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Knog The Saddle Dog saddle bagKnog The Saddle Dog saddle bag 1

Knog The Saddle Dog saddle bag

7
by Shaun Audane
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Jan 29, 2012

0
£18.49

VERDICT:

7
10
Lovely materials and delightful design but pricey for a pouch
Weight: 
100g
Contact: 
www.todayscyclist.co.uk
How we test

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Knog's The Dog saddle is made from the same super tactile 1200denier waterproof cotton duck as the Pig Dog Messenger Bag I reviewed this time last year, with efficient packing its diminutive dimensions will just about gobble a small multi-tool, patch kit; tyre levers and two heavily restrained spare tubes. Very nicely executed and all you'd need for a pared to the essentials pack, but 17 quid still feels steep.

Sleek design and Knog are synonymous and that's no different here, the pack attaches via the saddle rails and seatpost courtesy of a nifty little cam buckle and elastic cord/hook. Ten out of 10 aesthetically, although post diameters greater than 26.4 give the cord/hook obvious indigestion, although my initial misgivings about water entering the pouch through the cutaway buckle guides proved unfounded in an everyday context since it's sheltered beneath the saddle.

Credit where its due after a three minute garden hose test, drawing back the stocky aluminium tag revealed a bone dry inner compartment so, if you must hustle along those dung-strewn lanes sans mudguards with your smart phone stowed in the Dog, chances are it'll remain perfectly unharmed. Speaking of which, the Saddle Dog fabric's elasticity serves not only to make best use of available space but counteracts infuriating chatter endemic to the resin bottomed type of saddle pack you get when riding over irregularly surfaced roads.

A single strip of Scotchlite piping runs beneath the lower zip and initially struck me as little more than an afterthought but actually it proved surprisingly effective combined with more substantial bike/rider mounted illumination. In any case, the saddle or training jackets would simply obscure blinkeys on pouches this bijous.

Verdict

Lovely materials and delightful design but pricey for a pouch.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Knog The Saddle Dog saddle bag

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

"I once had two adorable ponies, Mini and Maxi. I would plait their hair, load their saddles up with sugar cubes (for afternoon treats!) and shave checkerboards into their buttock pelt. And in a strange way our two new Saddle Dog bags look just like them. Giddy-up my fine beauties".

Basically a beautifully designed mini seat pack for sleek, pared to the essentials bikes.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Handmade water resistant construction using heavy weight waxed cotton canvas. Water-resistant zipper.Reflective piping for night visibility.

Internal cam buckle main attachment strap attaches around your saddle rails. Secondary elastic and hook configuration for added stability attach to saddle rail postion at the seatpost end.

MINI:

CAPACITY 1 Litre

SIZE 140 x 85 x 75 mm (wxhxd)

MAXI:

CAPACITY 1.2 Litre

SIZE 200 x 90 x 75

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

Nicely made and lovely to use but not sure I'd part with 17 quid. You might think differently though

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Knog's saddle dog is sleek, surprisingly water resistant and overcomes the irritating chatter of patch kits, multi-tools and other incidentals when negotiating inclement roads but price wise it's a little on the steep side for me.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Trademark Knog design, nice tactile materials and a padded compatment adds a serene quality to proceedings.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Just the asking price.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Not at full price

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Possibly

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

Although I was sorely tempted to dock it a point on value, it has to be said that similarly 'designery' bags are also similarly priced - such as Lezyne's Micro Caddy. I'm guesing that if you are taken with the design or are a Knog fan you won't baulk at paying the extra fiver over say the small verion of Fizkik P:Ak ICS saddle bag

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 38  Height: 1m 81  Weight: 70 kilos

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

 

Saddle bag
Knog The Saddle Dog saddle bag
Knog
Shaun Audane

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

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