A saddle bag is a must have for the biking enthusiast who wants to have a dedicated space to keep their stuff. Deuter's Bike Bag IV offers a convenient solution for carrying essential trail-side tools and items such as allen keys, first-aid, extra inner-tubes and tire removers.

First Impressions:

The Bike Bag IV is the biggest saddle bag of Deuter's product line and it is rather light despite is big carrying capacity, thanks to the use of tough and light fabric that has been made popular by Deuter's lightweight bags from Speedlite range. The bag comes in an inconspicous greyish-black colour scheme which could be useful for keeping your items in a low profile should you decide to leave your bike unattended for a while.

Does it fit your bike?

I've tried it on a few of the bikes I own and I can safely say that it is likely to be compatible with most road bikes and mountain bikes due to its generic saddle mount as long as you don't set your saddle to the lowest possible position.

Where should my rear blinker go?

I suspect that the Bike Bag IV's designers may be biking enthusiasts. They have included a strap to fit your rear blinker and a reflective Deuter logo to compensate for the space it takes up (which is usually occupied by either a rear blinker or a reflector). On first thought, clipping a rear blinker on a cloth strap may sound quite insecure but upon testing, the blinker stays firmly secured under vigourous shakes. However, do note that only blinkers with a vertical clip can be used.

Things that Impressed me:

Often, it is the little things that makes a product more special than the other. Bike Bag IV has several thoughtful design features that makes life easier for the rider.

The zipper is easy to open even with thick full-fingered gloves.

The whole structure is supported with hard plastic for higher durability for holding heavy, odd shaped objected that can potentially tear a bag without a tough backing.

Bike Bag IV features a Clip-on fastening system that allows fast and easy removal. We can never be too careful...

Being a saddle bag, makes it really vulnerable to mud and soil that are thrown up by the rear tire. But hey, the material is easy to clean and it is unlikely to stain.

Other thoughts:

The support strap that goes around the whole bag hinders the zipper. However, it must be said that the support strap helps to take the stress away from the fabric material so that you can keep many heavy things without worrying. Can't always have the best of both worlds huh?

Conclusion:

Bike Bag IV is a simple bag that does what it is supposed to. Great for keeping your essential tools during long night rides or off-road endevours since any help is unlikely to be available or near during those times.