Axiom Gran-Fondo H2O Seat Bag

Axiom's Gran Fondo H20 under the saddle wedge pack is designed to help you cart 2.5 litres of kit and a water bottle on a big ride and it does that job very effectively indeed.

As the name suggests this is a bag designed to help you carry everything you could conceivably need on a big ride/gran fondo, or sportive including a spare water - or indeed your only water bottle if you don't have a bottle cage. Does it succeed? Er, yes it'll swallow a lot of kit.

Buy it online here

Find your local stockist here

I don't have access to wind tunnel facilities so I can't test their claims of aerodynamic advantage over traditional seat packs. Oh and as these photos illustrate; it's best suited to smaller semi/compact geometry framesets and/or very tall riders. Plump for the standard two litre Fondo if you have less than 250mm of post showing.

Complete with lifetime warrantee (to the original purchaser) the Gran Fondo is made from a hardy softshell 600d polyester, which remains in rude health despite regular frisking from thorny foliage on my cyclo-cross and mountain bikes. That said, due in part to it's stitched rather than welded construction it's water resistant rather than proof.

Beginners guide to cycling luggage - how to carry stuff on your bike

This hasn't been a problem in the most part, even without mudguards and the fabric wicks dry fairly quickly. Use your common sense-if it gets truly sodden take it off the post, and get any tools out to prevent them succumbing to the orange taint and leave everything drying in the airing cupboard.

Velcro straps feel slightly old fashioned and lack the outright rigidity of more contemporary quick release brackets. Conversely, they make swapping between bikes a cinch, especially those with a suspension seatpost such as Cane Creek's Thudbuster.

Being as 27.2 and 31.8 are default seat post sizes, fit isn't leach like around narrower diameter posts, including my Univega's 26.6. There was some very minor sway when full to the brim but in practice I only noticed when carrying the bike rather than riding it.

Being as Axiom are a design company, you'd expect detailing to be pretty crisp, and it is. Retro-reflective 3m logos bring the pack to life under car headlights, there's an LED tab above the mesh bottle pocket and long, elasticated zipper tags mean easy access when wearing winter gloves.

Compartments are similarly well thought out. The main one is truly whale-like and has gulped down a small pencil case worth of tools, two heavy duty 26x1.75 inner tubes-one thorn resistant, the other goo filled (or three standard road tubes 700x18 to 700x35), smaller midi pump, micro jacket and glove liners.

There's also a sleeve within the wall for safekeeping of credit cards, or notes. Two modest pouches ride shotgun either side and in my experience they were best for segregating keys/ Co2 inflators/blinkies and spare batteries.

Packed really tightly, only spirited bridle path blasts have induced faint chatter; it's never become intrusive and silence is pretty much assured over metalled roads-even poorly surfaced sections.

In terms of carrying a bottle, it will manage an 800ml bottle quite comfortably and without threat of mortar-esque ejection. However if you're riding at night or in low light a 600ml bottle avoids any issues of bottle and light jostling for space.

The way the Gran Fondo holds the bottle  protects tops from road spatter and other stomach churning grot while allowing reasonable access on the fly. Nonetheless, I'd still go with a freezer bag and elastic band round the top on bikes without guards, especially venturing off road.

In terms of value for money £30 may be more than you'd pay for most seat packs - however it's at the lower end of the scale for packs of this size AND it'll carry a bottle too so I'd say it represents pretty good value for money.

Verdict

Good wedge pack for those wanting to carry that little bit extra on long rides