Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Back to REVIEWS
review
Bags
GT Attack Saddle BagGT Attack Saddle bag

GT Attack Saddle Bag

4
by Shaun Audane
UPDATED Sat, Apr 09, 2016 09:46

First Published Apr 9, 2016

0
£12.99

VERDICT:

4
10
Not a bad bag, but feels dated and overpriced alongside its contemporaries
Weight: 
58g
Contact: 
www.gtbicycles.com/gbr_en/
How we test

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

The GT Attack saddle bag is an extremely compact, no-frills model designed to lug the bare minimum of ride essentials, although only just...

Its glossy leatherette PU and Velcro straps, which wipe clean with just a lick from a damp cloth, swept me back to the early 1990s. Although construction isn't poor, it feels decidedly dated – we've come to expect quick release brackets, LED tabs and water-resistant fabrics for 12 quid.

> Find your nearest dealer here

> Buy this online here

There's no LED tab here, just the iconic GT logo emblazoned in white across the back providing some nocturnal presence.

Peeling back the zipper tag reveals a single bijoux compartment. Efficient packers with good spacial awareness will squeeze a multi tool, tyre lever, patch kit, CO2 cartridge, AA/AAA batteries and a small bunch of house keys.

Given these confines, there's no danger of the tool-tote boogie striking up at the first hint of uneven tarmac or bag sway. This, and maybe a mini pump riding shotgun on the bottle bosses, and a spare tube in a jersey pocket, are arguably all you'll need for evening 10s or fast blasts on sunny days.

Aside from a few such outings on my Holdsworth, it's also played a supporting role, keeping keys and similar small valuables segregated from the murky depths of my 20 litre pannier on commutes and general riding.

> Read our beginner's guide to carrying luggage on your bike, here

Sheltered by the saddle, it's managed to keep out heavy rain and spray on shorter rides, even without mudguards. Extended trips in these contexts did see water sneaking through the zipper – nothing to write home about perhaps, but the sort that could lead to tainted tooling if left unchecked for a few days.

Summing up, it's not a bad bag per se, and would receive a more favourable score were the asking price considerably lower. The main issue for me is that several brands, including Decathlon's BTtwin, offer superior designs with a much higher spec and better storage capacity for less money.

Verdict

Not a bad bag, but feels dated and overpriced alongside its contemporaries

road.cc test report

Make and model: GT Attack Saddle bag

Size tested: Compact

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?

A single compartment under-the-saddle companion for the absolute minimum of tools.

By my reckoning, it's more useful as a keys and change tote when used with panniers on commutes or tours.

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

PU leatherette, stitched (not taped seams) construction, single compartment, zippered closure, Velcro straps, GT decals

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
5/10

Specification feels low by contemporary volume-produced standards.

Rate the product for performance:
 
5/10

Fine in the sense that it provides a convenient, sway-free stash point for keys and other small valuables, is easily wiped clean and moderately water resistant.

Rate the product for durability:
 
5/10

Leatherette fabric is easily wiped clean and seems generally easy to live with.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
6/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
4/10
Rate the product for value:
 
4/10

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

Overall performance is best described as adequate, if you're looking to lug the bare minimum of tools or wanted a convenient stash point for keys and other valuables. Velcro straps wrap securely around saddle rails and seatposts, eliminating sway, it wipes clean and water resistance isn't an issue for the most part, although wet rides along waterlogged lanes without mudguards saw water enter via the stitching/zipper.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Fabric seems quite rugged, easy to live with.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Price.

Did you enjoy using the product? No

Would you consider buying the product? Not at full RRP.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Only if they wanted to carry the bare minimum and could find one heavily discounted.

Use this box to explain your score

It's a pretty average bag and I would score it a middling 5 but for the price; you'd expect a higher spec for £12.99, so it loses a mark on value.

Overall rating: 4/10

About the tester

Age: 42  Height: 1m 81cm  Weight: 70kg

I usually ride: Rough stuff tourer based around 4130 Univega mountain bike 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, mountain biking

GT Attack Saddle Bag 2016
GT Attack Saddle Bag
GT 2016. GT
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)

Latest Comments