Author Topic: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"  (Read 4423 times)

Blodwyn Pig

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Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« on: 23 June, 2019, 10:58:37 pm »
Just 'for the knowing' today I emptied the Nelson long flap that resides on Olive. This comprised...
Goretex paclite jacket and slip cover
Tool kit , puncture outfit etc
Spare Tube
Spare puncture outfit
1 set spare disc pads
Small 1/2 tube savlon
Ottolock
Brooks w/ proof seat cover
Kebab shop lemon hand wipes
Glasses and case
1/2 strip Ibuprofen

Total just over 1300g plus the Nelson c. 800g

Approx 2.1 kg plus 1/2 full water bottle.
😧

NB. The paclite sits atop the nelson with straps, so this is 'running empty' without spare top, snacks etc

Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #1 on: 25 June, 2019, 06:41:13 pm »
Seems a bit light for all that stuff...
simplicity, truth, equality, peace

Kim

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Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #2 on: 25 June, 2019, 09:23:06 pm »
I weighed my default long-day-ride bag configuration some years ago, and it came out at the best part of 5 kilos after I'd factored in a couple of water bottles, a little food and spring/autumn levels of spare clothing.

It's mostly things I tend not to need, but wouldn't be without (waterproofs, tools, cafe lock etc), with a few bits and pieces that aren't worth the weight saving to leave at home (medication, ratchet strap, pen, tissues, batteries, etc).

Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #3 on: 25 June, 2019, 10:16:03 pm »
I think my Barley on the Classic rack came in at a couple of kilos; I dread to think what the Camper Longflap weighs once I've got some stuff in there (I have been known to supplement the packed lunch with a book, picnic rug, trangia and kettle...)

OTOH, even if it's 5 kg that's still < 5% of my AUW, so for day rides I don't really bother taking stuff out; as Kim said, it's mostly things I'd rather not be without, or that won't make a material difference to the weight anyhow.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #4 on: 26 June, 2019, 07:57:14 am »
I weighed the stuff that permanently rides in my handlebar bag last week - 985 grammes.  That includes spare batteries, gingerbread, a couple of bars and a bunch of small tools. On rides I add my phone & a camera.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #5 on: 26 June, 2019, 10:59:24 am »
I have not weighed the gear I take on the (short) commute, but I would estimate ~1kg.  Topeak saddlebag + Road Morph pump, spare tube, punct repair kit, tube, spanner*, multitool.  From that perspective expanding to a bag that will carry my lunch and adding in some waterproofs for a measly kg or so is value for mass.

*to supplement the one mounted on the saddle (boom boom)
simplicity, truth, equality, peace

Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #6 on: 24 November, 2019, 08:42:57 pm »
Normal load for my weekly rides,  add some extra gear dependent of the time of year and route

Jetboil,   3 TI mugs, 1 for bars, cigarette lighter and Swiss army Knife, 1 for small bike Lights and head torch, one empty for actual tea, containing a spoon,  tea, coffe, and cupa soup,  light weight chair (1kg), sit mat, Waterproof jacket (light weight), waterproof trousers, first Aid Kit.  Toilet spade and paper (so far unused but its come too close sometimes).  Spare money, tools, Cycle Cape,  Frying pan, wooden spatula , large TI spork, plate (chip Butties can be essential). Fairy Liquid ( try getting a Brompton tyre on without it), compass, camera,  normaly 0.75 l water. 

The scale refused to register beyond 5 kg , I guess close to the 10 kg limit.  Its great training for when I go cycle camping not much to add :-)

A gentlemen must not allow standards to slip whilest on his travels.



Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #7 on: 24 November, 2019, 08:46:32 pm »
There's no point in weighing it.  Just take what you need, no more and no less. 

Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #8 on: 09 February, 2020, 11:22:55 am »
Pretty much what I take for any ride [*Autumn/Winter*], including spare emergency lights, CO2, anker pack, kevlar spoke.  e.g. Saturday's 90km.  Don't think about the weight, however contents shown are ~1800g. (Barley ~660g/rack~330g).  Modified depending on ride length/temperature/ lighting. Add headtorch/remove CO2 etc.  Tyre tool may come out, in there after some bad p*ncture experiences (not with current Paselas 32C).  Still need box spanner as one one bike  - cantis/cable cradle/mudguards.

Kit goes into inner tote bag.

IMG_20200209 by ao, on Flickr

edit.
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #9 on: 09 February, 2020, 11:37:09 am »
Whats the champagne cork for ?

Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #10 on: 09 February, 2020, 11:42:00 am »
Sharp pointy thing?
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #11 on: 09 February, 2020, 11:45:30 am »
Yep  ;D  What I could find to stick on end of screwdriver tip, to stop it poking through anything.  Once I had annoying problems with FD, and had nothing to adjust HL LL screws (multitool no good).  Thin screwdriver also useful for other things...
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #12 on: 29 June, 2020, 11:16:40 am »
Pretty much what I take for any ride, including spare emergency lights, CO2, anker pack, kevlar spoke.  e.g. Saturday's 90km.  Don't think about the weight, however contents shown are ~1800g. (Barley ~660g/rack~330g).  Modified depending on ride length/temperature/ lighting. Add headtorch/remove CO2 etc.  Tyre tool may come out, in there after some bad p*ncture experiences (not with current Paselas 32C).  Still need box spanner as one one bike  - cantis/cable cradle/mudguards.

Kit goes into inner tote bag.

IMG_20200209 by ao, on Flickr
What's in the little soy sauce bottle?
Never knowingly under caffeinated

Mr Larrington

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Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #13 on: 29 June, 2020, 11:45:23 am »
Pretty much what I take for any ride, including spare emergency lights, CO2, anker pack, kevlar spoke.  e.g. Saturday's 90km.  Don't think about the weight, however contents shown are ~1800g. (Barley ~660g/rack~330g).  Modified depending on ride length/temperature/ lighting. Add headtorch/remove CO2 etc.  Tyre tool may come out, in there after some bad p*ncture experiences (not with current Paselas 32C).  Still need box spanner as one one bike  - cantis/cable cradle/mudguards.

Kit goes into inner tote bag.

IMG_20200209 by ao, on Flickr
What's in the little soy sauce bottle?

Anti-depressants.
</h2g2>
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Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #14 on: 29 June, 2020, 12:22:25 pm »
 ;D  The little bottle with dilute w/up liquid & the brush head, was my post-puncture repair tyre seating kit - after failing dismally on a ride (200km DIY) once.

In Summer mode - so I'm operating on a leaner / less belt & braces bag atm.   ;)   Ditched said seating kit, no CO2, or tyre fitting tool, USB cables,  battery pack or spare AAs, spanner/screwdrver, backup light...  Not used my cafe lock since early March.

SPF 50 tube is in...

Approx weight is now1.5kg contents, 1kg for bag & classic rack.                           edit.
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #15 on: 29 June, 2020, 02:13:31 pm »
I travel pretty light by comparison with some, but I do notice that few have a spare tyre, which I do. Usually a part worn Veloflex or similar, folded like a spare tub and strapped behind the saddle. I’ve needed one once, but I’ve lent/ given away quite a few.
Other than that, a bottle cage fitting thingy with 2 spare tubes, puncture kit, quick link, the levers and very minimal multi tool comes in at about 250 grams complete.
The other move I’ve recently made is to leave iPhone at home and just carry a very small, simple calls and texts only job. Mainly I saw the iPhone as an expensive thing to lose/ damage - but it ain’t half heavy and takes up most of a Jersey pocket.

Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #16 on: 29 June, 2020, 04:46:10 pm »
My Carradice Zipped Roll and its contents weigh a shade under 2 kg.

If I was riding a 200 I'd use a Bagman Support and a Carradice Barley (and possibly take
some more stuff).

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #17 on: 02 July, 2020, 09:28:03 pm »
regular under saddle bag is under 200g with emergency spares, plus another ~100g for a pump with the mount under a bottle cage. i could of course carry more, but... why? during my cycling career i needed to access the repair kit only a handful of times.

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #18 on: 02 July, 2020, 09:54:35 pm »
Yep, a few hundred grams.

Small pack with one or two tube, tyre levers, CO2 inflator + 2 cylinders, small bit of old tyre to use as a boot, multi-tool, couple of chain quick-links, a spare mech hanger ( well, if you have one, where else would you keep it?) some ty-wraps.
Mini-pump on the frame, at the bottle mounts.

Waterproof or gilet is in the middle pocket of my jersey, phone/cash/card in a ziplock bag in the left pocket, and any bonk rations I might want in the right pocket.

That's all I carry on rides up to 300k.
Beyond that, I take a bigger pack because I need to be able to change my layering between day and night.

As zigzag says, you could carry more, but why?

Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #19 on: 02 July, 2020, 10:21:45 pm »
It's in the shed, but I carry a small toolkit and spares; pump, small first aid kit, space blanket, sun cream. Often a waterproof or extra layer. Usually some food (unless its only an hour or two). I daresay it could be lighter, but there again so could I.

There's also a bar bag which comes on most day out rides, with a camera a couple of spare lenses. Last time I think I added a towel, anticipating a sit down on the beach.

