anyone? Already sent a note to Lezyne to see if they can help me or if I need to send back to the dealer.
I’m wonder if the black one is a better/different material? Black seems harder to find.
@Ron
I’m sorry this happened to you, but I find it hilarious that you posted this minutes after I ordered one of these things, weeks since the previous post in the thread.
Salice Rule #31 bidon cage tool holder … http://twitpic.com/bn3wfr. I haz one.
Just looked at the Lezyne site for one of these, but it seems to have been redesigned and I don’t like the new model as much! :(
Thanks for the tip – it’s rather brilliant in its simplicity, and fit’s in the right pocket counterbalancing gels and other misc crap in the right. There’s even room for a road rash kit.
It’s nearly impossible to find knowledgeable people in this particular subject, but you seem like you know what you’re
talking about! Thanks
@Ron
Exactly the same thing happened to my silver one – seems like the material just failed where packed items had corners…
It seems that Lezyne changed the design of this bag. Get the old model while it’s still available (I ordered two more).
http://www.amazon.com/Lezyne-1-CS-CADDY-V2S04-P-Caddy-Sack-Bag/dp/B008R5RVHU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_1
@G’rilla what size?