It’s an Addiction

Since getting my new saddle, I’ve been lusting over picking up some matching leather bar wrap as well as getting a saddle bag.  Both are related to the idea of the “cool factor” with my bike, and neither are truly necessary.  The bar wrap I am all but resolved to follow through on because you just don’t see it that much, and the mahogany leather saddle looks out of place on a bike where most of the trim is otherwise black.

However I’m having greater difficulty in convincing myself to get a saddle bag.  First, I don’t need it.  I currently use a very small Rhodes seat wedge that I can fit my wallet, cell phone, and car keys into.  It’s not enough for carrying any food, nor can I tuck a jacket into.  But for that, I have a rack trunk.  Further, I did quite a bit of work to make mounting the trunk handy.  I bought one of those cheap clamp on seat post racks and tore it apart and modified it so I can have both the trunk and the wedge bag on at the same time.  Further, I have a Trek rack that bolts on in about two minutes for those occassions when I want to use the cheap set of panniers that I have for family outings and day trips.  So with discounts and the like, I already have spent close to $100 for what amounts to a pretty flexible system for carrying stuff on my bike.

 Beyond that, the suckers are expensive.  The Rivendell site offers this at $170.  Ouch.  Major cool, but beyond my means.  So I think what I’ll do is spring for the leather wrap, but focus more on my non-cool trunk bag as the need requires.

What I will do, however, is switch out the Rhodes with a Cannondale wedge bag that I now have on the Bontrager.  The thing is ancient, but not only is it slightly larger, it actually expandes via a hidden zipper so I can stuff in a sandwich or a pair of gloves.  Not as cool, but at least its functional.