LondonCraftwork Classic Square Saddle/Handlebar Bicycle Bag Genuine Leather TAN Honey for Bike Tools Box-TAN

I am a recreational cyclist, and I ride lugged steel road bikes both new and vintage. I enjoy having bags on all my bikes, both for tools, tube, and pump and for such personal items as cell phone, keys and wallet. All my bikes are so equipped, and I have extensive experience with all sorts of bike bags. I recently purchased the LondonCraft Classic Square bag designed for use under the saddle or on the handlebars. I find that a small bag under the saddle for tools and such plus one on the handlebar for the personal items is a very convenient way to ride. I received and installed this bag yesterday, and I want to share some thoughts about the product that may be helpful. First the positive stuff. This bag is well made and visually attractive and it appears to be made of genuine full grain leather as advertised. It is small, but I can barely squeeze my cell phone in (I have have a large phone) with room for wallet and keys, so the bag is adequate for my purposes without taking up too much room. It looks very nice on the bike handlebars. I feel like it is well worth the price paid, arrived in a reasonable time considering that it did come from London, and it should last for many years of service. Overall, I am happy with it. Now for the quibbles. The leather is not nearly as thick or durable looking as other bags I own, but to be fair the other bags cost 2 or 3 times as much as this one. Mounting the bag to my handlebars turned out to be tricky. There are a total of 10 slots for the straps to weave in and out of but using them all did not allow enough room to circle the handlebars and attach. I tried using only three slots per strap and gained enough length to make it work but the straps would not stay tight. I rigged them with some zip ties to secure the straps to the handlebar, and this worked okay. Later I went back and re-laced the straps then used just zip ties to mount the bag to the bars. This was the best solution and the bag looks great. So it may require some time and fiddling to attach, but be creative and persistent. It also strikes me as odd that the bag has no name brand or logo on it and no information on where it was made or instructions for use. Still, I would buy from the company again if I need another bag. One last note: before mounting the bag I treated it with Obenauf's leather preservative thoroughly, let it dry for a couple of hours and then wiped off the excess. I usually retreat my Brooks leather saddles and my bike bags about once a year. It pays off. I would advise not leaving a bike with this bag on it outdoors in the rain. The leather preservative will protect the bag if you get caught in a storm while riding, but real leather will not take constant soakings, and not good for the bike itself either. Store them indoors. If you are looking for a reasonably priced line of bike bags I would recommend this company. Keep in mind that this particular model is a small bag, if you need more room buy a larger model in either leather or canvas. Their stuff seems much better than the many fake leather bags out there.