These days, riders are strapping tubes to frames and carrying tools, etc. in special frame compartments, but the old saddle bag still has plenty of life and the Spurcycle Saddle Bag offers a different take on saddle bags.
Spurcycle Saddle Bag Features:
- Hand-sewn in San Francisco, CA
- Nylon ripstop fabric (X-Pac VX42)
- Suitable for carrying small essentials
- Wide Velcro strap with safety tabs
- Zipper-free design
- Works with dropper posts
- Dimensions: 4.9 x 7 x 2.3 inches
- MSRP: $45
Here it is loaded up with a couple of gravel-sized tubes, tools, etc.
A lunch bag for your essentials
Remember those rolltop lunch bags from elementary school? Well, Spurcycle took note of the carrying abilities of lunch bags, applied some thought and came up with their own saddle bag. At its heart, it is a water-resistant bag that’s big enough to carry a tube or two, tools, a couple of gels and maybe some lip balm and a set of keys.
Capacity is expandable, but may not seem so at first. For several weeks, I assumed that the strap had a fixed attachment to the bag, but that’s not the case. I thought that the capacity was limited to a tube, patch kit, tools and a few other small items, but a little strap adjustment allows the bag to expand and the reinforcement area to sit atop your rails as it should. It was one of those epiphany moments, but also something that’s not clear in the instructions.
My pro tip: remove the strap completely and adjust according to the contents of the bag.
Re-position the strap attachment for larger loads.
The wide strap has a ton of holding power and also has fixed “wings” as a security measure just to make sure things don’t go haywire. My experience with velcro-only attachments on saddle bags is mixed, but Spurcycle has chosen some seriously wide strap stock, so I’m not super concerned. Those wings are the last thing keeping the bag from falling off — should everything go completely haywire. And, I don’t imagine that the straps will lose their grabbing power for a long time.
It looks sleek and tucked away on the Pinarello Dogma F10.
Access to the inside of the bag can sometimes be a “dump and hunt” affair, unless things are stacked in there nicely. I found that thoughtful packing was key and placed my most-used items on top followed by least used at the bottom. So, I had a tube at the bottom with a patch kit, then a multi-tool and some Honey Stinger gels. There’s a little space here-and-there for small items as well and you can adjust the bag to fit your chosen contents. At its max, I could carry a couple of tubes, patch kit, tools, a couple of gels and other small items in there.
Access is easy, but load wisely to maximize space.
Depending on your saddle placement and setback, you can install it with the excess bag facing backward or forward. I tried both directions on various bikes and it doesn’t really matter, so long as you cinch everything down snug.
Since it’s really a rolltop bag, it doesn’t have any zippers or seals, just good ol’ wrapping does the job of weather protection. Well, and that fabric is as water-resistant as it gets. Everything short of prolonged submersion was just fine.
The Good
- Simple, zipperless design
- Cinches close to the saddle/seatpost
- Wide Velcro should last a long time
- Will work with dropper posts
- Expandable to carry more stuff (once I figured out the strap was removable)
The Bad
- Instructions are lacking
- Hard to fit much more than an MTB tube, so it’s really road-only
The Bottom Line: Spurcycle Saddle Bag
For those who value simplicity and function over form, the Spurcycle Saddle Bag is your partner. It tucks away neatly, works with a variety of saddles, and has expandable carrying capacity.
