I have a bigger waterproof bag (from another manufacturer) that works great for bike packing, wanted something for day rides and this fits the bill perfectly. Big enough for tools and tube, even a vest and snack. Exactly what I was looking for.
Perfectly watertight for well more than my needs, and the Medium has plenty of space for tube, multi tool, tire levers, patch kit, a blood sugar test kit and glucose tablets for this diabetic. If you arent carrying the diabetes stuff, a packable jacket can be crammed in there.
I can get a bit more into this bag than in more traditional design. The simple closure is nice. The strap and D-rings permit additional items to be tied onto the outside which has helped in taking rolled papers or other commuter things to work.
I commute 9 miles each way and have been using this bag for about a month. It's large enough for a complete change of clothes (I roll my clothes, rather than folding) OR a lunch in a container, plus phone, keys, wallet. Unfortunately it's not big enough for a change of clothes AND lunch. It's easy and quick for me to drive to work on the weekends so I usually drive in on the weekend and drop off clothes for the week. This allows me to just carry lunch and my personal items each day.
The bag fits very snug on the seatpost and saddle rails and has absolutely zero movement, even when standing and pedaling hard. I've also taken it on a five mile ride on rough gravel roads and it did fine. With it being winter, I have not yet commuted in the rain, but I've used Ortlieb products in the past and I have zero concern over its waterproof-ness.
I was debating between this bag and a larger bikepacking bag such as the Revelate Terrapin or Porcelain Rocket Mr. Fusion, but I was worried they would be overkill for my application. I kind of regret not going with a bikepacking bag but this will work just fine for my needs. Ideally I'd have something with a capacity a little larger than this, and slightly smaller than a bikepacking saddle bag.
On weeks when I cannot make time to drive into the office, I use a large backpack (Osprey Radial 34) and carry my clothes and lunch.
This bag attaches securely and has plenty of storage. It also is long enough to act as a fender. I can put in two tubes, tire tools, CO2 cartridge, multi-tool and 2XL rain jacket in it with room left over. Why I didn't give this 5 stars, is that I wasn't too impressed with the rear closure. They use Velcro and a plastic buckle. They could have used something more secure.
Purchased after reading the reviews and I agree with all the points made. One thing that caught me by surprise is this, my saddle is moved forward on its rails and the latch mechanism would not fit. Problem is I have an old school 1986 turbo and there is not enough rail length. I really wanted to use the bag and tried looking for the strap on the web page but could not find what I thought I needed. For now I will return the bag and when I get a new saddle try again. Great bag the large has almost enough room for a six pack of your favorite beverage.
Very nice bags as I have been accustomed to from Ortleib. I Ordered all three sizes. Each come with a saddle mount, so I can easily move bags from bike to bike. I use the Medium one the most - two tubes, tire levers, C02, multi-tool, and Rain Jacket. I use the large one for Credit card touring. I would use the small one more, except I really don't like to leave home without a rain coat and I hate stuffing them in my jersey pocket.
Previously I had purchased the small Ortlieb bag which was ok for a tube and multi-tool but not much else. Now with the medium size red bag, I switch it back and forth between two bikes. The mounting bracket is the same for each size. A great value!
I ride a bike with a 44 frame. Many items don't fit, but this one does and is roomy enough for what I'm taking along - without being too big causing me to be tempted to overfill.
Pro Capacity
Cons
- While the twist closure may be unique it flat out doesn't work in practice. One twist isn't enough and two twists (if you can make two) just reduces the capacity by 1/3. And whether twisting up or down only one side wants to twist a second time.
- With closure twisted up it holds rain water.
- With closure twisted down things fall out while opening.
- Open cavern with nothing to secure keys to, which I see as a requirement with the ridiculous twist closure.
- Not a totally one-click removal like the 12-year old pack I was about to replace.
C'mon Ortlieb!! Do your engineers actually ride a bike?
This product would be 1,000% more useful if you provided a zipper instead of the two plastic Popsicle sticks!
This is a great product - well made, easy to install, easy to remove, nice wide opening. The smallest one fits all the stuff one should have while on the bike (tire lever, tube, CO2,multi tool), the largest will carry that plus a lot more. The opening is quite wide, making it easy to access the items inside. Unfortunately I had to return both sizes as my saddle is pretty low and there wasn't enough clearance to accommodate even the smallest bag. I am probably an extreme case (really short legs) but I was bummed because it seems like a bag that would perform well.
