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76 Projects Piggy On Bike Storage

7
£27.50

VERDICT:

7
10
A good way to carry and swap stuff between bikes, in a secure, fast fashion
Weight: 
72g

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The Piggy, from 76 Projects, is an on-bike storage system for stuff you don't want in your pockets, backpack, saddle bag or frame bags. The concept and execution is pretty sound – just be aware of a few caveats.

  • Pros: Carries your stuff in a typically unused space so you don't have to
  • Cons: Pricey, may rattle, may not fit all bikes

The Piggy follows the time-honoured trick beloved of pump and CO2 inflator manufacturers of getting the bits out of your jersey pocket by providing an under-bottle-cage mount. I'm not going to get into the aesthetics or historical shenanigans of pockets vs elsewhere for storing stuff on a ride – cycling's a broad church and for some rides you don't want tools or tubes taking up valuable jersey pocket space that could be otherwise occupied by slices of Soreen or whatnot.

> Find your nearest dealer here

> Buy this online here

So having decided you do want to keep your stuff elsewhere, what to do? If you've decided a seatbag's out of the question or already full, the Piggy offers an alternative: below your bottle cages in that typically empty triangle of air above the bottom bracket.

76_projects_piggy_on_bike_storage_-_side_view.jpg

In order to be absolutely certain it will fit before you splash the cash, 76 Projects provides a 1:1 scale template on its website. Just print onto A4, fold it up and hold against your frame to see where the Piggy would sit. The mounting points are shown on the template, so you can be sure your bolt holes are going to work.

76_projects_piggy_on_bike_storage_-_fitted.jpg

76 Projects claims the Piggy is 'dropper post friendly' – for dropper cables that exit the down tube below the bidon, then re-enter the seat tube.

The Piggy is made from glass-reinforced nylon and feels very sturdy. The Velcro strap that holds your stuff in place is likewise industrial-strength. Most purchasers will want to buy the system comprising the Piggy frame and Piggy Pouch (separate review coming), which is perfectly sized for the Piggy and easily swaps, if you own multiple bikes with Piggys on each. Buying the Piggy with the Piggy Pouch means you pay £12 for for the Pouch instead of £15. In the Piggy package you get a hefty silicone band to secure a tube and tools if you want to go without the optional Pouch.

76_projects_piggy_on_bike_storage_-_strap.jpg

We've reviewed similar solutions before: Shaun gave the Topeak Ninja Pouch three stars, but the main difference is that you are using the Topeak cage to which its tool pouch fixes. With the Piggy, you screw your own cage to the Piggy, then the Piggy to your water bottle bosses.

This means you have a near-infinite number of positions possible, as the slots in the Piggy allow you to slide the whole assembly up and down to get the right clearance from the opposing bottle, a suspension shock or linkage, a dropper post cable or anything else in the way down there.

76_projects_piggy_on_bike_storage_-_detail.jpg

A word of warning, clearly spelt out in the instructions: care must be taken that the bolts fixing your bottle cage to the Piggy don't protrude far enough to damage your frame once the Piggy is in place. You get washers to put under your bolts to space them out. Mine were fine, but if you're rocking super-long bottle cage bolts you might need newer, shorter ones.

In the body of the Piggy are two recesses to securely hold the halves of a 9 to 11-speed quick chain link, meaning you'll never be without.

The thick Velcro band is easily adjustable to hold varying thicknesses of package, with excess folded back on itself on the inside so it doesn't flap.

> Cycling luggage: how to carry stuff on your bike

Out on Perthshire's finest roads for the first time there was a significant rattle over the rough bits, which I initially thought was another component fitted at the same time. Investigation uncovered that the unsupported lower end of the Piggy's bolt slot was rattling against the frame with a full pouch in place. This was easily fixed with a small section of inner tube held down by insulation tape, but there really should be a rubber bumper in at that point, to kill any flexing. Possibly this was pronounced on my frame as the bottle cage bosses are pretty much flush, but something to be aware of.

Over a month of rides, dry or wet, short or long, the Piggy (and Pouch) didn't budge and did the job exactly as promised. Certainly the act of removing and replacing the Pouch was quicker and easier than, say, swapping a saddle bag or loose contents between bikes. Swapping in or out a bunch of tube and tools secured by the supplied silicone band was likewise hassle-free.

76_projects_piggy_on_bike_storage_-_pouch_in_place.jpg

I've liked not having tubes, tool and levers in my jersey pockets, and with winter coming, when your bike is likely to be festooned with lights, mudguards, heated towel rails and whatnot, using the Piggy is hardly going to kill a minimalist, traditional vibe.

