New Kinesis Saddlebags (soon to be called eoGEAR)

For the past three seasons I have been using Detours bags and like putting most of gear in a rear saddle bag. I also sell them on my gear site (Distance Biker). I don’t use a handle bar bags because I typically have clip-on aerobars mounted in the front. One of the things I have not liked about the Detours bags is the long mounting bracket — when I stand up to peddle or accelerate quickly, it tends to wag like a dog’s tail and throw me off balance. Correcting this imbalance also eats up extra energy too.

This winter I have been working on producing my own bag (or bag line) with similar volume to the Detours High Tail EXP UL as that has worked for me on longer brevets including 600s and 1200s. (My day job is designing and selling camera bags, Kinesis Photo Gear…the bike gear site is really my night job (this new line of bags will eventually be called eoGEAR (for endurance outdoor athletes). I didn’t like some of the bags that attached to the under side of a saddle to rails with straps only as they tended to sway back and forth, even with stabilizing straps that attach to the chain stays.

I started tinkering with the Minoura double water bottle bracket. After many prototypes (including mounting it up-side-down) it has proven to provide a very study mount for a bicycle bag system. It is made from a robust alloy with brass threaded inserts. The have recently upgraded the mounting bracket with heat treated steel to increase the strength of the mount. I have tested this bracket with a bag attached on both road (several 200k’s so far) and off-road situations (using my suspension-free, stiff alloy cross bike) — it is VERY stable.

If you have done any off-trail backpacking or mountaineering, you soon realize that the most efficient pack is one just large enough for your load, as a pack that is too large tends to sway under the motion of walking. Good internal backpacks also have several compression straps to keep the load close to your body and stabilize any externally added gear (like rope, crampons, jackets, water bottles etc.). These internal backpacks, while very functional, are not always pretty, as the compression straps tend to deform the shape of the bag…but it is functional, and that is what is important. The problem with many bike bags is that they put use stiffeners, plastics or wooden dowels to retain the shape of the bag. I believe in “form follows function” and tend to design with functionality and not prettiness in mind. I would rather shave off some weight and have a less-pretty bag if necessary.

This new bag line will have the following features:
1. Use of modern water-repellent fabrics like Cordura 500-denier cloth, instead of heavier and fungus-prone canvas duck.
2. Lean and mean approach. Build a bag that is barely large enough for the given task and then add additional gear to the outside of the bag when needed (instead of having a much-too-large of a bag which can be unwieldy).
3. Use of compression straps to stabilize the load and the ability to add gear to the outside as needed. I have designed this bag line so the same compression straps also function as tie down straps too.
4. Modular approach. I’m am using the same quick-attach method I use on my Kinesis modular belt-pouch line. It is called the Kinesis Attachment Tab System (KATS for short, also referred to as MATS, or modular attachment tab system). The backboard (alloy bracket + our additional HDPE piece) can stay attached to the bike saddle and various size bags can be swapped on our off.
5. Easy open “wide mouth” zippered lid. The zipper is water-repellent but not waterproof. We may offer a thin dry bag insert for those wanting more protection. The problem with a rain cover is that it will cover your tail light.”
6. Compatible with the Kinesis camera bag line…that is many Kinesis bags will mount directly to the bicycle back board.
7. US-made in small quantities.

Saddle Compatibility
Currently the bracket will attach to nearly any “plastic” saddle and the Giles Berthoud leather saddles, but will not attach to a Brooks or Selle An-Atomica (yet). The space between the rails is just too wide on those models.

Timing and Price
I will working on a final prototype this weekend and photographing it for an upcoming issue of the RUSA magazine. I expect to have final bags shipping in late May or early June…just in time for people to test them out before heading off to PBP. I have not determined a final price, but I suspect it will be around $95 to $130 for the bag and backboard. I will introduce smaller bags later on which will fit the same backboard — more of a “century ride” size.

If you interested in ordering one, please e-mail me and I’ll send you a link, once the product is posted on my gear site.

Weight and Volume Comparison (includes mounting hardware)
Detours High Tail EXP UL (my prior standard for 600s and 1200s) = 590 grams with 6 liters of inside volume
Carradice (Transverse model I believe) bag = 1210 grams with approx. 11 liters of volume
Ortlieb Large Seatpost bag = 330 g with 2.7 liters (claimed). No means to attach gear to the outside.
eoGEAR Prototype #4 Saddle Bag (shown in photos) = 450 g with 6 liters of inside volume. The size of this bag is 24 x 19 x 10 cm.

Author: Rando Richard

I’m an old guy (age 69 in 2023) who enjoys aerobic, endurance sports. I call myself a cardio-junkie. Perhaps the more appropriate term would be “ultra” endurance sports. Since I was a teenager I have always enjoyed “slow twitch” outdoor sports like backpacking, ice climbing, running, mountaineering, hiking, alpine skiing and randonnée skiing (alpine touring, backcountry skiing or skimo). In 2005 I starting running with more regularity — except this time it was not for the intent of getting ready for a mountaineering trip, but as an end to itself. From 2005 to 2007 I managed to eek out two seasons of ultramarathons — that is competitive trail runs up to 50 or 100 miles. Due to a nagging ankle injury from the 80s (an accident while ice climbing in the 1980s where my lower tib and fib were badly broken), I had to cease that grueling, but rewarding activity. I then migrated into ultra distance road cycling or randonneuring. The rides are called brevets (pronounced bruh-VAY, it’s French) and are minimally supported — they are similar to ultrarunning and backpacking where one must be self reliant. Although brevets are non-competitive, they do have have cut off times to qualify as a finisher. They are usually are done in groups, which can have a competitive slant to them. Today, I continue to participate in long distance cycling including some ultra-racing, randonnée skiing (a blend of cross country and downhill disciplines) and still get out on an occasional mountaineering trip. Since 1996 I have been designing, manufacturing and selling camera bags. That is Kinesis Photo Gear (kgear.com). In 2005 I started selling cycling bags under the Kinesis label and eventually expanded it to including other sports like SUP (stand-up paddle boarding and some skimo). Consequently, it become eoGEAR — the “eo” stands for endurance outdoor. My wife and I are empty-nesters now and we live and work out in the boondocks of central Utah, half way between Salt Lake City (great powder) and Moab (great red rocks). Well, I guess that is all for now. Safe travels mate! Perhaps I’ll see you on the road or trail. — Richard Stum View all posts by Rando Richard