Rivendell Banana Sack

[DHans]

I’m looking to buy either a Banana Sack or Small Saddle Bag (also the Riv one). I’d like to read some opinions of both. Thanks!
Doug

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

You want opinions, you say? I got opinions! My two boys and I have those bags and here’s what we think.

The Clem Rider and I have the XS Saddlesacks we use on our Bosco bars. We think they look sleek. Gray grid for his grilver Clem and sapphire blue for my magic blue Clem. We like the looks but wish the zipper was on top of the bag. It’s hard to get at your stuff if you need it *while riding.* We store sunglasses and gloves and saddle covers and house keys in ours. But for quick access to items like an iPhone, I use a Randi Jo bag in a fetching blue.

Baby Bear has a sapphire Banana Sax on the bars of his little Specialized Hotrock, and if you ask him what’s his favorite thing about his bike, it’s that bag. I think he likes the flip top; it makes it easy to see what’s inside. He has a basket on the rear but has never been able to carry little loose items until he received his bag (thank you Ana PurpleRiv! 💜) and now he can and it has made all the difference. I don’t think his bag is very attractive in shape, but it is dead useful.

So, my opinion is that you have to choose: do you want the more attractive bag or the more functional?

[ted]

Also depends if it’s going on the bars or on the saddle.

[Joe Bernard]

We also have to determine if Doug means Small Saddlesack like the grey one that just got posted FS here, or the XS Leah is taking about. Banana Sax is about smack dab in the middle of those two sizes.

[DHans]

Good feedback so far. I plan to hang it behind my Brooks saddle. I won’t need quick access while riding but I also noticed Leah that the Banana sack seemed to offer easier access in general.
Doug

[Doug Hansford]

That’s part of the decision I need to make...the size saddle sack if I go that route.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Dec 6, 2019, at 7:02 PM, Joe Bernard <joer...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> We also have to determine if Doug means Small Saddlesack like the grey one that just got posted FS here, or the XS Leah is taking about. Banana Sax is about smack dab in the middle of those two sizes.
>
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[DHans]

That’s yet to be determineD Joe. I’m open to suggestions. Probably the small.

[Joe Bernard]

Coming from the perspective of using them on the back then (I've owned all three):

The Banana was a struggle for me on bikes with racks and fenders. My idea was to use one in place of a bigger saddlebag on no-load rides, but that position put the toggle right on top of the racks on the smaller frames I ride so it was a hassle fishing for it. Also I tend to agree with Leah that it's kinda funky looking.

The XS was just too small for me, especially for the price. It's barely more than a basic wedge bag and I've never been able to pull off that level of minimalism.

The Small Saddlesack is fabulous and it's too bad Grant/Riv had to make a bigger replacement so it would sell. It carries all the basics, plus room for a quick 7-Eleven run, without being This Huge Thing on the bike that needs a support. You will get thigh rub though, it sits pretty snug up against the saddle and post. I don't mind it but YRMV.

[DHans]

Thanks Joe. I’m happy to read first hand experience. Well that settles it. I’ll get the small. Is the current small Riv sells larger than the one you had?

[Benz, Sunnyvale, CA]

On Friday, December 6, 2019 at 3:06:52 PM UTC-8, DHans wrote:

I’m looking to buy either a Banana Sack or Small Saddle Bag (also the Riv one). I’d like to read some opinions of both. Thanks!

Banana sacks, either the Rivendell ones in their many versions, or the equivalent Berthoud 786 bags, are pretty much my mainstay bags. More often than not, they're on the bike I'm riding because they're big enough to be useful, and not so big that my thighs will hit them on the downstroke. I usually carry a nice fist-sized pack of tools and tubes, 3-5 energy bars and/or gels, and my full wallet with an iPhone. If I pack everything tighter and neater, I can squeeze in a pair of non-fluffy gloves and a long-sleeve Rapha wind jacket. It's good for almost all of my rides that aren't unsupported centuries or 200km brevets.

There're a couple of things you should look out when considering a Banana Sack or Small Saddlebag, and that is the saddle to rear tire distance and attachment method. If you're a smaller rider, that distance to the rear tire can be limiting as one of my friends found out. These bags are also best used with saddle loops like on most Brooks saddles; you can retrofit loops or use the rails, but with rails, it's suboptimal in that the bag will hang lower (again, watch out for that rear tire), and tend to sway more.

The XSmall Sackville SaddleSack is nice, but tends to droop after a while, and especially if you put something dense in it (like a mini tool). This may or may not be an issue.

Good luck on deciding on a bag!

[Joe Bernard]

The Current BagBoy is deeper than the Small it replaced, I would probably need a support to use one. You'll need to do some reading and measuring to see if it'll work for you, but if you can swing it that's one swanky bag 👍

https://www.rivbike.com/products/sackville-bagboy

[DHans]

Thank you Benz. That was really helpful.
Doug

[John McClusky]

I replaced my Saddlesack small with a Banana Sax and it’s worked out well. Unless I needed to carry a fleece or a jacket, I just wasn’t using the space offered with the Saddlesack. It’s surprisingly large. I hang it on the back of a Brooks Flyer Special with the springs. I do find that the springs keep me from overstuffing it. I’m sure I could mount it lower on the springs or get a little more clearance with Anna’s clever dowel rod hack but I haven’t felt the need. I can fit multiple tubes, a large multitool, levers, patch kit, tire gauge, wallet, smart phone, snack bar, sunscreen and keys with a little room to spare. The one thing I can’t fit in it is a U lock. I strap that on the back rack with a dutch strap. A folding lock might fit, though. The two pockets are nice for organizing small stuff and the new ones have an internal flap that lifts up from the bottom to keep anything from falling out. Access is easy although access to the Saddlesack was easier. I could flip open the top to the Saddlesack and see and reach everything with ease. The Banana Sax requires me to stack the contents more. The reason I changed was mostly to try the Banana to reduce what I carry and to support Riv which I try to do occasionally despite not really needing much for my bikes. I also wanted to see what it would be like to eliminate the back-of-the-thigh rub. I’d gotten used to it but like the Banana Sax better without the rub. I personally like using the Banana Sax better than the small Saddlesack. If I need to carry more, I strap a Wald and Shopsack on the front rack with an Irish strap.

John

[Joe Bernard]

Yes, this folding lock will fit in a Banana. It's a little fiddly to learn - tip: you will unlock it and drop the metal end on your frame, so don't be near your frame! - but once you've used it a couple times it's super handy for short-ish lockups in safe-ish areas.
https://www.rivbike.com/products/lock-abus-bordo-lite-6055-keyed