Cycling UK Forum

Marcus Aurelius wrote:I usually ride with a load of kit in a backpack. Loading the weight on to me, and not the bike helps a lot.

Amateur!

Are you sure its the bike and not you? If you normally have a bag on your back and now you don't things will feel different as the weight isn't shifting about as you are used to, it may well feel weird. A tool box in a bottle cage only really succeeds in taking away the opportunity to carry enough fluid but it wont change the ride dynamics compared to a small seatpack.

I pretty much always have a seatpack on my bikes, multi tool, tube, levers etc, 1kg tops. This week, because i wanted to carry extra sandwiches for a longer ride and my Nikon B500 i've had a bigger seatpack fitted as well, maybe another 2kg all up - the handling of the bike hasn't altered at all, nor has it affected speed, downhill stability or my slow uphill progress!

More extreme, when i did a 3 week Alpine tour on my carbon road bike i added more than the bikes own 7.4kg weight in rack, bags, clothing and even then there was no great variance in handling.

Too much and too big slung from the saddle/seatpost can quickly become an issue, 5kg would be my limit, i may go to a 10litre pack if it keeps the weight central - thats the problem with old skool saddlebags, you end up with weight, possibly spread unevenly, dangling unsupported 20cm or more either side of the perpendicular which will most definately affect handling.

johnweightsen wrote:I was using the 4.1L Ortlieb Saddle Bag, really well made products.

28cm deep/long according to Ortlieb's website, so it probably puts a lot of weight behind the saddle (as opposed to strapped tightly underneath the saddle). It's also not light at 260g and is probably larger than absolutely necessary to carry all that you need. The bag probably wags from side to side, and if the large volume is not all used, the contents will move from side to side in the bag. On a racing bike all that will be much more noticeable.

The total weight of the same kit on my equivalent bike is 693g. My pump is a full size frame fit pump, and the small coil lock goes in my back pocket. The two tubes, multi-tool, tyre levers and glueless patches are squeezed into the smallest Topeak Aero Wedge that will accept them. If I switched to a mini-pump like the Topeak Pocket Rocket, I could reduce the weight even further to below 600g.

As one of the effects of the lockdown due to no cafes being open and cycling alone I decided to carry more "stuff" with me. I have fitted a carradice saddle bag and mounting bracket on my lightweight summer road bike. The naked bike weighs about 8.2 kg and the saddlebag plus bracket weighs an additional 1kg. I've got tools etc weighing an additional 0.5 kg and the rider is about 68kg. So by fitting the bigger saddlebag I've added about 1.3% to the total weight. Do I notice the difference? Well, apart from now having a better fitting saddlebag which doesn't chafe my legs or wear out my shorts, not at all, in fact looking at like for like rides I seem to be faster now according to Strava.

I'm not a weight weenie (at least not on the this bike!) but I just removed the stuff I attach to it for a ride and it weighs 600g, 300 of that is a frame pump and the other 300 is a small saddle pack which straps quite tight as I like to honk out of the saddle a fair bit.

Note that racing bikes, generally come with domestiques and a team car.

Suggest having the domestique carry the tool kit, he or she can watch the bike
at the tea stop, so no lock needed.

Or if the team car is back at Jaguar for yet another recall...
Tennis ball cans fit nicely in bottle cages, put your clabber in there,
add a toe strap if required, ask the DS, he'll have lots of them at home.

Racers never, ever have seat bags, it is a violation of Rule 29.
https://volerfactoryteam.com/2010/12/28 ... elominati/

johnweightsen wrote:Attaching this underneath my saddle made my bike handle noticeably differently. I'm sure I could get used to it, but I'm not sure I want to!.

If 1,5 kg slung under your saddle changes your bikes handling noticeably, then I'd suggest you need a better way of securing the load,
It sounds to me like it's swaying and moving. A tool roll in a bottle cage won't alter CoG that much, but would be more secure and stable and will fell better. Even wrap it all up in a "bag for life" and use a strap to fasten to the saddle rails

foxyrider wrote:

Marcus Aurelius wrote:I usually ride with a load of kit in a backpack. Loading the weight on to me, and not the bike helps a lot.

Amateur!

I can't see the point of your comment.
I know it's the received CTC wisdom that you must never carry a load on your person but if it works - why not?
When I'm on tour I carry my luggage on my bike - panniers etc - the drawback is that there is definitely an effect on bike handling.

In my youth I did a fortnight tour with a backpack (apart from a cape roll with a couple of spare tubulars).
No problems.
In recent years I've noticed German cyclists in the Alps on good road bikes and wearing substantial rucksacks - again why not if it suits your preferences ?
In my saddle pack I carry a gym bag which is useful when it's a cold morning and I want to divest myself of outer layers as the day wears on or if I want to buy something on the way - I don't notice it's presence when I'm wearing it - obviously there are those who would do things differently but they ain't me.

