The 7 Best Saddle Bags for All Types of Bikes [2023]

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After comparing more than 40 saddle bags, I selected the best saddle bags for road, hybrid, gravel, and mountain bikes. Whether you are a casual or an experienced rider, a saddle bag is one of the essential accessories for your bike.

The best saddle bag overall is the one from Topeak. It is available in 4 different sizes. So, you can buy a small for a road bike or a large for a hybrid bike.

In this article, you will also learn what you can store in your saddle bag and how to choose it. So, let’s find the best one for you!

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What Are the Best Saddle Bags?

Skip to the comparison table…

Topeak Saddle Bag (Best Overall)

The Topeak saddle bag is one of the most recognizable saddle bags out there. It’s available in 4 sizes so you can choose a size that will match your needs and your type of bicycle.

The inside pockets will help you organize your items. The saddle bag fits spare tube(s), a CO2 inflator, a tool kit, and much more.

A large reflexive strip will increase your visibility at night (or you can attach a tail light to the backside).

Its only downside is that the material is not 100% waterproof. In heavy or long rain, the water can leak inside.

If I had to choose the best saddle bag overall, this one would be the one.

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Lizard Skins Cache Saddle Bag (Best for Road Bikes)

The Lizard Skins brand is known mainly for the production of handlebar tapes and grips. However, it also has other products in its portfolio, including saddle bags.

Their Cache saddle bag is the perfect choice for road cyclists. It is very light (65 g), aerodynamic, and compact. However, it offers enough space (0.7 l) for spare tubes, tire levers, and other small items.

The saddle bag is fully waterproof. You can organize your items thanks inside pockets. It is produced in 4 colors (black, gray, blue, red).

The logo is made of reflective material, but it does not provide too much visibility due to its size. The saddle bag is also not compatible with a tail light.

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Rockbros Saddle Bag

The RockBros saddle bag offers, thanks to its elongated shape, plenty of storage space for a spare tube and tire levers, and a tool kit, keys, portable pump, or tail lights.

Speaking of tail lights, this saddle bag is suitable for them thanks to a strip on the backside. Your night visibility will also be increased thanks to reflexive strips.

This saddle bag is completely waterproof and available in black and red. It contains inside pockets for better organization of your items.

I would recommend it rather for mountain or casual riders that don’t care too much about weight and design. Due to its bulkiness, it’s not very suitable for road bicycles.

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Lezyne Saddle Bag (Best Compact)

The Lezyne saddle bag is alongside the Lizard Skins Cache, the most compact saddle bag in this selection. It provides you with enough space for storing essentials like a CO2 inflator, a spare tube, tire levers, etc.

It contains inside pockets and also a reflective strip for better night visibility. This strip is not too large, though, so I recommend combining this saddle bag with a tail light. This saddle bag leaves enough space for it.

Plus, you don’t have to be afraid that your thighs would come in contact with this saddle bag. If you attach it correctly, it will perfectly fill the ‘dead spot’ under your saddle.

If you need a compact saddle bag for a road bike and don’t like the Lizard Skins Cache saddle bag’s design, go for this one.

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BV Saddle Bag

The BV saddle bag is perfect for those of you that need to choose from different sizes. There are 4 sizes available. Feel free to buy a small version for a road bike or a large version for a hybrid bike.

The M, L, and XL sizes are large enough to store a smartphone. This saddle bag is compatible with a tail light thanks to a strip. Reflective strips will increase your visibility at night.

The downside is that it is not waterproof, so make sure you avoid storing water-sensitive items in it while riding in the rain.

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Rockbros Saddle Bag (Best for Water Bottle)

This is the only saddle bag in this selection with a special pocket for a bike water bottle. And compared to other bike saddles, it is attached in a more vertical position to your saddle and seatpost.

Its large size offers enough storage space for larger items like a pump, smartphones, snacks, clothes, etc. But I recommend you do not fill it unless you have to so you save some weight.

