Okay, so I finally got myself one of those gas tank bags. Been meaning to do it for ages, honestly. Riding around with my pockets absolutely stuffed full of keys, wallet, phone, maybe a garage door opener… it’s just annoying. And backpacks? Yeah, fine for a long haul, maybe, but for just popping down to the shops or a quick blast, strapping on a backpack feels like overkill. Plus, my back gets sweaty.
Getting it Sorted
Didn’t spend forever picking one. Saw a few online, read a couple of forum posts. Some guys swear by the magnetic ones, others hate ’em. Said they scratch the paint. Mine’s got a plastic tank cover anyway, so magnets were out. Had to go with straps. Found one that looked about the right size, not too massive, but big enough for the essentials. Clicked buy.
It showed up a few days later. Pulled it out of the box. Seemed alright. Material felt tough enough, zippers were okay, maybe a little stiff but figured they’d loosen up. Came with a bunch of straps. Looked simple enough, famous last words, right?
Putting it On the Bike
Right, fitting it. This took more fiddling than I expected. The front strap, that was easy enough, looped it under the steering head, job done. But the side straps… where the heck do you anchor those things securely? My bike doesn’t exactly have convenient loops just sitting there waiting.
This is where the faff started.
- Tried looping around the frame tubes under the seat. Seemed okay on one side.
- The other side, the strap path was awkward, rubbing against a bit of plastic trim. Didn’t like that.
- Spent a good 15 minutes just looking, pulling the straps this way and that. Tightened them, loosened them.
- Eventually found a way to route them around a more solid part of the subframe, tucked away so they weren’t flapping about or rubbing anything important.
Had to get the tension right too. Too loose, the bag flops around. Too tight, felt like it was straining the straps or distorting the bag shape. Got it snug in the end. Gave it a good wiggle. Seemed solid.
First Ride Impression
Threw my phone, wallet, and a small water bottle in there. Zipped it up. Felt weird having this thing sitting on the tank right in front of me. First few corners, I was super conscious of it. Kept glancing down. Worried a strap would snap or it’d just slide off. Pulled over after about 10 minutes just to double-check everything was still tight. It was fine.
After a while, I kinda forgot it was there, mostly. It didn’t get in the way of steering or seeing the instruments, which was good. Reaching my keys and wallet at the coffee stop without digging through five layers of pocket lint? Yeah, that was nice. Definitely better than the stuffed-pocket shuffle.
It’s stayed put since then. Been using it for a few weeks now for commutes and short runs. Makes life easier. Don’t know why I put up with overloaded pockets for so long. Sometimes simple things make a big difference. Still give the straps a quick check before I set off, just habit I guess. But yeah, decent bit of kit.
