Tuesday 12 February 2013

Carradice Barley Saddle Bag

I already have a Carradice saddle bag - the zipped roll bag. This has served me well on trips where I do not or can not take larger bags. This was certainly true on my recent Cambridge run. Taking the zipped roll saddle bag meant that I didn't have to fight that strong head wind.

Taking a leaf out of a friends book I decided to see what Carradice could offer in terms of saddle bags that were bigger than the zipped roll, but not huge. I wanted something that was definitely bigger but not so that it made the ride uncomfortable or cumbersome.

The 'Barley' seemed to fit the bill. At 7 litres compared to the 2 litres of the zipped roll it is much bigger. in addition to the roomier inside, it has two useful side pouches that allow for even more storage. The chromed leather straps are built to last and the straps on the lid have metal rings which allow more to be strapped on to the top.




Useful!





Very well made chromed leather straps



The drawstring cord with toggle means that you can cover up all your items and keep them firmly in place. There is even a strip of black webbing on which you can attach a small rear light.




It is a very well made and well thought out design and I like the fact that the inside is just one large space rather than sectioned off into compartments I had not chosen.





Its waterproof prowess is proven. I have been out in heavy rain and the zipped roll doesn't even look as if water has landed on it. It just beads off.

With all the rides I intend to go on this year there will be many where I will have to take a bigger bag however when I don't need to I suspect this Barley saddle bag is going to come in very handy!




The lid is lined with a lovely herringbone tweed









6 comments:

  1. Excellent review as always.

    More than twice the capacity of the Carradice Zipped Roll Bag eh?

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  2. Looks lovely! Can you fit it to the regular Brompton saddle and do you need any special/additional kit pieces to do so?

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    Replies
    1. Hello. Many thanks for your comment. You shouldn't have too much trouble fitting it to the standard saddle - but combined with a Brooks it will look even better.

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  3. When you had your Barley on your Brompton, did it hit on the back of your thighs when riding, or was there enough clearance? I know the buckles are a bit of a faff, but am thinking of getting one from my M6.

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    Replies
    1. It sat there on the saddle quite comfortably and I rarely noticed it was there. I always had it attached to a Brooks B17 with the saddle lugs and this worked well.

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