Attach Saddlebag to Bike

Author: Alex Bristol

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Overview

If you want to take a little extra on your trips around town or you need a spot to stash tools and supplies while on the journey a saddlebag attached to your bike can help you to make these things easy. Your life gets organized and easier by having a little storage on your bike. Attaching a saddlebag is not very difficult. By following some steps you can install it on your bike.

A cyclist straddling a road bike on a sunny day with shadow cast on the pavement.

Two Methods to Attach a Saddle Bag


There are two methods by which saddlebags can be attached.

  • Velcro straps
  • Click in ‘dock’

It should not be automatically assumed that click-in docks are the best because they’re the most expensive. This case is not good for everyone.

  • Click-in docks are good regarding the look. To ensure that thighs don’t get rubbed against the saddle while pedalling, click-in docks hold the bag a bit of distance away from the saddle.
  • If you have more than one bike, click-in docks would not be the right choice for you. In practice, a simple strap system (often Velcro) passes through the saddle rails.

There is an additional strap present in sometimes medium-sized saddlebags for anchoring the bag around the seat post. Seat posts are good at adding stability to the bag and are a bit superfluous.

You Will Only Need

  • Leather Saddle Bag
  • Mount Hardware
  • 5mm Allen Wrench
  • Your Bike

Installation Steps

A handy quick-clip attachment is present in these leather saddlebags, so after getting placed in the hardware, popping the bag on or off for a ride will not be difficult anymore.

  1. First, you should start by lining up the mounting hardware on your saddle’s rails. The three-pronged clip should be facing the rear wheel.
  2. After lining up the mount to clamp both sides to your saddle’s rails, you have to use the two included 5mm-bolts. Each bolt should be tightened at a time alternate back and forth between the two to get them tightened evenly. Everything should stay straight and level.
  3. After mounting the clamp in place, you have to clip on your bag. Then you have to slide the saddle bag’s clip onto the prongs until you hear the sound like “click”.
  4. After doing this, you can load your bag because they are ready. You can close it up and hit the road for a test ride.

There is no unpacking required, you can just pop the bag off your bike and bring it in with you.

Final Words

Carrying a little weight while going on trips and for weekend pleasures in the park should not be a reason to get worried. The necessary things can easily be carried by attaching or installing a saddlebag on your bike. It’s not difficult to install a saddlebag on your bike. By simply following the steps mentioned above, a saddlebag can easily be installed. Now, you can enjoy the trips by carrying something extra with you quite easily.

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