By Steve Galvan
When I initially found out that I would be reviewing a product named “The Wedgie,” I must admit that I wasn’t entirely sure what I was in for. Thankfully, once realizing that I would be writing about a bike seat bag, I was excited to strap this on my bike and take it for a ride.
As luck would have it, I got this bag just as I was packing up my life and moving to one of the most bike- friendly cities in the world, Portland, Oregon. After eventually settling in, a friend suggested we take a bike tour of my new city.
We were pretty excited when our schedules finally lined up and we were able to do our 20 mile route around the city, which we had carefully planned. One of the first things you learn about coming to Portland, is the city’s amazing craft-brewery scene. There are more than 40 breweries here (more breweries than any other city in the world), so it was actually not that difficult to plan our breaks accordingly.
We started our ride outside my friend’s apartment in the Northwest District of Portland, close to 21st street. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we were planning to ride to some places with incredible views, so I wanted to make sure I brought my smartphone with me to take some photos (since I don’t own a fancy DSLR, and even if I did, lugging it around on this ride would have been cumbersome).
This is where The Wedgie came into play. I easily attached my new bag under my seat, due to Detours’ ingenious Velcro and elastic hook and loop strap system and we were ready to go.
My array of keys, cash, cards, and cell phone all fit into the deceitfully slim 40 cubic inches of my medium-sized Wedgie bag. For you pack rats out there, Detours also makes a larger bag at 50 cubic inches. However, even with my large smartphone, which has a 4.3 inch screen, my medium-sized bag easily fit everything I had and still room for a bit more.
We leisurely made our way through the Northwest District, checking out the sites of my new neighborhood and enjoying the amazing weather. After a while we found St. Helens road and started towards St. Johns Bridge. It’s quite a long stretch to get to Portland’s northern most bridge, and the climb up to the bridge is definitely no laughing matter.
However, once we were finally riding over the bridge, we realized it was well worth it. It was quite the amazing view looking down the Willamette River southward towards the city. We stopped at a turn out to take some pictures, and this was my first opportunity to pull items out of my new bag. The zipper opened easily and I pulled out my phone with no problem, with everything else staying in the bag where it should be. After snapping a few photos, I easily threw my phone back into the bag and we were on our way.
Once over the bridge we decided to ride through Cathedral Park, which is just under the bridge on the east side of the river. We rode along the bike paths, through the beautiful park and made our way down to the river bank, where there was access to a small dock. We went down onto the dock to take some more pictures, and this is where the Wedgie’s built in key fob saved my life! There was a man playing his saxophone above us on the bridge, so I hastily pulled my phone out of my bag to take a video and capture the serene moment of the waterfront being serenaded by jazz. In doing so, I accidently yanked out my keys along with my phone; but they stayed attached to the key fob and hung just a few inches from my bag, instead of in the bottom of the Willamette. Great anticipation, Detours.
After the distracted-by-jazz-saxophone-and-almost-losing-my-keys-in-the-river debacle, it was about time for a break. A beer break to be exact. Just adjacent to the park is Occidental Brewing Company, which is one of the many awesome craft breweries here in Portland.
We parked our bikes outside and I went to remove The Wedgie. The St. Johns area of Portland is a very nice community, and I highly doubt that any of the passersby would even think of claiming someone else’s things as their own. However, this bike bag had some things in it that were pretty important to me, plus this gave me a chance to see how easily the bag detached from my bike.
It turns out, very easily! The two Velcro straps that loop around the seat’s rails pull off and detach with ease, and the elastic loop that holds the bag to the seat post pulls off around a large button on the side, and then you’re free. So simple, you can attach or remove your bag in seconds; yet when attached your bag is held firmly and securely, perfect.
After resting a bit and enjoying a few premium adult beverages, it was time to head back to our neck of the woods. I strapped my Wedgie back onto my bike, in seconds flat, and we were off and riding again. I highly recommend The Wedgie bike seat bag by Detours to anyone who is looking for a compact-option to stow your goods while riding.
The bag is incredibly easy to attach and detach, can easily hold your necessities and not to mention it looks good doing it. The bag is available in black, grey, orange, and red, and in two sizes: a medium which gives you 40 cubic inches of space and a large where you get 60 cubic inches.
Medium
Volume: 40 cubic inches
Dimensions: 7 x 3.5 x 2.5 inches
Weight: 0.2 lbs
Large
Volume: 60 cubic inches
Dimensions: 8 x 4 x 3 inches
Weight: 0.25 lbs
