I really like the Ostrich ultra-compact saddle bag, the SP-222, but
there are a couple of things about it that bother me, so I'll write about them.
First thing.
There's no black color option. The SP-222 comes in
red, green, white, blue, navy (darker than blue), and pink—six colors total,
but I think saddle bags get dirty from mud spray, so
I basically only want black, which is really disappointing.
That said, it doesn't affect performance, so it's just a complaint.
The second issue is a real problem.
This buckle—
the strap keeps loosening right away.
Just now, I hooked my pinky finger on it lightly and it drooped down completely.
The same thing happens from vibrations during riding.
So I was using an additional toe strap or something to tie it down extra tight, but...
It's probably a matter of material compatibility between the strap and buckle, or the basic design itself.
The strap just slides right through.
If you pinch both ends of the buckle and pull, the strap comes out easily.
The strap end is folded over and stitched, so it doesn't come out completely.
The strap is roughly 20mm wide, so—
I bought one of these parts separately.
It's a pack of two for less than 200 yen. I only use one.
First, I remove the buckle from the strap.
The folded part can slide through without cutting.
（It won't come off naturally, but...）
Then I do this—
and this.
From the side it looks like this.
Even if I grab the buckle and pull really hard, the strap doesn't move at all.
In the stock configuration, the extra strap is annoying, but—
if you position this part on the top of the saddle bag (directly behind the saddle),
the strap almost never sticks out.
It's easier if you first adjust the length so the buckle just clicks into place on the underside of the saddle bag,
then thread the folded part of the strap through this part.
I wish they'd include this on the product even if it meant raising the saddle bag price by a dollar.
The fact that this is essentially mandatory means there's a problem with the product.
Apart from that, though, it's pretty much one-of-a-kind in terms of shape, compactness, and lightness, so
I'm really very happy with it.
Update:
I got a comment from someone who said,
"I love it too" and "I secure it with a safety pin."
I was doing that at first too.
Yeah, it definitely loosens up right away with this design.
there are a couple of things about it that bother me, so I'll write about them.
First thing.
There's no black color option. The SP-222 comes in
red, green, white, blue, navy (darker than blue), and pink—six colors total,
but I think saddle bags get dirty from mud spray, so
I basically only want black, which is really disappointing.
That said, it doesn't affect performance, so it's just a complaint.
The second issue is a real problem.
This buckle—
the strap keeps loosening right away.
Just now, I hooked my pinky finger on it lightly and it drooped down completely.
The same thing happens from vibrations during riding.
So I was using an additional toe strap or something to tie it down extra tight, but...
It's probably a matter of material compatibility between the strap and buckle, or the basic design itself.
The strap just slides right through.
If you pinch both ends of the buckle and pull, the strap comes out easily.
The strap end is folded over and stitched, so it doesn't come out completely.
The strap is roughly 20mm wide, so—
I bought one of these parts separately.
It's a pack of two for less than 200 yen. I only use one.
First, I remove the buckle from the strap.
The folded part can slide through without cutting.
（It won't come off naturally, but...）
Then I do this—
and this.
From the side it looks like this.
Even if I grab the buckle and pull really hard, the strap doesn't move at all.
In the stock configuration, the extra strap is annoying, but—
if you position this part on the top of the saddle bag (directly behind the saddle),
the strap almost never sticks out.
It's easier if you first adjust the length so the buckle just clicks into place on the underside of the saddle bag,
then thread the folded part of the strap through this part.
I wish they'd include this on the product even if it meant raising the saddle bag price by a dollar.
The fact that this is essentially mandatory means there's a problem with the product.
Apart from that, though, it's pretty much one-of-a-kind in terms of shape, compactness, and lightness, so
I'm really very happy with it.
Update:
I got a comment from someone who said,
"I love it too" and "I secure it with a safety pin."
I was doing that at first too.
Yeah, it definitely loosens up right away with this design.