Pro Maxi seatpack

For those riding regularly, riding long miles or just plain forgetful a saddle bag like the Pro Maxi is an essential piece of kit. PRO, the accessory arm of Shimano, like its parent company manages to turn out a large amount of very respectable kit and the Maxi saddlebag is no exception. It's a well-made, well proportioned, securely fitting and water resistant pouch for your essentials.

Strapping the Maxi on only takes a matter of seconds with three simple but effective Velcro straps. The Velcro is that useful water and mud resistant type; an essential, (which is occasionally forgotten by some brands), given the pack is so often in the firing line from a barrage of muddy water. The fit on the bike is good. A solid look and feel is achieved by appropriate amounts of adjustment in all straps.

The 1.0L capacity is big enough for a multi-tool, a couple of tubes and some tyre levers. It's just big enough to free up your pockets other carry items, which hopefully need to be accessed more readily such as food or a gilet, without being annoyingly large. A small internal mesh pocket means that any smaller extras can be tucked away safely and avoid being dropped when taking an item out of the main pocket. As a mile muncher I pop in my Topeak Survival patch kit but for the caf con leche style rider you could whizz a few quid in here too without fear of losing it.

The Maxi ticks more boxes too; the zips are user friendly, even in the most insulating winter gloves and a touch of high-viz on the logos and seams is a not uncommon but very useful touch. A rear light loop is useful for visibility conscious or those without much exposed seat post to play with. Plus the whole thing is made from a non PVC based material which gives it better green credentials.

Perhaps the only odd feature is an extra side compartment about a credit card size. It is slightly hidden under the mounting straps and although it doesn't detract from the pack it seems a little redundant. The extra exposed zip also increases the danger of a leak on wetter rides.

Verdict

All in all the Maxi pack is a no frills and well thought out saddlebag. Nothing especially exciting or innovative but equally nothing done different for the sake of being different. If you are looking for a reasonably priced and saddle bag for most of your mechanical essentials you won't go far wrong here.