Saddle bags have no place on a road bike, and are only acceptable on mountain bikes in extreme cases.
Saddle bags: how do we define them? Is it a saddle bag if it attaches to the seat post and the saddle, if it has a zipper, if it is leather, has two natty straps with buckles, if it swings below the saddle like bumper bollocks?
I weaned myself off a discreet EPMS after twenty-five years of use. I was not happy about transferring the contents to a rear pocket but I’m a team player so I conformed. Previous to that was the ‘core sew-up tire held under the saddle with spare toe clip strap. Back then bikes only had one bidon cage, held on with paint ruining metal clamps. The position forward of the seat tube was reserved for a silca frame pump. Some ride with a tire in a jersey pocket, but with no second bidon to bastardize, it usually had to go under the seat. At least we weren’t wearing tires around the shoulders. I’m not that old, FFS.
When I see professional cyclists out training here, they rock the EPMS. Am I going to correct Ryder, not in this life. I couldn’t catch him to start with, if I did I would be too winded to explain myself and really, why? If you ride clincher tires, with inner-tubes or sealant, one has to carry some tire levers and a spare tube, at a minimum. My custom waterproof phone/money/drivers license/inner-tube/levers/5mm allen wrench bag was a fat bastard. Getting things out of it quickly or elegantly was near impossible.
Then Lezyne came to the rescue with the waterproof mobile phone/money/card /fits in cycling jersey pocket, wallet. They actually didn’t come to the rescue, I paid retail for it but the design rescued me with its brilliance. The phone is in a safe waterproof compartment yet one can access and operate it through the clear plastic window. So all that went into my center rear pocket, but left me with a tube/levers/5mm allen key to stow, in another pocket? Nay, it’s the Lezyne caddy sack, I’m thinking this tucks under the seat, held with old toe clip strap; the clincher rider’s spare tire, without the tire. It’s a sew-up without the outer casing. It’s a nod to the old school in a nice waterproof pvc dry sack, and yes, that is crap.
What does Frank say? I believe his words will be something like “What you have here is a crude looking EPMS held under you saddle with a nasty looking old strap.” Where does he store his spare sew-up tire? I’m already abusing Rule #1, Rule #30 and now Rule #31 too. Luckily or sadly, he is many miles away probably won’t get wind of this.
[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/j.andrews3@comcast.net/EPMS/”/]
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@the Engine
Nah, it's the lubricated ones that they're not keen on - makes yer money all slippy-like.
@Gianni, Look I haven't bothered to read all the comments and discussion on this thread first, but WTF is with that seat and seat post setup ?? Your tire/tube storage problems would seem to be the least of your concerns.
Sort it out.
I absolutely love this community. I'm in fucking tears over hear, tears of joy, pride, laughter, and anguish for my dear friend and fellow keeper, Gianni. Methinks he's been out back in 'the patch' on Maui a little too long.
Frank, Bretto, Jim: What should we do about this? I say hill repeats up Haleakala for the old bugger.
I'm just a simple pedalwan. I don't know which way is up reading this.
Stuffed pockets make you look like a man on a mission from Merckx.
I'll just leave this here :
@titirangisi
Yeah. What @titirangisi said.
Sorry but this EPMS thing ain't gonna fly with me. I used to carry my spare tubular under the seat with a very tidy (and quick releasing!) Zeus spare tire carrier. And yes i had one frame mounted cage so my second bottle was kept in my jersey. My seat tube had the requisite Silca (Impero?) pump (painted to match the frame color - with Campy head of course) and back then that was the way it was done. Fast forward to today - I ride clinchers and carry my tube, irons and CO2 blaster in an EPMS placed in my center jersey pocket. The twin bottle cages carry 2 bottles and under the seat is nothing - just the way God want it. Follow the rules and everything will be better.
@titirangisi
Yes!
Free yourself from the EPMS! its not that hard, I carry two tubes,two CO2's, two levers,one nozzle, one phone, one card, one Clif bar, which I never eat unless it's a ride over two hours cos I need to lose some weight! You have THREE pockets FFS!
I am curious about carrying a multitool on the roadie? Have any of you guys who carry one ever used it out on the road? Surely your maintenance program would render this superfluous to requirements?
As for MTB camel bak that is all.
Large caddy sack in the center jersey pocket, medium in the RH pocket...better weight distribution, room for everything.