Grab your touring bike and lets take a fun outdoor adventure. You have the destination but you just don’t know what type of bicycle saddle bags you’ll need. You need to know how far you’re traveling and how many nights, if more than one. How long is your trip? Will you travel a short distance and take your time over several days or really max out your daily miles on the bike? Finally, how much weight will you carry on your bicycle?

If you’re going on a short trip then you probably wont need large panniers that sit over the front and rear wheel. So if you’re traveling a short distance for only a day trip then you probably need smaller bags that don’t require an over the wheel rack to mount them. These include; behind the seat bags, handlebar bags, and under the top tube bags.

I would start by looking at behind the seat saddle bags. These are really easy to mount right under the seat and cause the least impact to your riding. Low wind resistance and they don’t impede your ability to steer or pedal the bike.

Handlebar bags on the other hand are also easy to mount but also add the advantage of easy access. Since they sit directly in front of you they can be accessed without dismounting the bike. Just be careful not to overfill your handlebar bag. Doing so will impede your ability to turn the bike quickly in case of emergency.

A great choice for small loads is a good under the top tube bag. This bag is very aerodynamic and light in weight. You’ll have just enough room to hold your essentials such as; cell phone, wallet, some bike tools, and maybe a bag of peanuts. Keep loads to a minimum to prevent the bag from impeding your pedaling.

If you plan on going for a multiple day trip over many miles then you need to carry a lot of weight safely. If you try to cram too much gear in your small day trip bags you’ll risk a crash because your weight will be too high on your bike. You need panniers or bicycle saddle bags that will solve all your problems.

These panniers will attach to racks that you mount over your front and rear tires. You can have up to 2 bicycle saddle bags on the front and rear bags totaling 4 bags altogether. Youll be able to now safely carry all the weight you need for your trip.

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