Birzman Roadster II saddle bag

The Birzman Roadster II Saddle Bag is small but very effectively shaped and well built. You won't get CO2 cylinders in there alongside a tube and levers, but for the traditional basics it's perfect.

Transferring my stuff from its current home – this Lomo Bike Saddle Bag – initially looked impossible, but the Birzman's neat shaping means it actually all goes in very neatly.

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A road tube fits in (orientated vertically) just perfectly, while two levers, puncture repair stuff, a small multi-tool and a spare link slide down either side.

That's it, though – the 400ml capacity is basically full. You can squeeze a small CO2 valve head in too, but the canisters have to live elsewhere. There are external mesh pockets on both sides, but there's zero stretch in them, rendering them useless for anything but very thin stuff like gel wrappers or bits of paper with 'note to self: bring CO2' written on them.

The fabric along the base is waterproof, but the zip and the rest of the bag aren't. However, it's been surprisingly good at keeping water out on some very wet rides, and even under the hose as the bike is washed.

I've found no lakes in there – barely a drop – though anything metal will surely rust in the end if unprotected. On the other hand, I've struggled with waterproof zips on saddle bags before, as they can get very gritty from rear wheel spray and seize up. On one occasion I even had to cut a (not even very old) bag open to get my stuff out.

Personally, I'm happy with a regular zip and stashing the multi-tool in a ziplock bag.

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The loop looks like it will point lights at the rear tyre, but is in fact perfectly angled once the bag is on. There's just enough length in the buckle end of the Velcro strap to make threading it around your saddle rails easy, too. And finally, the large fabric zip pull on the YKK zip is easy to use in gloves, and usefully damps the metal puller – it doesn't rattle, even on rough roads.

At £16.99, it's priced well against the competition, a couple of quid more than the Lomo bag mentioned earlier but beating both the slightly smaller 0.3L Evoc Seat Bag (£18.99) and the Fabric Contain Small at £21.99. On the other hand, all of these can take at least one CO2 canister alongside the rest of the load. (The Birzman is also available in a 0.3L size, the Roadster I, for £14.99.)

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If you're after a small, neat saddle bag for just the basics, the Birzman Roadster II is a great option. It's a shame the side pockets aren't really usable, and CO2 users will need something slightly larger or differently shaped, but for the bare basics this is just exactly what you need.

Verdict

Slim, small and very well made bag for essentials – unless you carry CO2