Carradice saddlebags

[Darkmarkster]

I'm ok, most of my kit is black to start with, so the black bags should be fine.

thats cheating! your supposed to say your buying a new outfit as we speak!

 

[ChristinaJL]

Or maybe I'll get myself a brooks saddle..........decisions decisions...

I think everyone needs at least one Brooks saddle.

 

[ChristinaJL]

I bought the barley and the standard sport bagman support but I assume you will need bungee cords to go over and around the bag as the support just keeps it in position?

If you have a brooks saddle, then the top loops should go on the saddle loops if that makes sense? The bottom loop will go round the support itself I'm guessing.

 

[Darkmarkster]

I think everyone needs at least one Brooks saddle.

A brooks although being awesome,wouldnt go with my East London image on a carbon bike

 

[ChristinaJL]

thats cheating! your supposed to say your buying a new outfit as we speak!

I don't want to be paying the credit card bosses to all go on a mass holiday.

 

[Darkmarkster]

I don't want to be paying the credit card bosses to all go on a mass holiday.

They already did that with all the bags you bought,this is for the fine wine at their Christmas party

 

[ChristinaJL]

A brooks although being awesome,wouldnt go with my East London image on a carbon bike

don't they do some racing saddles??

 

[Darkmarkster]

they do something a bit like this
http://www.brooksengland.com/en/Shop_ProductPage.aspx?cat=saddles+-+road+%26+mtb∏=Team+Pro+Copper

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Aha, right I finally worked out how the QR works so it's a case of having a permanent fixture on the saddle which can be QR alone or QR with support. I need to see some in action to decide whether I need the support or not. But, regardless, I'd need to buy a seperate bracket for each bike? I'll also have a look at the SQR options again, then it would be one SQR block per bike and a fitting on each saddle bag. I take it the SQR works with the whole range, Barley included?

I did my bit of the Hilly 50 and the B'ton FNRttC with a barley on an SQR. Works/worked fine. In theory my next bike, the black one, which is, and always was, coming in late April, was going to have a second SQR block on the seatpost.

But now I'm thinking

a) the SQR is so SO fugly, and entirely out of keeping with the vibe of the trad. Carradice bags, that I'm not sure I can pollute the lines of the new bike with one
SQR + carbon post is prob not a good idea anyway given the SQR fitting is... ahem... a touch 'agricultural'.
c) do I really need a QR and if I do, wouldn't a QR Bagman be more elegant?

Plus I've got to go buy a black Barley, or bigger, to put on the incoming black bike so the green Barley can stay on the green bike. If it stays on the green bike does it really need a QR? What do I store in it that is worth nicking given all 'goodies' are going in a handlebar mounted zip roll. Which I'd like a QR for but doesn't seem feasible unless I can adapt a Rixen and Kaul one somehow. Of course the white bike carries no luggage as I wear a camelbak when riding her, and the purple bike only goes down the shops so needs no bags, and the blue bike, when it arrives, is strictly a slim jim stuff in pockets job. etc., etc..

 

[GrumpyGregry]

which bag did you order? ah you wanted the green? I ordered a black barley yesterday

Zip Roll (to use as bar bag) and Cape Roll, for waterproofs and the odd tool, to be strapped atop the Barley. Cunning plan to overcome incorrect colour (not sending them back price was too good) is to change mudguards on the green bike, which are currently silver, and held together with zip ties, with black ones. Et voila, harmony is restored.

 

[MacB]

Well new tangent, I've looked again at the specs for the Carradice stuff and weighed up the options. My Arkel Tailrider is lighter than all of them apart from the Junior. It has an 11 litre capacity and sits low as it expands upwards when you fill it. It also has zips which means the two side pockets are useable for anything. There are straps and loops on the top so waterproofs can be attached to the outside as well. It attaches via velcro so easy on and off. The only negative is that it requires a rack in order to be used. Yet looking at the weights for the Carradice supports, it's a close run thing between Carradice+support or Arkel+rack. I've been getting by on a Topeak large saddlepack and a dummy storage bottle for tubes:-

but this is very limited for longer rides and I end up filling pockets etc. so I've put a rack back on the Giant, so all 3 bikes have racks again, and this is how it looks with the Arkel:-

The third picture shows the inside and you can see two spare tubes in two of the internal mesh pockets. The outer pockets have a multitool, leatherman, batteries, tyre levers, latex gloves, zip ties, adjustable wrench, chaintool and space for a few more bits I might need easier access to. It's fairly waterproof but there is a builtin raincover that you can pull over for the heavy stuff.

I think I'll stick with this for a while

 

[PpPete]

Looks like a good system MacB, and probably lighter as you say. But it fails on the "image" front for me. I just got a Carradice Nelson off Ebay for a knockdown price, nicely faded but in superb condition. Just the thing for 30 y.o. 531 framed bike. All I need now is to grow the beard back and buy some SPD sandals and I shall at least have the look of Audaxer.

Can't decide between Bagman Q/R and SQR though. I'll need one or the other because my Brooks Swift doesnt have the loops.

 

[Darkmarkster]

Im in a bit of a conundrum at the moment,because ive got a fair bit of multi day light tours planned for later in the year,my next bike is arriving in a week or so but a carradice bagman is going to look so ugly on the back of a carbon road bike but its a shame not to use my new bike and use my workhorse!

 

[MacB]

Looks like a good system MacB, and probably lighter as you say. But it fails on the "image" front for me. I just got a Carradice Nelson off Ebay for a knockdown price, nicely faded but in superb condition. Just the thing for 30 y.o. 531 framed bike. All I need now is to grow the beard back and buy some SPD sandals and I shall at least have the look of Audaxer.

Can't decide between Bagman Q/R and SQR though. I'll need one or the other because my Brooks Swift doesnt have the loops.

agreed I do prefer the aesthetics of the Carradice, but it stops there. Yet I still find myself having a battle to stop myself buying the Carradice. Even though I know I don't like buckles, the Tailrider is more aero, has easier access and is easier to transfer between bikes. If it wasn't for the fact I'd prefer not to need a rack, there's no contest.........and yet!

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Looks like a good system MacB, and probably lighter as you say. But it fails on the "image" front for me. I just got a Carradice Nelson off Ebay for a knockdown price, nicely faded but in superb condition. Just the thing for 30 y.o. 531 framed bike. All I need now is to grow the beard back and buy some SPD sandals and I shall at least have the look of Audaxer.

Can't decide between Bagman Q/R and SQR though. I'll need one or the other because my Brooks Swift doesnt have the loops.

No! Please no! Have a heart, the SQR has the aethetics of a very ugly thing that fell off the ugly tree hitting every branch on the way down and then landed in a puddle of fugly at the foot of the tree.