Ditch the bag!
 

This kind of irked me today, what do you think? Looking at some pro riders Facebook pages, came across a photo of a pro rider out on a road ride alone carrying a saddle bag. A few comments said "ditch the bag!"
For the life of me, I can't fathom a brain that would say go out on a road ride without anything, no spare tube, no tools at all, nothing. Seems this lone pro rider had the good sense to take supplies along.

its not that you don't bring the gear, you just stuff it in your jersey pocket. I alternate between the two depending on which bike i bring and ride distance

Just because you don't strap a bag to your bike frame doesn't mean you don't carry everything you need. For me, it's always felt better to carry my spare tube, patch kit, tyre lever, mini pump, allen keys, €20, phone & keys in my jersey pockets, than to have that stuff crammed into a little sack or bag that bounces along on my bike. My bike carries me and water, and that's it. This seems cleaner and less hassle.

It's in the velomati rules.

Well it bugs me to have all the spare stuff packed into my jersey pockets so I'm one for always picking a saddle bag over stuffing my jersey pockets. Just a comfort thing for me and if someone doesn't like it I'm sure I'll still be able to sleep at night. :rolleyes:

I've got saddlebags ranging from a tiny little one that can barely fit a tube and tire lever all the way up to a 9L Carradice, I've never had an issue with "bouncing" bags, even if the Carradice is a bit on the excessive size. All that in my pockets would bounce and move around annoy me a helluva lot more than in a little bag!

Although, you do illustrate a point that has always humored me: you are fine with your bike carrying your water and your back carrying your spares, but many roadies would likewise shun anyone who turned up with a Camelback because they didn't want their bike carrying bottles :)

I crack up with the so-called cycling rules. Some people think there is a single right answer to everything related to bikes. water bottles vs. hydration packs, CO2 vs. carrying a pump, this tire over that tire, bibs vs. shorts, you can go on and on.

Go ride whatever bike you want, where you want, as fast or slow as you want, wear whatever you want, and carry whatever you want.

A properly designed and mounted bag does not sway or bounce.

People are free to ruin expensive jerseys by over stuffing the pockets full of things they will likely never use during a ride. Based on how dirty and poorly maintained some bikes are it probably makes sense for some people to carry spare chains, brake cables, spokes and bar tape back there.


-Tim-

Everyone needs a cycling vest with backpack.
Function if not stylish.
Carry it all + your sack lunch.


Also good for surveyors, fly fisherpersons, etc.

It just sounds to me like social media - i.e. Faceschmuck, Twitter - is getting more stupider by the day.

Your bike is carrying your tools and spares, too.


I have bags on all of my bikes, and I don't ever notice them bouncing. If they do bounce, it's very likely that the whole bike is bouncing, along with me, so maybe it's just that we're all in synch, and the bouncing bag doesn't stand out. I can't imagine having a spare tube, multi-tool, patches, tire irons, phone, and keys "bouncing" against my kidneys for dozens of miles. Why would you do that, when it all fits in a tiny little bag that you don't even notice hiding under the saddle?


To each, his own, I suppose.

Consider Weber's law, about perceived versus actual weight difference. If you add 1kg to a 10kg bicycle, it feels a lot heavier than adding 1kg to an 80kg person. Adding all your tools & stuff to yourself feels a lot lighter than adding them to the bike.

It's a good point on the water. Again, qualified with "for me", I hate the maintenance of a Camelbak, they're harder to clean and keep clean, than a water bottle. "For me", that ease-of-use overcomes the perceived weight issue (of adding water to the bike).

Also, along with not making any noise and being easily accessible, water bottles get lighter as you empty them, making the bike feel lighter as you go.

But it's all about how you like to do things. Anybody that is seriously saying, "ditch the bag" needs to lighten up... unless it's hideously ugly, of course :):)

I guess I just don't see why that is any better than a saddlebag? Plus, it severely restricts the cooling ability of my back, turning it into an even soggier mess than it generally already is.

My "Carry it all + your sack lunch." (+ needing to navigate and have access to snacks) setup:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4345/...5742756d_b.jpg

My normal spare/tools saddlebag generally on my bike, which I have yet to feel moving around under the seat and seems to stay put even doing 85MPH down the interstate on my car roof:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4434/...71954e28_b.jpg

But yes, at the end of the day to each their own!

Another problem I have - and what a terrible problem it is, let me tell ya - is that I rotate between 4 road bikes and a mountain bike. So it's way easier for me to always stuff things into jersey pockets, than to move seat bags from one bike to the next.

Plus I just got a Cycliq Fly6 rear-facing HD camera, for "incident protection". A seat bag would get in the way.

Fisherpersons? Aw, c'mon now.

It's a crazy mixed up world anymore. :D

I know how dare they assume their species!

Too many people too concerned about what others do. Just as bad are those too concerned about what those people think.

To bag or not has always been a good topic for cyclists.
I have a buddy who feels it ruins the look of his bike under the seat.
So, he puts a small bag in one of the water bottle cages. Now he can only carry one water bottle. We do long rides together and we have to stop often to re-supply as he runs out often. Gets old. Also, when we are way out of town he rides thirsty.
He also will not mount a mini pump to his bike.

To each his own. Everyone is different.

Not right or wrong but I keep my training bike set up with a mini pump mounted on frame, two water bottle cages for water and a small seat bag with 2 tubes, patck kit, tiny Leyzine multi tool and 1 tire lever.
Grab the bike and good to go all day.

I've long said that I don't care what others think about how my bike looks. I do what's good for me. So I have a saddle bag under the seat of each bike, as well as a top tube cell phone holder/wallet, keys, etc holding bag. Not to mention two water bottles/cages and if it's a long ride I wear my hydration pack.

I carry a bag. If it's good enough for Chris Froome it's certainly good enough for me.

I find multiple bikes to be a good reason for keeping the essential supplies/tools with each bike rather than possibly picking up the wrong items to put in a pocket. So the 20" tubes go with the 20" folder, the 700c/27" tubes with those bikes, and the 26" tubes with the mtn. bike. I also keep the long hex wrench with the tandem that needs it for the axle nuts. And the one bike where the seatpost is already occupied gets the necessary parts in a Bento box on the top tube. Avoids needing to make sure each time I hop on a bike that I have the right items stuffed in a pocket. And if it's just a short errand ride I may not bother with a jersey but still want to avoid a long walk home.

But I think the OP's point was that it's silly to object to how anyone decides to carry things on their own rides. I agree and if using a jersey pocket works better for you then by all means continue to use it.

This.

More than likely they were just being funny. Pros can do whatever they want.

Your instincts and intuition are spot-on. There are only two ways to ride on the road: 1) with a support vehicle or 2) with a saddle bag. In other words, in general everyday riding a saddle bag is a must.

There are also some... um... "alternatively gifted" cyclists who attempt to ride without either, stuffing the spare (and accompanying equipment) into their jersey pockets (!). I'm sure all of us had our "WTF?!" moments more than once after seeing those fugly and hilarious abominations on the road. This is a major no-no in road cycling world. People who do that are generally recognized as poseurs and immediately isolated from the cycling community. Don't get caught doing this. It is easy to make this mistake, and it is very difficult of get rid of the stain it leaves on your reputation afterwards. Remember: jersey pockets - nothing thicker or heavier than a cellphone.

Those "ditch the bag!" types you mentioned are exactly that: poseurs. Their reputation is so ruined that they no longer care about it anymore, which is why they so nonchalantly talk trash on the Internet.

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