The Rockbros saddle bag has inside pockets, and it is also fully compatible with tail lights. The material is fully waterproof, so the items inside will stay dry even in the rain.

Before you buy this saddle bag, make sure you have enough space under your seat (at least 30 cm). Otherwise, the bag can collide with your rear wheel.

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BV Saddle Bag (Best Expandable)

In the end, I have a very special saddle bag for you. This saddle bag from BV is expandable. If you need more storage space (for a longer trip, for example), unzip the bottom zipper and get 20-30% more storage.

I also like the compatibility with various tail lights and a large reflective strip. You can choose from 3 sizes (the S size will fit all essentials). Keep in mind the S size of this bag is non-expandable.

The main disadvantage of this saddle bag is that the material is not waterproof. So make sure you don’t store water-sensitive items in it.

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My Verdict

Depending on what type of bike you ride I would recommend one of the following 3 saddle bags:

The best bag overall is the Topeak saddle bag. It is available in 4 different sizes suitable for different bike types, and it is compatible with tail lights.

Lizard Skins saddle bag is the perfect choice for road cyclists. It is very compact, aerodynamic, and lightweight. Yet, it provides you with enough storage space for essentials like tire levers, spare tube, etc.

The best expandable saddle bag is the BV saddle bag. It allows you to expand its capacity by around 20%. This can be very handy if you need to take an extra snack with you.

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How to Choose the Best Saddle Bag?

Before you buy a saddle bag, feel free to read this section. I explain to you what to look for when buying it.

Saddle Bag Size

Each manufacturer has slightly different dimensions of individual sizes. Therefore, pay particular attention to the volume.

What saddle bag size should you buy?

For basic equipment, such as spare tubes and 2 tire levers, extra small or small size (capacity up to 0.5 l) is usually enough.

I would recommend buying large or extra-large saddle bags for riders that need more storage space for longer bike trips.

Saddle Bag Design & Materials

The saddle bags are basically not very different from each other. Most saddle bags have a similar shape, the same attachment mechanism (using velcro straps), and the same zip fastening.

That’s why it depends more on your personal preferences. If you choose from the selection of the best saddle bags above, you will not make a mistake.

Manufacturers use various materials to produce saddle bags, such as polyester, leather, nylon, etc. In practice, it is important whether the saddle bag is durable and waterproof.

Saddle Bag Features

Some saddle bags offer extra features. My favorite feature is the possibility to attach bike lights to the back of the saddle. You will take advantage of this if your seat post is short, so there is not enough space for adding both the saddle bag and bike lights.

If you often ride in low light conditions, it is vital to be seen. In addition to equipping your bike with bike wheel lights, some saddle bags have reflective strips that increase your visibility.

There are also saddle bags that have a special pocket for a bike bottle. So if you need to drink a lot while riding a bike, you can take 1 extra bottle with you.

PRO TIP: You should drink 500-750 ml of fluids per hour.

Sometimes you may need to expand the capacity of a saddle bag. For these purposes, there are so-called expandable saddle bags. Thanks to the zipper that you unzip, you get more storage space. These saddle bags work like expandable suitcases.

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What Are Saddle Bags Good for?

A saddle bag (sometimes also called a seat post bag) is a very useful bike accessory that cyclists use for storing small things that they don’t want to keep in their jerseys or pockets.

As a road cyclist, I personally prefer saddle bags over handlebar bags because saddle bags are lighter, more compact, and do not interfere as much with the design of my bike.

Here are a few examples of bike accessories you can store in a saddle bag.

I use a saddle bag on my road bicycle for storing a spare tube, 2 tire levers, and money (just in case). But it is completely up to you what you store in it.

Feel free to watch the following video of a cycling influencer Shane Miller, also known as GPLama. What is in his saddle bag?

The following video from Global Cycling Network can also be helpful.

Now you know what to store in your saddle bag. So, what are the saddle bag benefits and downsides? Let’s take a look.

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Saddle Bags FAQ

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This post is regularly updated to provide the most up-to-date product tips. If you find a product that is not up to date, please, contact me.