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What’s in YOUR seatbag?

03.01.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 12 Comments

A reader recently asked me by email, “Bike Noob, what do you carry in your seatbag?” Funny he should ask, because I’ve just gone through a switch to a new bag, and then a switch back to the old bag. Here’s why.

I bought my seatbag when I bought my bike. It’s made by a company called “Inertia Designs,” and is somewhat larger than many bags I see on road bikes. In fact, some other bikers have referred to it as a “trunk.” But it’s worked well for me, holding what I consider the necessary accessories for biking.

However, when I got my seat post-mounted water bottle cage, it seemed that I would need a smaller bag to fit between the seat and the water bottles. So I dug up a smaller, bullet-shaped bag we had lying around, and put it on. But it was barely large enough to carry a spare tube. I crammed my multi-tool in also, and that’s why, when I got my pinch flat two weeks ago, the spare was punctured, too. The edge of the multi-tool had apparently rubbed a hole in it.

So, I’m back to the bigger bag. I lowered the water bottle cage almost to the bottom of the seat post, and there’s room enough for bag and bottles. The picture is for comparison purposes — the small bag is propped on the top tube.

bags1

The size difference between the current bag, on the left, and the small bag, on the right, is evident.

Well, why is it so important for me to have a big bag? Plenty of folks use bags the size of the one on the right in the picture. Here’s why. A look at the stuff I must have on a bike ride.

openbagWhen unzipped, the bag opens its maw to reveal a cornucopia of bike stuff.

Actually, only four different items are accounted for here. First, a spare tube. I like to carry it in its box, to avoid any more accidental punctures. Then, a patch kit. I do carry one, altho I haven’t used it in the field yet. Bet I do, some day. The blue thing is my multi-tool. Three Allen wrenches in 4, 5, and 6 mm size, plus two screwdrivers. I use it a lot. Finally, two tire levers.

There might be just a little room left in the bag for me to carry more stuff, but the only need I’ve found for that is when we drive to a ride. In that case, I’ll stick my car keys in the bag. But I carry my ID, a little cash, and my cell phone in my jersey pockets.

I’m happy with my seat bag. I suppose I could go to one like this:

medbag“Medium” seatbag by Acorn Bags.

But I doubt it. What do you think? Am I carrying too much stuff? Is there an item that I ought to have in my bag, but don’t?

What’s in YOUR seat bag?

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Categories // Accessories Tags // Accessories, seatbags

Leaving cell phones behind

02.13.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 1 Comment

Whenever I prepare to head out on a ride, I grab a plastic sandwich bag, wrap my cell phone up in it, and stick it in my middle back pocket. Normally, I’m not much of a cell phone user. I never use up all my monthly minutes. But I consider it to be a piece of “must” equipment on a ride.

Even so, I manage to forget the thing once in awhile. It’s not a problem if I don’t discover that it’s missing until after the ride, but if I reach back to check the pocket during the ride and it’s not there, it puts a damper on the entire time on the bike. If possible, I’m likely to cut the ride short in a situation like that, simply because I find that being without a cell phone is unsettling.

A couple of weeks ago, I was on a ride with Mrs. Noob. A typical ride with her goes something like this: I ride 15-16 mph, she rides 10-11 mph, and I stop to wait for her every two miles or so. On this occasion, I was at a stoplight just a mile into the ride. Another rider pulled up next to me. Mrs. Noob was lagging behind, hoping the light would turn green before she got to the intersection. She hates to unclip, because that means she has to clip in again. And she really hates that.

When the light changed, the other rider shot across the road. I stood on the pedals and kept pace. He shifted into a harder gear, and started a long gentle climb. I stayed on his wheel, then passed him just before the next stoplight. We rode together and chatted for another mile, and then I told him I was at the usual “wait” spot, and wished him a good ride.

When Mrs. Noob caught up to me, she was in high dudgeon. “You can’t just take off like that,” she said. “I forgot my cell phone, and I have no way to tell you if I get into trouble.”

“Sorry,” I replied. “When I’m around another rider like that, I have to see what he’s got.”

“Oh, swell. Act like a little boy, and leave me high and dry.”

Hm. Didn’t know you’d forgotten your phone until just now. And I did wait in front of the school, just like I always do. But in her mind, I was clearly at fault. Suitably chastened, I started off slowly with her again. We decided to take a Mopac loop. It starts with a short downhill, where I usually reach 28-30 mph. This time I kept it down to about 20. After a mile, I heard her call, “Speed up! I’m not dead, y’know.”

For the rest of the ride, we stayed close enough together that we could have talked via tin cans and string. If we had them.

Then there was the time I crashed. If ever a cell phone could come in handy, it would be at a time like that. I rode a sore 15 miles after the crash, but finally decided to pack it in. I reached for my cell phone to call Pat — for Mrs. Noob really does have a name — and it came out of my pocket in three pieces. Turned out that I’d landed right on it. Luckily, I wasn’t the only rider in the group who felt unequipped without a cell phone, so I borrowed one from one of the other guys, and she was there in 25 minutes, to give me the ride home.

My cell phone is parked on the counter between the kitchen and living room. If I ever need it, I know it will be there. The plastic bag is in a drawer just below it. With that kind of organization, I’ll never be without the phone on a ride again. Until I am.

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Categories // Accessories Tags // Accessories, cell phone

I love my arm warmers

02.03.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 1 Comment

Thanks to all those who chimed in on handling the wind — both commenters and emailers. I’ll be out there again soon, and the forecast this weekend looks great.

It was pretty nice for cycling last weekend, too. On Saturday, it was 67F, sunny, with a brisk wind out of the south (not another wind post!). It was tempting to get on the bike in a summer weight short sleeved jersey. But a day like that is not as warm on the bike as it feels when you stand in the backyard in the sun.

The Noob and his arm warmers.
The Noob and his arm warmers.

I put on a base layer under my jersey, and then my arm warmers. I’ve had these dandy things for more than a year now, and I’ll routinely wear them anytime the temperature is less than 72F.

It’s the wind, after all. Just by riding the bike, you’re creating your own wind of whatever speed the bike is moving — so a ride at 67F with a 13 mph wind creates a much cooler feel (the National Weather Service says wind chill cannot be calculated for temperatures higher than 40F). But the arm warmers have slightly brushed insides that feel good against your bare arms. The fact that they’re black helps, too, by absorbing more heat from the sun.

I’ve had rides that start in cooler weather, say, down in the low 50s, where the arm warmers are a no brainer. But in the spring and fall, those chilly mornings warm up quickly, and I often keep the arm warmers on long after you can call the day hot. Just as they help in the chill, they don’t seem to have a negative effect in the warmth. It’s as though you don’t notice they’re there.

It’s not necessary to get elaborate with these things, either. My arm warmers are the basic model sold by Nashbar. At $13, they perform fine for me, and have done so in much cooler weather than I rode in last weekend. It’s just that, on nice cycling days like those, they offer an added biking pleasure.

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Categories // Accessories Tags // Accessories, clothing

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