Did my new bag destroy my saddle?

[jefmcg]

(I think the answer is yes, so the real question is will it destroy my next saddle?)

I just bought a Carradura maxi saddle bag. I put my tools, wallet and keys etc and a small bottle of water in it, total weight just under 2kg. It was bouncing around a bit against my legs, so I wrapped a velcro strap through the seat stay strap underneath and through my seat rails - that's blue and yellow.


Half an hour later, the saddle gave way under me. The rail had snapped

It can't be a coincidence, it's right where I put the strap. But did the strap break the saddle, or was it due to break soon? Put another way: if I do the same thing to my new saddle, will that break in the same way?

(saddle came with bike 3 1/2 years ago. I've been in it over 200 hours so far this, and the bike has been used less but still a lot in the previous years. I'm about 40kg under the maximum weight for this bicycle)

thanks!

 

[rb58]

That loks like it has sheared at the point where it is clamped to the seat post. It could have a failed bacause the clamp has been overtightened, which is a more likely an explanation than the saddle bag. I think.

 

[numbnuts]

That loks like it has sheared at the point where it is clamped to the seat post. It could have a failed bacause the clamp has been overtightened, which is a more likely an explanation than the saddle bag. I think.

no way could it be been overtightened to shear like that, the clamp is alloy with a steel bolt the thread would have gone first that is metel fatigue and it snapped at it's weakest pointed

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

classic metal fatigue, saddle pack didn't have any input to that result. what rails are they? they look like some sort of alloy.

 

[jefmcg]

Thanks, this is really useful.

Don't know what the rails are made of. I have zero metallurgic knowledge, and it's just the stock saddle that came with a mezzo d9 in 2008. The current specs describe it as a "mezzo comfort saddle"

I have to think that cinching it with the velcro strap was a factor in it breaking. After 3 1/2 years of nearly daily use, it breaks exactly where I'd pulled the strap tightly around within 1/2 hour of me first fitting it - but the strap was just the final insult, and it would have broken within days or weeks anyway.

 

[postman]

I have the same bag on mt Secteur Elite.It was making squeeking noises.So i wrapped a bit of insulating tape around the rails and around the seatpost where the straps touched and hey presto it stopped.

 

[the snail]

It looks like the seat is adjusted quite a way back, so the rails have been flexing under the op's weight, i.e. the rails were too flimsy..

 

[Cubist]

It looks like the seat is adjusted quite a way back, so the rails have been flexing under the op's weight, i.e. the rails were too flimsy..

Bang on. Treat yourself to a new saddle, try to adjust it so it isn't all the way back. Your bag hasn't broken your saddle, so don't

fret!

 

[jefmcg]

I was happy with the position of the seat. I'm on a folder, so was using it to increase the cockpit. Now replaced by a Brooks (ouch!) and I took it off to massage lotion into it last night, so will replace it more centrally.

Thanks