Sackville Question?

[Ben Mihovk]

Hello!

I just received a beautiful royal blue Slimsucker today from Riv and...well...I don't know about it. I have three issues that are making me think about contacting Riv for a return.

1. It's really squeaky...I'm assuming the brand new leather will soften and chill out a bit and be quiet eventually. Have other people noticed this when their bags are new? I have two x-small bags that I have been using and I can't remember whether they squeaked or not.

2. I wasn't fully prepared for the thigh rub...I put the bag on my bike, put my computer, a couple books, laptop charger, etc... in it and rode up the block and back and I'm not a fan of that feeling of the bag touching the backs of my thighs. Has anyone else been rubbed the wrong way (sorry) at first but kind of stopped noticing it after a while?

3. The leather strap to secure it to my seatpost....I need the third hole to be just a little closer. If I use the second hole, it's not tight and the bag swings front to back. The leather used on these bags is excellent so I know that I could probably punch a new hole in the strap (if I keep the bag), but does anyone have any suggestions that I might not be thinking of? 

This stinks...I do like the bag and I think I could deal with the things that bug me...but part of me wants to reach out and set up a return before I take it on a full ride and get it dirty. Any thoughts the group might have would be most appreciated. 

Thanks,
Ben 

[Joe Bernard]

Ben,

1. Squeaky. Yes, they soften up and get quieter but I can't promise silence. For me part of The Saddlebag Thing is you know it's there, I'm not sure I've ever had one that completely disappeared as a sound on the bike. 

2. Thigh rub. Sometimes I notice it, most times I don't. I've never hated it..if you do then The Saddlebag Thing may not be for you. It's definitely not for everybody. 

3. One thing I do hate is that confounded leather seatpost strap, the holes are never in the right place and it rubs the paint on my nice pointy seatlug. I replaced mine seen here with a Velcro™ (hook-and-loop) strap pilfered from a Makeshifter bar bag. 

Joe Bernard

[Ben Mihovk]

Hey Joe!

Thanks for the response...really appreciate it. 

1. Good to know...I don't need silence, I was just taken aback by the squeaks!

2. I think thigh rub will be less of an issue once I ride more than a block...not going to worry too much about this.

3. Good idea! I have some of those velcro straps! My front fender was velcro strapped to the back one when it shipped from Riv. 

Thanks again!

Ben

[Patrick Moore]

On Tue, Sep 14, 2021 at 6:17 PM Ben Mihovk <bjmi...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello!

I just received a beautiful royal blue Slimsucker today from Riv and...well...I don't know about it. I have three issues that are making me think about contacting Riv for a return.

1. It's really squeaky...I'm assuming the brand new leather will soften and chill out a bit and be quiet eventually. Have other people noticed this when their bags are new? I have two x-small bags that I have been using and I can't remember whether they squeaked or not.

What is squeaking, the bag against itself or the bag against the bike? If the former, I'd guess it will eventually shut up. If the latter, I'd guess that the bag could be more tightly strapped to the bike. (See #3.)

I've owned 3 Sackvilles, 1 M and 2 L, or v versa, as well as at least 2 dozen other transverse saddlebags, and I don't recall any of them squeaking; that is to say, either they didn't squeak or it was small enough that I didn't notice it.

2. I wasn't fully prepared for the thigh rub...I put the bag on my bike, put my computer, a couple books, laptop charger, etc... in it and rode up the block and back and I'm not a fan of that feeling of the bag touching the backs of my thighs. Has anyone else been rubbed the wrong way (sorry) at first but kind of stopped noticing it after a while?

Again, at least 27 bags, very probably more over the 30 + years, all or almost all of which hit the back of my thighs to one degree or another, and -- personal sensitivity -- I didn't notice it after about 1/4 mile. 

Note that most of the saddlebags I've used (besides 3 Sackvilles and 3-4 Bagginses) have been Carradices or clones, which IME hit the legs more; again, for me at least, this was not in any way a bother or even really noticeable.

But you can make or buy standoffs. 

 

3. The leather strap to secure it to my seatpost....I need the third hole to be just a little closer. If I use the second hole, it's not tight and the bag swings front to back. The leather used on these bags is excellent so I know that I could probably punch a new hole in the strap (if I keep the bag), but does anyone have any suggestions that I might not be thinking of? 

I like bags tightly strapped; I always cinch the saddle straps and the seatpost strap extra tight using pliers, If need be, I pull very tightly and make an extra, in-between hole between the 2 (stretched) holes on either side. Note that new leather will stretch permanently to a degree after a while.

Oh, and I always cover the inside of the seatpost strap buckle rivet with a small patch of leather so it doesn't scratch the seatpost.

