In Issue #111 of Singletrack Magazine, Wil tested the Slider saddle bag from Scottish brand Wee Cog
Saddlebags are kind of like the cargo shorts of the bike world. They’re both highly functional and incredibly useful, but for whatever reason, the fashion-conscious majority reached a seemingly unanimous decision some time ago that saddlebags were – most definitely – not cool.
This is a shame, because saddlebags are darned handy. With the recent trend away from using backpacks, more riders are looking to take the (literal) weight off their shoulders by sticky-taping tubes to their frames, stuffing jersey pockets with multitools, and wearing bib shorts with bottle pouches in them. Within this trend, I’m hoping that saddlebags will enjoy a resurgence. Because really, you needn’t ghetto-tape things to your bike when there’s a perfectly good little nook to pack all of those core essentials into the one location that’s discreetly mounted underneath your seat. Just as nature intended.
Wee Cog is a brand founded upon the humble saddlebag, and the Slider is its newest design. By losing the second Velcro strap that would normally wrap around the seat post, the Slider is billed as a dropper post-specific saddlebag.
Wee Cog is based in Peebles in Scotland, not far from the trail centre Mecca of Glentress. All of its products are manufactured in Scotland by Rebecca Hall, who crafted handbags prior to launching Wee Cog. Built from a thick Cordura fabric, the quality of the Slider’s construction is evident the moment you clip it onto your saddle rails. A large nylon buckle locks the bag down, with an adjustable strap that allows you to keep it snug.
Like Wee Cog’s other saddlebags, the Slider uses a single wide-mouth opening held by Velcro. I’ve mostly used it to carry a 29in inner tube, tyre levers, a CO2 chuck and canister, and a multitool, but there’s still room to spare for things like chain links, cash and emergency gels.
What I like most about the Wee Cog Slider is that it’s easy to change from bike to bike. Knowing that I’ve got the basics covered in one portable pouch that’s always underneath the saddle is reassuring, and it results in much less pre-ride faffing. Which is a big deal for me.
My least favourite aspect of the Slider is tyre buzz. I’ve only encountered the issue on full suspension trail bikes with 150mm travel droppers, where the rear tyre buzzes on the saddlebag under full compression. And that’s not really the fault of the Slider. However, it would be nice to see it offered in two sizes, with a slimmer volume option for true minimalists.
Despite being buzzed nearly every ride for the past four months, the Slider has proved to be a tough little nugget, with no real damage to speak of. The other durability concern I had was with rubbing on the upper seatpost shaft, but again, this has been unfounded – there is simply not enough contact between the post and bag to cause any wear issues.
Overall
A tough and very well built bag that offers sensible stowage of the core essentials. Local manufacture is a bonus.
Review Info
| Brand: | Wee Cog |
| Product: | Slider Saddle Bag |
| From: | Wee Cog, weecog.co.uk |
| Price: | £28 |
| Tested: | by Wil Barrett for 6 months |
