- Now, I'm pretty safe in saying that nobody out there
really wants to weigh down their bike
with loads of extras and add-ons.
And one item which seems to cause a lot of controversy
amongst cyclists is a saddlebag.
For some reason, people out there,
they don't like to put them on their bikes that often.
The reason being is that they don't think
they're aesthetically pleasing
to a sleek road racing machine.
But I totally disagree.
I don't like to have my jersey pockets
stuffed full of spares.
Instead, I like to have a nice minimalistic saddlebag.
So today, I'm going to show you exactly what to put
in one of those.
(metallic whooshing)
Now for this video,
I've chosen the Aero Wedge iGlow from our friends at Topeak
because, well, it's pretty cool.
It's nice, small, lightweight,
and it has the added benefit of a light there
for safety features.
And for many years, I actually only took with me
the bare minimum while out riding
so let's go through those products
and we'll talk about the extras afterwards.
(hypnotic hiphop music)
So first up, we need to take an inner tube with us,
don't we, let's face it.
Now, they come in all different shapes
and sizes and valve lengths
so you need to make sure that whatever you've got with you
is going to fit into your wheels.
There's nothing more frustrating
than finding yourself with a replacement inner tube
but the valve is too short.
In fact, that's probably more frustrating
than an inner tube
because this is something that you can actually determine,
whereas as a puncture, you can't.
So make sure the valve is the right length
for any deep section rims or vice versa.
If in doubt, always take the longer valve version with you.
Therefore, it will fit whatever rims
you do have on your bike at the time.
Also you can find yourself
with a light version an inner tube.
So this one here from Continental
is slightly lighter in weight than the standard one,
meaning, you've guessed right,
you can compact it down even more.
Now if I had one of the Supersonic inner tubes too
from Continental, that would go even smaller again.
Bear in mind though,
if you want to go minimalistic, super lightweight,
you're only going to be taking one of these
so if that is the case, possibly put in some spare
inner tube puncture repair patches,
so something like the self-adhesive ones,
which I've recently demonstrated on how to use,
and, well, at least you're going to be covered
in the unfortunate instance of more than one puncture.
(hypnotic hiphop music)
- Tyre levers.
Yeah, that's right,
I know some people out there will be saying
if you want a really super light saddlebag,
you don't need tyre levers but I reckon you do
because sometimes you have a really tight
tyre and rim combination
and they are so stubborn to remove.
Also make sure they're strong enough and up to the job
because not all tyre levers are created equally
and I have known a few in the past to snap
when trying to remove them
so make sure you go through a dummy run if in doubt.
(hypnotic hiphop music)
Now, we are going to need to be able to put some pressure
back into an inner tube if we have a puncture.
And the debate will go on, I'm sure,
in the comment section below, CO2 or mini pump.
Let me know your preference.
Either way, let's go through the two different options then.
Firstly, CO2, it has to be said,
not possibly the best thing for the environment
because the cartridges are a single-use only
so once you've used it, you have to dispose of it.
But good thing about them is you get back up to pressure
in almost no time at all
and also they can fit in almost all
of the saddlebags out there,
even the tiniest ones possible.
What about the other option then and that is a mini pump?
Now admittedly, they're not all going to fit
inside of a small little saddlebag
but something like the little Micro Rocket here,
this will, importantly.
Otherwise, you could always attach
another type of mini pump,
like this one here with a gauge on it,
with an old toe strap or something underneath the saddlebag.
But like I said, this one will actually fit
inside of the saddlebag itself.
Believe it or not,
this is what I used to take with me
out on bike rides for donkey's years
and, well, it seems to always get me through all right.
But, well, don't make the same mistake that I could've had
because I could well have had a snapped chain or something
so I always recommend an extra little item to go inside
and that is a multi tool.
So get yourself one with as many functions as possible
but as lightweight, I guess,
because that's what this video is all about.
And something to really bare in mind
is to try and get yourself a multi tool
that has a chain tool fitted on it.
The reason I say that is because, well,
a passerby in a vehicle
who maybe he's got a little tool kit in there or something,
he might be able to help you
with an Allen key head or something,
but a chain tool is a really specialist bit of kit.
That's why I would always advise taking one,
despite me sounding like an absolutely hypocrite,
because probably for 15 or 20 years,
I never used to take one.
But, well, they're so small these days, just check that out,
I can easily fit it inside of that saddlebag, too.
So we'll just put that in there
with a little protective sheath over it there
so that none of those bits
are going to possibly rub on the inner tube itself.
If in doubt, by the way, with an inner tube,
you can always wrap it up in something like cling film
or tin foil to actually stop it from rubbing on anything
and a hole wearing away
because that can happen after many years.
But we can just put that in there and we're good to go.
What then, if you've already got yourself a multi tool,
you don't want to go putting anything extra
in your jersey pockets
'cause you've already got your mobile phone in there,
you've already got your rain cape,
you've already got your jam sandwiches
ready to eat out on that big ride?
Well, what about these bar end plugs, right?
They're called the Topeak Ninja C and essentially,
you put them in either side of your handlebar ends
and then you've got, as well as a four millimeter Allen key,
a chain tool, too.
How absolutely fantastic is that?
So you can just wedge it in there nicely in place
in the end of the bars.
You can adjust it too,
adjusting it like so,
and it gives this sort of rubber wedge a little more girth,
enabling you to just wedge it in there end there
so it stays firmly in place.
I do like little solutions like that,
stealth solutions, nice.
There we are, the super light, minimalistic saddlebag.
Those are really the bare essentials
you need for an emergency.
Let me know, though, what you take in your saddlebag.
In fact, are you a saddlebag lover or hater
because it's a real split decision out there?
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And, well, me, I'm going to go out for a quick ride.