Kim

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Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #20 on: 02 July, 2020, 10:28:54 pm »
As zigzag says, you could carry more, but why?

Karma (the more tools/clothes/spares you have, the fewer you need), and the extra weight is, as they say, good training.

Theoretically, the more you can fix at the roadside the less likely it is that you're going to have to walk home.  In practice the more you can fix at the roadside, the less standing around in the cold you have to do while someone in your group contemplates their broken bike.

But my real reason is that I dislike unpacking 'unnecessary' items from my everyday bag, because they'll go walkies in the interim and I'll forget I've done it at the worst possible moment.  The weight is less of an overhead than the brain cycles to stop that happening.

Oh, and life's too short for crap pumps.  Either you're expending your token CO2 cartridge and getting a taxi, or you want one that works.

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #21 on: 02 July, 2020, 10:32:34 pm »
Carry exactly what you need, and no more.
The trick is, knowing what that is.
Experience provides the answer.

Different people may have different experiences, for various reasons.

Kim

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Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #22 on: 02 July, 2020, 10:48:55 pm »
That's why I'm still lugging a 6" adjustable spanner around.

About the only things it's useful for on my bikes are truing brake rotors, tightening light/mudguard brackets and - the reason it's part of the kit - operating a cassette/Centerlock lock-ring tool.  And axle nuts, where applicable (though my Brompton has a more minimal toolkit with a multi-tool that can do them, so it usually isn't).  But it's one of my most used tools, because it's something most cyclists don't carry, and it has a lot more applications on Other People's Bikes (especially those of a vintage/cheese disposition).  It's also eminently useful for non-bike stuff at the destination.

I've enhanced its usefulness by wrapping a metre or two of duct tape around the handle.  Turns out even NASA can't improve on duct tape.

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Weight of 'everyday' saddlebag "stuff"
« Reply #23 on: 04 July, 2020, 05:51:30 pm »

My everyday bike kit on the big bike is... extensive. The tool kit, which is in the top tube bag includes everything I need to fix anything on the bike with the exception of bottom bracket puller. I do have a lockring tool (the really light weight one from Wolf tooth), but no chain whip or spanner for it. I carry it for when in remote places, I can always borrow a big spanner from a farmer or something, a lockring tool less so. I also have 4 tire leavers. Why 4? Well they have a nasty habit of going ping into the undergrowth. I don't want to have that happen and then not have enough tyre levers for the rest of a long trip/race, I keep meaning to get some retro-reflective paint to put on them to make them easier to find. I have a number of spare Di2 cables, and spare brake cables. Spare brake pads, and all the tools to operate this lot, there's even a small torque wrench. It's extensive, but I've used may of the tools at one point or another. Whether it was swapping brake pads under a tree on Christmas day in Germany, to adjusting derailleurs, handlebars, or fixing flats. Could I get away with some sort of multitool, a pair of tyre levers, and a pump? maybe. Would it be as quick and efficient to use? no. You carry your fears. One of mine is being stranded in a remote location with a broken bike, so I have the stuff I need to not be in that position.

I also ascribe to Kim's view re pumps. I have a Road Morph G pump in my frame bag. It's big, and relatively heavy, but it works really well. I used to carry the Lezyne mini track pump thing, but it just wasn't reliable enough. I've lent my pump to a number of riders at the side of the road when they are trying to get their tyres back up to pressure using some stupidly tiny pump thingy.

That's the tool bag.

In the frame bag I tend to keep a battery pack, Di2 charger, hivi (purely in case of unexpected France), chamois cream, head light, hair brush, plasters, deoderant, towel (+ soap + plug), and some spare spokes. I treat this bag on the bike a bit like a handbag. It's got all my useful stuff in it...

My saddle bag contain a spare Wahoo, spare gloves, ear plugs, space blanket, usually a spare pair of shorts, leg warmers, and maybe a fleece or other jacket.

In winter I tend to have a big fully jacket in a dry bag strapped to the aerobars. This is less to wear on the bike, as to wear while sat waiting for the train home, or while fixing a mechanical.

Ultimately it all adds up to I carry too much crap on my bike. I'd probably find that on most every day rides I may be a little quicker, as I am carrying less weight. But then for a race or an Audax, I'd be adding it all back on anyway, and then it comes as a shock. I basically train with the same kit I race/audax on. The only thing I tend to change is the water bottle (size depends on the whether and distance, as much to do with which one I grab for the ride, as anything else), and the food in the stem cell.

Everything I carry I've used at one point or another, with the exception of the spokes, tho I had one spoke break on a 200 in November, but I decided to ride on with 31 spokes, and hope for the best. On a race, I would have included going via a bike shop to have it fixed.

J
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