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Advice and tutorials
HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR SADDLE BAG?
To be well equipped during your bike outings is essential and the choice of its luggage is thus as much. The saddle bag is a necessary piece of equipment for the cyclist because according to its different sizes, it can be adapted to many situations such as bike commuting, long road bike outings or gravel bike rides. It can even be declined in a bikepacking version for long distance adventures
In order to guide you on the choice of your saddle bag, we will talk about the saddle bags intended for the daily practices : the road bike, the triathlon, the mountain bike and the gravel. Note that you can find all our saddlebags on our website!
Why using a saddle bag?
The saddle bag often appears to be the bag that everyone must have, no matter how much they ride, and this for many reasons! The first reason is that a saddle bag is discreet and practical. It is easy to store your personal belongings. With a saddle bag, everyone is able to take with him the necessary to be able to repair a puncture or other mechanical problems for example which will delight all the cyclists, as well for the Sunday outings at the seaside as the long road bike rides.
A saddle bag will also be a substitute for the cyclists back pockets. The purpose of cycling luggage is to be practical, in other words to allow users to have their equipment available on the bike rather than directly on them or in a backpack. This avoids having blunt objects in the back pockets. The injuries that can result from a fall don't need to be aggravated by a cut from a tool in your pocket...
« It's true that cycling jerseys have pockets in the lower back, so it's tempting to fill them with repair supplies. We advise to prefer this storage for nutrition or cuffs, as many elements that do not risk to aggravate the consequences of an unfortunate fall »
Simon, product manager for Zéfal
Whether it's rainy or sweaty in the summer, the saddle bag will also allow you to keep your personal belongings dry (wallet, phone...). Also, and this will please our mountain biker friends, a saddle bag allows you to avoid losing your keys during an outing that is a little too shaky... It's never a good surprise to not find your keys in your pocket when you arrive in front of your door!
« And a little expert advice, always leave a 5€ or 10€ bill folded at the bottom of the saddle bag: you never know when the hunger strikes... »
How to choose and fill your saddle bag?
When choosing your saddle bag, you have to ask yourself the right questions in order to make the right choice! First of all, what do you want to put inside? Most of the time, the determining element will be the inner tube which will be essential in a saddle bag!
You will have to know your riding style because it will affect the size of your tires, and therefore the size of your inner tube and consequently the size of your saddle bag. The size of your tire is always indicated on its sidewall. If you have very wide tires, then the best thing to do is to use our Universal Tube Strap, which can carry large tubes! In order to maximize the space in your saddle bag, make sure to fold your tube completely empty of air. Be careful! Make sure that your inner tube is not in direct contact with a sharp object (like a multi-tool). Indeed, it could damage your inner tube by friction and make it useless when you need it the most. A mini-pump can also be inserted in a saddle bag if you don't want to carry it in your back pockets.
In case you don't have a Zéfal mini-pump and you are not sure if it will fit in your saddle bag, you can turn to our universal mounting clips to be fixed on the bottle cage, always with the aim of placing all your equipment on your bike! Finally, for your safety, our saddle bags are equipped with a lighting mount to indicate yourself to users coming from behind.
There are 3 products in this range, each in a different version, starting with the Z Road Pack, a compact, organized repair bag. It's designed to hold a modern road bike inner tube and all the essential tools for a quick repair. The Z Off-Road Pack features the same functionality as the previous model, but can also accommodate a mountain bike inner tube! Both models are fully waterproof. Finally, the Z Light Pack is an ultra-light bag due to its materials, which makes it ideal for triathletes! Moreover, it is available in 4 sizes: XS, S, M and L to suit all bike sizes.