Hi,

thatsnotmyname wrote:

johnweightsen wrote:Two spare tubes
Decent pump
Two tyre levers
Multi-tool
Cable to charge lights
"Ok" lock
Waterproof saddlebag

The weight comes to around 1.4kg.

Attaching this underneath my saddle made my bike handle noticeably differently. I'm sure I could get used to it, but I'm not sure I want to!

Simple question, will a tool bottle in the downtube bottle cage make the bike handle more similarly to the naked bike?


FYI it's a late 80's road bike with typical racing geometry.

The lower the CofG, the less issue you will have. Although, I have to say, 1.4kg is not a huge amount in the grand scheme of things and I'm surprised you can actually notice the difference.

Putting it in a backpack will just make things worse, not better, so I would ignore that advice.

I commonly carry 2 kg on my back sometimes I carry up to 5 don't make a blind bit of difference.

2 kg don't make me laugh, maybe the OP is very light and only weighs about 25 kg?
I toured for a week on a early 80s road bike carrying 2+ kilos on my back up to 5 and doubled the weight of the bike with bike packing bags.
Handled like a dream, The only important thing is to distribute the weight evenly on the bike.

FWIW the answer to the OP's question is 'yes' more or less. The DT bottle cage is quite close to the CoG (centre of gravity) of the bike. No mass added to the bike has zero effect, but there it will have a smaller effect. If you feel the mass when honking, it is worth considering using a mount under the DT, since when throwing the bike from side to side simply having the mass set low helps. As important as the position is how the mass is attached to the bike; if it is able to flop about you will feel it more when riding out of the saddle.

Backpacks tend soon to become a sweaty horrible mess if you are riding at all hard, and add overall to the fatigue over the course of a day's ride. Nonetheless I will use a small backpack when MTBing, because despite the sweaty mess issue, carrying a small amount other ways is (net) worse, offroad; the bike (yes even with suspension) is more or less unsprung weight, and if that is moving around beneath you, adding to it is not at all helpful and is best avoided. On the road things are not so clear-cut.

It is certainly convenient to have everything in one bag, but IME you will feel/notice the weight less if it is more widely distributed. For example pump on the frame, tubes and a few other bits (lock?) in a small underseat pack, multi-tool (provided it is in a pouch) in a jersey pocket, other stuff in a bottle cage mount. If you are planning to park the bike and wander about, taking another bag (carrier bag or folding knapsack) to put everything in is not a bad idea.

If the weight/bulk still troubles you, consider reducing it by (say) carrying only one tube and some glueless patches instead, or a lighter lock or something.

FWIW I often use a saddlebag that weighs 2-3kg or so. When I am sat in the saddle it isn't really noticeable, but when riding out of the saddle it certainly is.

cheers

Hi.
One of the reasons I always carry a rucksack on my back whenever I go out on a bike is for security, some belongings that I don't particularly want to lose like a Wallet et cetera.
Lose my bike but I can still get home.
Several times I have carried another bike on the rear rack.
If you've ever carried a passenger on the rear rack you understand what it feels like.
But after a few traffic lights starts you know which way the bike is going to move and how to counter it, after that It becomes second nature.
Me and my mate turned up at our first time trial with our rucksacks, I don't think it made a blind bit of difference to our time

https://sports.ndtv.com/cycling/cycling ... th-2232889

I only carry what I will be eating + tools + phone on my person basically enough for a day trip.

If I'm going overnight then it's a carradice seatbag, frame bag and handlebar bag/sleeping bag. Enough to last me a week!!

Cheers James

sizbut wrote:Unless you're some 60 kilo pro-rider whippet, 2 kilos attached to your bike close to where your seated centre of mass is anyway is unlikely to affect the bikes handling significantly (unless you're doing an inordinate amount of out of the saddle honking).

This.

Hi,

Peter F wrote:

sizbut wrote:Unless you're some 60 kilo pro-rider whippet, 2 kilos attached to your bike close to where your seated centre of mass is anyway is unlikely to affect the bikes handling significantly (unless you're doing an inordinate amount of out of the saddle honking).

This.

Yes I can see this.
If you were 60 odd kilos and your bike was just 6.7 kg then adding 2 kg to it at the saddle that moving between your legs you might be able to feel it somewhat.
I have this thing about leaving things in open pockets, I don't do it fear of losing it.
If I just happened to slip my keys into my trouser pocket I am very conscious that they are there, certainly if I'm not temporarily doing that and I have to walk down the street from the shop I'm more inclined to take my keys out and put them in a closed pocket.
It probably comes from growing up in a large family and not hanging onto things very long.
The last time I cycled with a tool bag under the saddle it was probably no more than about six or 700 g maybe it was only 500.
But if I could hear it squeaking even though it was done up quite tight I was very conscious it was there, if you couldn't hear it and you didn't know it was there Then it might bother you less?

I can't say I notice an overnight load on my Witcomb using an Alpkit 10l bikepacking bag when riding seated. As said elsewhere, it if flops it's horrible, but if immobile no problem. It is noticeable when riding out of the saddle, but not affecting the handling as such.