is it just me?

[amyp]

Today I went to REI and picked up a water bottle cage and saddle bag.
I got the Lezyne Power water bottle cage and the Ortileb Micro saddle bag because both were on sale.
I was super excited because I was riding without a water bottle for a while and with some tools in my jersey pockets.

I put the water bottle cage on my bike and had an issue trying to put my water bottle in. Like it wouldn't go in because the triangle is so small on my bike! I tried it both ways having it be vertical and on the slope. I just gave up. My dad suggested stretching the water bottle cage. Is it ok to stretch the water bottle cage a little bit or would it break?

The Ortileb took me forever to install. I didn't have a lot of room for it. The bike shop that did the fitting adjusted the seat like that for me. I had leave the screws a little looser just so the saddle could click in. It rattles a bit when I ride. I don't need something big, I just need something big enough to carry my blackburn air stik, tube, multi tool, and levers.

should I just go back and do some returns?

Am I making a big fuss over this?


I need fenders to accommodation my 650c wheels and it seems all of them fit 700c. I did have a SKS S Blade on my other bike but i would rather not have that when I'm on a group ride.

[Kiwi Stoker]

I would return the water bottle cage, you need to side loading one. One side is partly open for you to put the bottle in. This is for small framed or tight places on bikes (our tandem has them as some of the tubes make small triangles).
Are you able to post a picture of the underseat bag on? Then we cpuld see what the trouble might be?

[amyp]

without





hope the photos are ok.


Ohhh I didn't even know there was a side loading water bottle cage. Sounds great!

[TigerMom]

I have the Blackburn cage holder because the front is not connected, so that they bottle can be pulled in and out easily because the cage holder does stretch a little. I HATED my specialized bottle cage holder which would not easily release my insulated water bottle. So, I would go back to the store and bring your water bottle to the store to try out different water bottle cage options

As to the saddle bag, I learned my lesson. I actually took my bike to the store and tested the saddle bags there. Because saddle bags do hang differently depending on the bike saddle. Plus, then you can try out the zippers and see how you feel about the space issues and how your bike rear light hangs on it. I like the saddle bags that have the extra zipper at the bottom so that I can enlarge my saddle bag if I go on longer miles for extra Cliff bars or a small shrug.
______________________________________________________
2012 Specialized Amira Elite, upgraded carbon handle bars, Jett saddle 143mm switched to 145mm 2012 Selle Italia Max SLR Gel Flow saddle
2010 Santa Cruz Juliana with R kit and Crampon pedals
2011 Specialized Ariel Sport,suspension post,Serfas Rx Women's Microfiber saddle (sold)

[Kiwi Stoker]

Hmm your saddle is very far forward on the rails there. That's probably why the bag isn't sitting well. My guess it's so you can reach the handlebars OK. You might want to try moving it back and trying to get the underseat bag fitting right. You can get a shorter or steeper angled stem to bring the handlebars closer to you instead of having the seat so far forward. Or it that sounds like too much hassle, return the bag and take your bike to a store and try out some to find one that does work.

[OakLeaf]

Moving the saddle back will change your position relative to the pedals. I'm assuming you're good the way it is. So a seatpost with less (or negative) setback is what you'd want, not a different stem.

ETA - if you were fitted to the bike, then definitely don't change the saddle position. Looks like they were just trying to save you the cost of a seatpost, but you should be able to find an inexpensive one.

As for the cage - I've always found it easier to reach the down tube. If you only have the one cage, how well does it work on the down tube? Otherwise probably try a side entry cage.

[Sky King]

Amyp,

I ride 650B wheels. Depending on the tire width, we carry Gilles Berthoud, Velo Orange and Tanaka fenders in 650b sizes. Feel free to PM me and am happy to help you out with the best choice.
Currently, I have the Velo Orange Zeppelin's on Sky - 650 x 52 as I have a wider tire at the moment.