Saddle bag rubbed hole in my shorts -- anyone else?

[fallstoclimb]

I recently discovered a hole in a reasonably-new pair of bib shorts, on the inside and back of my thigh where I bump against the saddle bag with every pedal stroke. All of my shorts show wear in this area. Weirdly the wear is much, much worse on one side. Does anyone else have a problem with this? I'll admit my thighs aren't the smallest!

I'd like to find a solution to this, obviously, since bike shorts are $$$. I personally find handlebar bags a bit dorky (but maybe I've never seen a small one?), I'd consider a bento box option but really I'd like to find a cone-shaped saddlebag, if anyone else has had luck with one?

[Becky]

Does your seat bag use velcro to attach? If so, check to see if that's what's causing the hole. I solved this problem on one particular seat bag by cutting the velcro strap so that it ends in the front of the seatpost, rather than the side. I've become much more picky about the design of seat bags as a result!

[fallstoclimb]

It does, and I already abandoned one seat bag due to the velcro sticking out, but with this one it's clear that I'm hitting the actual side of the seatbag (I became very familiar with the issue as of course I did not see the hole until I was already out on a ride, and of course I brushed against the seatbag with every pedal stroke!)

The bag is actually fairly small but it still sticks out beyond the seatpost. I'm wondering if one that comes to more of a cone point behind the seatpost might work for me (if it exists).

[ehirsch83]

Due to that reason I don't use a seatbag.

I carry spare tube,co2, lever in a ziplock bag in one jersey pocket and then I put cell phone, debit card or $$ and house key in another ziplock in another jersey pocket. That leaves 1 pocket for food. You can fit all you need in your pockets.

[Boudicca]

I had the same problem, and with my favorite shorts, of course. Frayed beyond usefullness.

But I do like to have a bag of some sort, both for food and rain gear, and to store the layers I am bound to shed over the course of a ride (arm/leg warmers etc etc), so I switched to something like this one (http://www.vaude.com/en-GB/Products/Bike/Bike-Bags/Off-Road-Bag-S-black.html), which attaches to your seat post and which doesn't rub at all. or rain gear, for food and for extra stuff I might need. My version is actually a little smaller, but they don't seem to make that one any more. I have two attachments to go on the seatpost, and use the same bag on two different bikes.

[maillotpois]

I had that happen on a 600k and I didn't notice til I had also worn a bloody hole in my leg! Very painful. I put duct tape around the velcro, which was the problem in my case. If it's the shape of the bag, I'd bring your bike into the sop and put a few bags on it to see where they stick out.

[ny biker]

I recently went through an extended search trying to find a seat bag that was not too wide at the seatpost. In part the issue is the overall size of the seat bag, since it's easier to find the right shape bag if it's smaller overall.

For large bags, Bontrager and Specialized taper pretty well at the seatpost, but I found the zipper configuration to be inconvenient for accessing things in the bag.

Topeak's medium size seat bag is another to look at, if the overall volume is sufficient. Lezyne makes a very narrow bag, but their "large" bag is not really very large.

I also found one at a small bike shop on Long Island that is a brand I'm not familiar with. It's large capacity but not too wide at the seatpost. I'll check the brand when I get home later.

[fallstoclimb]

I am extremely relieved to know I'm not the only one with this problem.

[kris7047th]

Might want to get a rear rack that has different connect/load options and/or different bags so that you can hook up further back to avoid any contact with clothing. I have Ortlieb Sport Packer Plus front packs that I load to the rear rack mostly, and a set of the Back Roller Plus bags. These bags are pricey but they are waterproof, lightweight and adjustable and they won't wear holes in your shorts.

16671

[OakLeaf]

I put a piece of duct tape over the velcro attachment. Get black duct tape and you can't even see it.

[kajero]

I noticed that all my shorts are getting fuzzie pills on the inner thighs. I will have to check and see if that could be the problem. I have to buy a new seat bag anyway. Although we got our stolen bikes back today, the seat bags were missing.

[ny biker]

This might be an options for some:

http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodDT_2300.html

I didn't try it because my seatpost is carbon.

Topeak and REI/Novarro have seat bags that clamp onto the saddle rails, and this might also be a solution for some people. They don't fit the carbon rails on a Bontrager Affinity RXL. I might have been able to get the REI bag to work by substituting longer screws for the ones that came with the bag, but decided not mess with it because it was a bit wider at the seatpost end than what I was looking for.

[pll]

I just use a small seatbag, big enough to fit a tube, levers, a cartridge and my home key. The mini pump, cell phone and ID go in a jersey pocket. I like the cleaner look of the bike, too

[lph]

I squeezed mine to more of a pointy cone shape with some rounds of duct tape. And rounded the ends of the seatpost strap, as I was brushing against those too.

[Sky King]

We have these King Cage tool poucheshttp://store.biketouringnews.com/king-cage-behold-tool-pouch-w-bottle-cage-cargo-cage/ on our bikes for those items we don't need to access on a regular basis.

Another really popular bag is the Revelate Gas Tank (http://store.biketouringnews.com/revelate-design-gas-tank/)

As a non-racer bike person, I have a wonderfully large seat bag made of canvas and a wonderfully large rack top front bag. My seat bag always touches my legs but being canvas it has never been a problem.