General Cycling Discussion - Seat Bags for Brooks B17 Flyer with Springs

When I got my Trek 730 tuned up yesterday, I decided my next upgrade would be a B17 flyer saddle, to see whether or not I would like springs under the saddle. For longer rides with the 730, I would rather get away with a reasonable sized seat bag, before thinking about adding a rack and panniers, because I would not be carrying much weight in a bike bag besides tools, snacks, and a cell phone.

Both wallbike.com and the Brooks website offer info about the B17 flyer, and info about Brooks seat bags. However, neither websites offer information about which Brooks seat bags would work well with the B17 flyer saddle. In other words, it is not clear whether seat bags would interfere with the springs underneath the flyer saddle.

For cyclists that have a B17 flyer saddle, what kind of seat bag do you hang on the back of it, and have you had any problems with the bag interfering with the springs?

I wish I had your foresight. I've got their Champion Flyer, which is pretty much a b17 with springs. I tried two different bags, and finally with with a brooks product, it's the smaller of either the Glennbrook or the Millbrook. It worked very poorly with the springs, and if I had continued to use it, I would have had come up with some sort of wear strips to keep the springs from wearing through the bag. By the way, a hundred bucks, give or take, is a lot of money for a plastic (leatherette) bag. Ultimately, I went back to the Topeak seatpost mounted rack with detachable bag.

I was told on this forum that the bag would work better on the handle bars, but I ran into problems with brake and shift cable housings. Actually, I'm kind of glad you asked this question. Now, I'll see if I can track down my original thread on the same topic.

Here we go.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=250748

Thank you Nermal, for your info and re-post. Following are one bag ... and two tool-bags ... for consideration with the B17 flyer with springs:

The Millbrook bag looks like it would be pressing against the springs, because of a bag-strap that connects real close to the seatpost? And it's not real leather ... Run, Forest, Run!!!

The D-shaped and the Challenge are tool-bags, so Nermal and everybody can look at:

The D-shaped looks like it's a bag-in-a-bag, and hard to judge if springs would be in the way with just a back-picture of the bag. Two bags sounds un-necessary for commutes ... and two bags holding the same stuff seems like dead weight if on a medium to long ride.

What about the Challenge? It is smaller and has a hard-smooth-curved surface that would not get pinched by the springs. It would be a question if the bag rocks & thumps the springs when cycling, which might get on your nerves after a while ... and whether this bag is big enough to carry enough tools. What does everybody think of the Brooks Challenge tool-bag for the B17 flyer saddle with springs?
Millbrook: < http://www.wallbike.com/brooks/bags/millbrook.html >

D-Shaped: < http://www.wallbike.com/brooks/bags/dshaped.html >

Challenge: < http://www.wallbike.com/brooks/bags/challengetool.html >

I don't use the strap eyelets on the back of my sprung Brooks saddles. the springs get in the way of ataching the saddlebag to the seatpost :D I hang seatbags underneath the saddles, off the bottom rails and attached to the seatpost, just like any other saddle.

if you want to try a trad tool bag for a lot less lucre, Jannd makes a standard old-school oval seat bag that is ready made to hang from seats with saddle bag eyelets. they tend to flap around a lot, and i like my tool bags to be more secure on the bike.

BTW, it's a Brooks "Champion Flyer", not 'B-17 Flyer', just to nitpick.

Here is my tool bag that I got for my Champion Flyer. It was about $25 from the local Harley shop. The only downside is the logo on it, but you can't see it from a distance. It's a whole lot cheaper than the Brooks branded alternatives.

When I got my Trek 730 tuned up yesterday, I decided my next upgrade would be a B17 flyer saddle, to see whether or not I would like springs under the saddle. For longer rides with the 730, I would rather get away with a reasonable sized seat bag, before thinking about adding a rack and panniers, because I would not be carrying much weight in a bike bag besides tools, snacks, and a cell phone.

Both wallbike.com and the Brooks website offer info about the B17 flyer, and info about Brooks seat bags. However, neither websites offer information about which Brooks seat bags would work well with the B17 flyer saddle. In other words, it is not clear whether seat bags would interfere with the springs underneath the flyer saddle.

For cyclists that have a B17 flyer saddle, what kind of seat bag do you hang on the back of it, and have you had any problems with the bag interfering with the springs?

If you want a real bag that can actually carry more than a patch kit and a wallet check out my site at:

http://www.myspace.com/eccentriccyclistcharlie

Or you can check out the Rivendell Baggins Bananna bag or nigel smythe pouch bag at www.Rivbike.com click on the (store) for their catalog section with more photos.
The method of attachment uses the leather strap routed differently than the normal way of running over the seat rails instead you loop it through the bag loops. They may have a photo of the method but my site shows a photo. Look for the photo of my vintage Raleigh touring bike on the slideshow, it has a Flyer sprung saddle and the Bannana bag.:D

Thanks again, everyone. This is really helpful. The Rivbike site looks very interesting, so it now has one extra member.

Apologies of wrong term, Bekologist, must have had U.S. Air Force bombers on my mind. Very friendly forum here, and thanks again.

Motorad,

You may want to check out post no. 13 onwards in this thread:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=263791

Thanks foolish heart. Your post #19, in the thread you sent us, is really good information. Is that the bag that Bekologist is describing in his post #5 above? You wouldn't have a catalog number would you?

I'll follow up on this bag if I can research it, and try to provide stats about the bag.

@Motorad,

Yes, I think that's the bag Bekologist is referring to. You may look up the Jandd website to find out where the dealers are http://www.jandd.com/