All this talk of the shitty conditions at Mayhem has got me thinking about my preparation for SITS.

I don't want to bother with a pack so was going to use a bottle and the jersey pockets. However, I only have 3 jerseys with the requisite 3 rear pockets and one of those is VERY warm so might not be suitable for racing in.

SO, I was thinking of getting a saddle bag to carry tube, tyre levers, CO2 canisters, multitool and maybe a gel/bar.

Does anyone know of one that's about the right size for this stuff and will be waterproof?

Quite like the look of this but would be grateful for any other suggestions.

If it's only for SITS, I'd suggest taping the spare tube & CO2 canister/pump to the frame/seat post but I’m not sure where you would put the gels & tool if you haven’t got pockets.

I've only used the Topeak Wedge QuickClip (medium 1L I think) but found it wasn't all that stable off-road, especially when fully laden and it eventually broke.

If I was to go down that route again, I'd get something smaller and carry the bare minimum.

bum bag or as the yanks call them fanny pack (that'll have the kiddies laughing)

I always use a small saddle bag,if you use a camel bak there's a tendency to overload it.I use a Specialized mini wedgie £10 and pulls nice and tight with the velcro strap.To save weight/space use lightweight tubes,there's a big difference in pack size and weight between one of these and a bog standard cheapo tube.

Right, I use an Innovations Repair Wallet, take out the puncture repair kit, multitool fits in comfortably (Topeak Hexus or Spesh EMT jobby in my case). That's one pocket, tube in another pocket, gels in 3rd remaining pocket, on their own so they're easy to grab on the go.

Bear in mind a saddle bag is likely to rattle, and it WILL trash any finish on your seatpost, be it anodised alu or lacquered carbon. If you really do want to go down that route I'd get the Specialized Mini Wedgie, you can get everything in if you squash it, and less space means things don't rattle around.

Reaching for a bottle covered in mud is also not particularly pleasant, and the amount of mud mine transferred to my gloves meant I couldn't grip my shifters enough to change gear at the weekend!

Still wouldn't ever use a Camelbak for racing though :-)

Specialized Mini Wedgie Saddle Bag Hmmmm...

[q]bum bag or as the yanks call them fanny pack (that'll have the kiddies laughing)[/q]
HEE HEE HEe Hee hee

Yes the wedgie pulls real tight under the saddle rails and doesn't wobble!
I use it with a Thomson seat post and there's no sign of the post wearing as a result of using a saddle pack but I suppose that depends on the quality of the post thats being used.

There will be I guarantee it, I've seen a lot of Thomsons with no anodising left, and Ritchey, and Tune. That's just my team mates bikes from the weekend anyway!

altura dryline

will not wear yor seat post as it does not touch it ..

its certainly capible of off road ..as its been attached to my SS since about march ... i keep a tube , a multi tool and a puncture outfit in it ...

the stuff in it does rattle but the pack is very stable

I can see the idea behind getting a lightwieght tube as it would be emergency use only (UST tyres with sealant - fingers crossed), so which ones are 'actually' light weight? Seems every tube going these days is advertised as such.

Take your collective point on the pack bouncing about/rubbing the post. However I'm racing on my SS at Catton and the EA70 post on it is already a mix of faded grey and even more faded grey where the anodising is coming off. That hard Cannondale one would have everything bouncing around though so something I can lash down tight might be the winner.

Oh, thanks Nick, but I've already got some slim tyre levers, 2 CO2 canisters and the attachment so no real need for the wallet.

I suppose I could always buy another jersey (or 2) instead, but thought that having the essentials attached to the bike would be a safer idea. After all, I'll be changing jersey every lap (probably) and have less chance of dropping or forgetting stuff if it's stuck to the bike.

can you still get the water bottles where you can stash a tool kit in the bottom of em? i had one years ago.

continental supersonic tubes ... 9.95 each though mind you ...

WHAT!

£9.95 for a f@%&ing tube!!!

Don't think I'm THAT bothered about saving a few grammes/square mm's.

And they're rubbish!

Specialized Turbo ones are fairly hard to track down, but are lighter than the standard ones.

www.bicyclerubber.com do some nice Rubena lightweight tubes at a good price and post free too.

trek do a sadlle bag called the pro pack which velcro's to the saddle rails and is pretty secure even off road. its only a tenner too!?

We could have a winner.

I reckon that the EMT tool will be enough for most 'on the course' repairs. I reckon there should be room for a gel, 2 x CO2 cartridges and a tube in the bag too and it can be lashed nice and tight so nothing rattles about.

That looks the same as Specialized Mini Wedgie Saddle Bag recommended by Podge and Nick, except you're paying a tenner extra for a small tool and glueless patch kit.

That is the Mini Wedgie, if you need the EMT tool it's not bad, but otherwise it's a bit pointless, there's no chain tool or anything on the multitool anyway.