Carradice Pendle on the left, and the Zimbale 11 ltr bag right.
While at this year's North American Hand-built Bike Show, I spotted a vendor displaying English-style saddlebags! These turned out to be Zimbale bags, imported from Korea. I had seen them on line before, I think Harris Cycles sells them. click here for Harris Cyclery's Zimbale page
At any rate, they seemed like nice looking bags, made of heavy cotton duck material. After looking around and chatting with the (very nice) people there, I discovered that they were selling some factory seconds at 50% off! Well, of course I was hooked at that moment. The largest bag available for that deal was the 11 liter, it looked fairly big to me, I was hoping it would be the same size as my Carradice Nelson, my commuting bag.
The problems that caused these bags to be discounted were minor; Mainly, the screws fixing the bag to the wooden dowel were installed wrong, just missing the leather reinforcement underneath. It was a simple repair to relocate the screw.
Relocated the screw slightly to the left.
Another problem was that the wooden dowel used for support seemed too short to me. I picked up a short length of 5/8 inch hardwood dowel from ACE Hardware, just a couple of bucks. I cut it so the ends reached close to the corners, as in the Carradice.
Close up of the replaced dowel.
So for a little of my time, I got a $100 bag for $53! I think it's a pretty nice looking bag;
Zimbale 11 liter
Comparing it to my Carradice bags, I found that the 11 liter is just about exactly the same size as my Carradice Pendle, a bag I've owned for several years now. It, (the Pendle), has been a terrific bag, so I thought it might be fun to compare these two.
Carradice Pendle
When comparing the two bags, the first thing you notice is that the Zimbale seems to have a lot more going on. Notice the 2 sets of D-rings, really useful for external loading, like hanging a wet rain jacket. There are also 2 other plastic D-rings which would allow you to attach a shoulder strap for off-bike duty. Very neat, although I don't like plastic, wish they would have gone with metal there too. In contrast, the Pendle seems rather plain, albeit solid looking. Also, no plastic to see there at all!
Another nice feature in the Zimbale is the "long flap" which allows you to extend to top flap to accommodate a large load. This is a feature you find in Carradice's larger bags, the Nelson and Camper. Nice to see it here, although, to be honest, I've never needed it.
Long flap! Closed here...
Long flap open!
The shots above also illustrate the Zimbale's D-rings. Finally, one other unique feature for the Zimbale: a sort of quick release for the flap.
.JPG)
"Quick release" buckle.
The quick release allows you to open the bag with out messing with the buckle. Nice idea, although I wonder how well this feature would wear over time.
Up to this point, you would not be blamed for thinking, well so long Carradice! This bags got it all over you! But not so fast...there are some strengths in the Carradice bag that stand out. Also, some of the bling of the Zimbale seems only skin deep. The best example of this, I think, are the humble buckles!
Carradice buckle, simple, but carefully engineered and wonderfully effective.
Compare the two buckles above. The Zimbale certainly looks nice, but look closely. The buckle has no roller. It's just a very basic buckle. The Carradice buckle is a simple steel device but that roller is very important, it makes operation much smoother and relieves a lot of stress on the strap. finally, notice the thickness of the leather straps, Zimbale's are paper thin.
This is generally the advantage that the Carradice bag holds: quality where it counts. These bags are the results of many generations of English cycling experience. They are simple, and they are built to last.
Another example of this is found in the quality of the leather. After only a couple of months of use the straps holding the Zimbale to my B-17 show severe wear:
Another example of this is found in the quality of the leather. After only a couple of months of use the straps holding the Zimbale to my B-17 show severe wear:
This shot doesn't show it well, but that strap is just about ready to let go! I installed zip ties to support the bag, otherwise they would have broken in half! To be fair, Carradice has brown leather straps that are also very thin, but at least they lasted a couple of years on my Nelson! The white Carradice straps are the way to go, they're very thick and last for years. i wonder what it is about non-white leather that makes them so skinny?
To sum up, these are both above average bags. They seem to be fairly close in price too. It would be a difficult choice to make. The Pendle is a very tough and reliable bag, you can use it out of the box with no change for years of service. The Zimbale offers some very nice features, especially the provision for outside storage of gear which the Pendle doesn't have. Some of Zimbale's materials are not up to the same standard or Carradice, but you can replace some of those easily.
