Carradice quandary

[mikeymustard]

No that's not a new model of bag!

I've discovered my cheap old saddle bag when attached to my modern bike has tried to drill a hole in the seat post with the bolt that holds the strap on! Bit of a shame cos it was really useful.
Here's my Genesis with the old bag on it - move along please, no jokes about my partner here!

I originally thought I'd buy a cheap little mod thing to go under the saddle but they hold approximately sweet FA. I then looked at the Carradura Maxi before realising it looks ugly on any bike (and reviews said it falls apart too readily. And besides, it's still dinky)! So a proper carradice it would have to be.

However, I find myself going round in circles trying to choose a size. The bag gets two completely different uses: as a place to put pump, tube(s), multitool, jelly sweets and Nature Valley crunchy bars on short hauls, and as a repository of everything on holiday-type days out. I don't want a massive bag permanently on the back of my road bike, but I also don't want to find I can't fit my lunch, flask, coat and other beach essentials,or a bit of emergency shopping when I need to.
It will be shared between my Genesis (with Brooks saddle) and whatever lump of old steel I'm also riding at the time.
The only thing I have managed to decide is
1) I'd like more than 10L capacity so the Barley's out.
2) I've set a limit of about £50 so please don't suggest a longflap camper, or that I buy a big one and a small one (tempting as that may be) - and the list has already been populated, as Microsoft would say.
I'm basically torn between a pendle (£52 Inc. from Spa Cycles) and cadet (£50 Inc.also from Spa) but with the college as the wild card (mostly because, at 44 spuds delivered from SJS, it offers the least cost per litre).
Please help me decide; I spent literally all day yesterday, and large chunks of last week, going round and round - I've even done a comparative spreadsheet!
Questions I've been asking myself are:
- How useful are pockets?
- is 11L a bit small?
- do I just go for the biggest I can afford?
- Is the Pendle prettier, and therefore more desirable?
- Will the college fit without a rack (plenty of visible post, so I think I should be ok)?
- Am I really so sad that I make a spreadsheet? I suspect I already have the answer to this
- why am I so indecisive? (I once found a book called "overcoming indecisiveness" but I couldn't make my mind up whether to buy it or not )

Any suggestions?

 

[mjr]

- How useful are pockets?
I think one pocket is useful for stuff you want to get at really quickly if you often don't have a barbag or similar quick-access storage, but more than that gets annoying quickly because it's another thing you can forget to close and scatter your belongings down the street.

- is 11L a bit small?
Yes. I have three regular bags that I use before switching to a bike with panniers. One's ostensibly 13 litres and I think the other may be 10, but that's absolute maximum, only useful when walking around with it. Both are reduced if you do their closures up tight, as you need to on a bike, probably to 8 litres, which is enough for toolkit, pump, money, thin waterproof and collapsing rucksack.

When I need to carry more, I've a larger "kitchen sink" bag which is 20 litres. That can just about do a weekend away, but I find it still tight.

- do I just go for the biggest I can afford?
If you can only afford one, I would, but have you looked at other ranges to see if they currently have anything which would allow you to buy a large and a small?

- Is the Pendle prettier, and therefore more desirable?
I prefer the College.

- Will the college fit without a rack (plenty of visible post, so I think I should be ok)?
Probably, but it'll swing more, which really annoys me.

- Am I really so sad that I make a spreadsheet? I suspect I already have the answer to this
No.

- why am I so indecisive?
I can't make my mind up exactly why.

 

[mikeymustard]

Thank you @mjr, brilliantly answered; I think you've got to the nub of it - anything less than a college is quite small! Given the price of it at SJS I think that's the way to go

 

[mjr]

Glad to share my experiences. Hope it works out for you - maybe post a review and/or link it here later?

 

[mikeymustard]

Glad to share my experiences. Hope it works out for you - maybe post a review and/or link it here later?

I've just ordered it so, yes I shall be sure to review it to help anyone else with the same dilemma

 

[k_green]

i have the pendle and have used it for a 3 day cycle weekend with super-light packing (and rolling clothes!). one pocket is plenty big enough for your tube(s), levers and general tools/repair stuff. i used the other for first aid, suncream, snacks etc. i think they're around 0.5l each.
i leave it on my hybrid all the time to keep all my cycle bits in one place. it is a bit big for general rides though. (normal rides i just use a tri-bag near the handlebars and tiny saddle bag for repair stuff).
i like being able to carry it like a satchel off the bike (generic strap into d-loops on corners).

 

[Ian H]

Crossing the strap before fastening it round the seatpost will solve the wear problem.