Upshot: I'd say: get all the straps real tight; ride if for 20 miles, and if you need a standoff make or buy one, or use a rack or support, both of which tend to hold bags away from the saddle.

This stinks...I do like the bag and I think I could deal with the things that bug me...but part of me wants to reach out and set up a return before I take it on a full ride and get it dirty. Any thoughts the group might have would be most appreciated. 

Thanks,
Ben 

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

[Collin A]

Ben,

Answers below:

1. Mine was not squeaky, but it sounds like it quiets down later.

2. I got used to it eventually, but it helps to have softer things in the bag that your thighs can move into (rather than something super hard and stiff). Alternatively, having a marks rack (or similar to angle the bag slightly away from the seatpost resolves the thigh rub if it really bugs you.

3. Like Patrick, I like my connections tight, which is why I replaced all of the leather straps with voile nano straps of a bright orange color. I used the stock straps for a while and noticed they do stretch a little with age, so if you wanna keep the leather, just give it a few weeks of tugging and stretching and no new hole would be needed (unless the hole is like 2 cm too short).

Enjoy the bag, I love my bag boy royal quite a lot and it works super well thanks to the boxy shape for groceries, work stuff, camping, etc. But my wife stole it so I am currently sackville-less!

Collin in Sactown

On Tuesday, September 14, 2021 at 5:17:09 PM UTC-7 bjmi...@gmail.com wrote:

[Ben Mihovk]

Patrick,

Thanks for the thoughts. The squeaking definitely seems to be leather on leather…I’ve got the saddle loop straps as tight as they’ll go.

I’ll try pulling the seat post strap with pliers…I’m REALLY close to being able to buckle it. 

I love the way the bag looks and how much I can fit enough that I’m going to keep it and see. 

Thanks!

Ben

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 14, 2021, at 9:06 PM, Patrick Moore <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Patrick Moore]

If you find you need a standoff, I may still have one of the chi chi leather ones I bought some years ago that hold the back of the bag off the seatpost by about 5 cm. If you do find you want one, I'll send you one gratis, as I no longer need mine. 

You will need an extra-long strap to go from bag through standoff around post back through standoff and back to bag; IIRC, about 12" though the straps that came with the standoff were, IIRC, 16". I do want to keep the straps for myself, though.

They're very nice; thick, good quality, well-joined leather; I forget who made them.

If you need it! I've kept them because they're pretty and who knows, one day ...

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[Hetchins52]

Here's an example of the kind of standoff that Patrick is describing, made by Acorn in SoCal:

   https://www.acornbags.com/products/leather-stand-off-with-strap

Their strap is 11 ½" but this will depend on the length of the standoff.

Here's a saddlebag rack from Ocean Air by Nitto. It integrates with the seat post saddle clamp and will keep the bag back away from your legs and hold it steady:

   https://store.oceanaircycles.com/products/erlen-saddle-bag-support-nitto-production

There are other Nitto models (Riv Mark's & RBW51, R14 and R10) that attach to the bike but are out of stock or relatively rare, at least in this country.

The Carradice Bagman supports will NOT work cleanly as they assume a barrel-shaped saddle bag. (The Slim Sucker has a flat bottom.)
David Lipsky, Berkeley

[Ben Mihovk]

So...I rode to work this morning and I'm keeping the bag. I didn't notice thigh rub unless I consciously thought about it. A standoff that has been discussed here might be something to try, but when I tinker with it, pushing the bag away from the seat post moves the bottom part of the bag away from my thighs more than the top part (the hinge of where the loops connect on the saddle keeps the closest points from moving as much as the farthest). In summation...I don't know that the juice would be worth the squeeze. 

The squeaking...really only happens when I handle the bag and not when I ride. I heard nothing.

I might punch a new hole in the leather strap that attaches to the seatpost...the hole I wish were a little closer is SO close that I could probably just expand the size of it and it'd work. It's that close.

I'm loving the bag and now I just need Riv to restock some Kangaroo pouches. The side pockets on the biggest Sackville saddle bags appeal to me for easy access to the stuff you might want to grab quickly....but I don't want anything bigger than the Slimsucker, so a pouch is a very easy add-on to make it pert-near perfect.

Thanks again for everyone's input and suggestions! 

Ben in Sackville (but actually Omaha)

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[Patrick Moore]

That's the one. I think I special-ordered from Acorn longer straps for this (I strapped the Camper to the bar of my Dahon) or some other purpose.

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[Patrick Moore]

On Wed, Sep 15, 2021 at 7:04 AM Ben Mihovk <bjmi...@gmail.com> wrote:

... I might punch a new hole in the leather strap that attaches to the seatpost...the hole I wish were a little closer is SO close that I could probably just expand the size of it and it'd work. It's that close.

Just tug a bit more strongly with those pliers; you can get the prong into that elusive hole!