All in all, the Piggy's a very well-thought-through system for carrying stuff across a variety of bikes. No, £27.50 is not cheap, but the quality and design deliver a premium experience. Plus it's made in the UK – more thumbs up there.

Verdict

A good way to carry and swap stuff between bikes, in a secure, fast fashion

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road.cc test report

Make and model: 76 Projects Piggy On Bike Storage

Size tested: 72gms

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

It's for people who don't want heavy stuff in their pockets.

76 Projects says:

On bike tool and tube storage solution

MTB, Road, Adventure, Commute

Fits beneath a bottle cage.

Multiple mounting points enabling it fit many frame designs*.

Secure adjustable strap allows capacity up to 29er tube, levers, mid size multitool and CO2 inflator.

Built in storage for chain quick links.

Includes silicone strap for organising your tools and making quick switches of tools between Piggy equipped bikes.

Keeps the weight off of your back, lowers centre of gravity, doesn't foul dropper, more aerodynamic location on bike compared to traditional saddle bags.

Use your favourite water bottle cage and tools instead of being tied to a proprietary system. Cage, tube, and tools are shown for illustrative purposes only and are not included.

Injection moulded from tough glass filled nylon.

Supplied with stainless steel fixings and silicone band as standard.

Weight - 72gms including strap and fixings.

Keep your kit clean and dry by using the optional Piggy pouch.

*Due to the varied nature of bicycle frames The Piggy may not fit all - download the FIT GUIDE to check it fits your bike

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Injection moulded from tough glass filled nylon.

Supplied with stainless steel fixings and silicone band as standard

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

It's a solid bit of kit, very well built.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Still looks like new despite a fair few pastings.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

It's not cheap for a bit of plastic and Velcro, that's for sure.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Once I'd sorted the rattle, it was flawless.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Adjustability – it's been thought through to work for pretty much everyone.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The rattle – that's about it.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

Compared to the Topeak Shuttle case, it's pretty pricey, but the execution is far better and you have more storage space.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

The rattling was a bit of a downer, given the excellent delivery of the rest of the package, and it's not cheap.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 44  Height: 183cm  Weight: 72kg

I usually ride: Merida Ride 5000 Disc  My best bike is: Velocite Selene

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo-cross, club rides, general fitness riding, mountain biking, Dutch bike pootling.

Living in the Highlands, Mike is constantly finding innovative and usually cold/wet ways to accelerate the degradation of cycling kit. At his happiest in a warm workshop holding an anodised tool of high repute, Mike's been taking bikes apart and (mostly) putting them back together for forty years. With a day job in global IT (he's not completely sure what that means either) and having run a boutique cycle service business on the side for a decade, bikes are his escape into the practical and life-changing for his customers.

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3 comments

Avatar
kil0ran | 2 years ago
2 likes

I have one of these and it works well, particularly with the latest version which includes the rubber bumper. Completely silent and stable. Bag big enough for a 27.5 tube, levers, patch kit, and multitool (the mighty Topeak PT30 fits nicely).
Only downside for me is that you probably won't be able to mount a pump alongside it using a bottle boss clamp. Pump will likely touch your tool roll/bag and there isn't the option to mount it under the main body of the Piggy either. Solution is to get the Little Piggy instead and use the bottle mounts for a pump and water bottle instead.

Avatar
cheers_drive | 5 years ago
2 likes

Hi, It's Rob from 76 Projects here. 

Thanks for the comprehensive and balanced review, we have noted that there can be some rattle if The Piggy platform is mounted using the extremes of the slot. To solve this we have created a small silicon rubber pad that pops into the end the slot, it will soon ship as standard with The Piggy.

If the small number of existing owners who have this problem want to get in touch with us we'll put a pad in the post.

We'll soon have a second version available in which the platform straps directly to the frame. This greatly increases the mounting location possibilities.

Happy riding

Rob

Avatar
STATO | 5 years ago
0 likes

I have one of these, bought for my mtb but didnt fit due to downtube profile so its on my road bike now. Have it slid as low as possible to get the tools down toward the BB, this requires a zip-tie around the end as the bolts are now not holding this section and the weight of the tubes and tools causes it to vibrate.  Very happy having tools there rather than behind the saddle, and having the 'cradle' and strap attached to the frame is better than the common MTB approach of just strapping stuff directly to the frame, which i find can lead to frame wear or losing things. This keeps everything neat, solid, quick to use, and out the way. The only thing i would change is the ability to run the strap the opposite way, as fastening on the right means contact with the chain or chainring is inevitable when trying to strap the tool bag back in (mainly as im running it so low in the frame).

Summary, expensive, but serves my purpose better than just strapping stuff direct to the frame so im happy with my purchase.

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