Well, it's nice to have the choice!
Finally, here's some shots of what under the flap!
To sum up, these are both above average bags. They seem to be fairly close in price too. It would be a difficult choice to make. The Pendle is a very tough and reliable bag, you can use it out of the box with no change for years of service. The Zimbale offers some very nice features, especially the provision for outside storage of gear which the Pendle doesn't have. Some of Zimbale's materials are not up to the same standard or Carradice, but you can replace some of those easily.
Well, it's nice to have the choice!
Finally, here's some shots of what under the flap!
Inside the Zimbale bag. Notice the clip and strap which can draw the opening up.
Inside the Pendle: very basic. Both bags feature a nylon skirt w/drawstring.
great review. i just ordered a zimbale bag, perhaps one of the last 2 or 3 available. the leather straps look terrible (though i've never seen a carradice in person), and i just applied a generous application of saddle soap on all the leather parts to hopefully put off all the cracking that looks inevitable... i hope it helps. any updates to add? any notes on water-tight-ness??
ReplyDeleteThanks for the note.
ReplyDeleteNot anything to add at this time, both bags continue to serve well. If you find you need new straps, I suggest you contact Wallington Bicycle Parts, http://www.wallbike.com/
They stock all sorts of spares for Carradice which will work for your Zimbale.
As for water-tightness, I haven't had the Zimbale in any heavy rain, so I can't speak to that, but the Carradice's are okay, but not totally water proof, especially if they're a couple of years old. Then you need to re-apply a water repellant to the duck. I usually put anything I want to stay dry in the saddlebag in a plastic bag!
You said "Last 2 or 3 available", has Zimbale stopped production?
From what I can tell Zimbale is done or they are overhauling their line completely as everything they previously made is discontinued. I got an 18L bag and could only source 1 other for purchase online. The guy who said he was the North American importer said he gave up on them bc of quality control issues which doesn't seem surprising. I'm overall happy about the bag but expect to be taking care of issues down the road.
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad. They were good bags with some interesting features.
ReplyDeleteHello - I live in the UK and I've had four Carradice saddlebags, so I know quite a bit about them. I've never had a Zimbale, so I confess I know nothing. I'm not going to comment other than to say your pictures show that they're pretty. Now for my Carradice - four bags because I had multiple bikes, not because of wear. In fact the damn things never wear out - I got rid of my Lowsaddle Longflap purely because it looked very tatty! It had a volume of 15 ltrs including pockets. I'm still using my 30 year old Junior (9 ltr) on my very posh titanium bike. For info, the Nelson holds 15 ltr, the Pendle 11 ltrs like your Zimbale. But the nearest in looks to the Zimbale is the Barley which is also the one Carradice sell more of than anything else. Black with white straps, or green with brown; 9 ltrs including two pockets, and three sets of D rings. Just gorgeous, perfect for a day ride, and will last for decades.
ReplyDeleteAll leather repays care, I would recommend with either of your bags to rub some Nicwax (or similar) into the straps from time to time. Carradice do of course sell replacement straps (I used two to make D-ring mounts on top of my Junior which had none) and they can be used for things other than saddlebags!
Nice to know that these fabulous bags have fans beyond the UK!
Thank you for the comments; Yes there is a modest number of saddlebag fans over here in the states. I first became aware of the large English saddlebag from an article in a long defunct magazine, Cyclist, in the early 80s, and always wanted one but could not find any. In the 90s Rivendell really championed them and that's when I purchased my first. I now have four Carradice bags! A Junior, A huge Camper, a Pendle and a Nelson.
DeleteThe Nelson is used on my commuter and has seen the most service. I can't even remember when I bought the thing, it must be at least 10 years old. Yes, it does look a bit tacky, but I like to think of that as character! The one thing that has failed on it is the nylon "skirt" which acts as a closure to the main opening. I use a stuff sack to hold the things I pack into the bag, so this has proved to be no problem.
Generally the leather strapping holds up pretty well with minimal care here in dry California, but you recommendation has got me thinking I need to take better care, thanks for the tip. The Zimbale's leather, however, is really pretty wimpy. (I replaced the straps connecting it to the saddle loops with Carradice straps..the good white ones!)
This is greaat
ReplyDelete