Review...Carradice Pendle Saddlebag

Once in a while I would like to review some cycling item that I have experience with. For my first review, I have chosen the Carradice Pendle Saddlebag. So far I have used it with a carbon racing bike, a cyclocross/touring bike, and a fixed gear bike. These are hand made in Nelson, England, and are of very high quality. They are personally signed by the maker...thanks Priscilla ! I purchased mine from Wiggle UK, and got a fantastic price. The material is waterproof cotton duck. I can attest to its waterproofness after a very wet Maryland Seagull Century in October, 2009. There are no zippers or snaps, but the buckles are easy to use and secure. Two leather straps loop through the seat loops of  Brooks, Selle-Anatomica saddles, or an adapter for general road saddles that is available from Velo Orange. A third leather strap secures the bag around the seatpost. My Cateye LD1100 blinker light ( the best there is ) will fit through the provided black loop, but fits even better in the bilateral strap loop patches on the rear of the bag. The clip fits snugly in the leather patch and holds its place very well. I like this assymetrical position, as it is more visible to motorists. My favorite pump, the Topeak Road Morph, fits horizontally on the bag bottom, and also serves to give the bag more structure. Some people use a bag support, but I have done well without it on my 55-57-59 cm frames.The capacity is 11 liters, the same as my Arkel Tailrider. The Carradice Pendle will take all the cargo that one would generally need for a century or longer ride. When climbing in the standing position, the position and weight  do not detract from my ability to generate power and balance simultaneously. During riding the backs of my thighs sometimes touch the bag, but it is not an unpleasant sensation..in a way a sort of reassurance that the bag is still there. In general, I believe that my investment in this bag has paid off well, and its high quality, functionality, and versatility will make it a staple of my bike kits for many years.