Was reluctant to spend the money on this saddle bag, but I was going on a trip that required riding 100 miles per day for 7 days. I usually just carry a Dyna Plug and my small battery operated pump with me, but based on the fact that these rides were un supported and there was no available services for most of them I decided to get the bag. It worked out great. I was able to put my small multitool, a co2 cartridge, a mini pump hose and my dynamite plug kit. Turns out I had to use it twice. Once for a friend and once for myself. Highly recommend this product.
I've had many packs over the years, this is the best. Holds the essentials and boa strapped on the bike. It's perfect !
The Silca Mattone is a slick seat pack that has room for my essentials (tube, tire levers, CO2). I like how it attaches to the saddle with a thick rubber strap and the boa closure, so no unwanted rubbing of plastic or metal on the saddle or seat post. I don't understand how it could be accessed while attached to the bike (as claimed by the product description), but that's alright, I would typically take a seat pack off the bike when repairing a flat anyway. I haven't tested the water-resistance yet.
I read reviews of this and decided that it looked like a high quality product. Which, in a way, it is. The constructions feels solid and I don't think it will fail on me or get my items wet. But I should have looked more deeply at how it secures to the seat. It is the most absurd design I have seen in a seat bag. First, it's upside down. The zipper is on the bottom, so if you want to grab something quick without removing the bag, everything just falls out. Second, in order to access the bulk of the items, you must remove the entire thing from your seat. This is super annoying as the straps are very wide and the red fishing line is unwieldy. Third, its not *that* big. You can fit 1-3 tubes and a couple of levers, but I have used what I think are "average" sized seat bags in the past and could fit a lot more in there. Others seem to love this for its size, but "grande" it is not. I regret this purchase.
A great saddle bag
The Silca Mattone is a well-made product but it's really limited in what you can get in there. There is no way I can get a spare tube, CO2 inflator, Multi-Tool and tire levers in this pack. Some of my road bike tubes fill the pack entirely. I can just about get a tube in there and a set of Pedro tire levers and that's about it. The "brick" design makes sense but somehow is more limiting than a typical seat pack. I have a smaller saddle pack (volumetrically) and I can get more items in it than I can in this Silca pack. The pictures are very misleading. 5 stars for product quality. 1 star for useability.
I have gone through a dozen or more saddle bags over the years, looking for one with the right amount of storage, small enough that it fit under the seat, didn't rub against my legs, was easy to open (not a zipper that degrades rapidly with a little rain and dirt).
This little bags opens wide, making it easy to get your stuff in and out. The Boa keeps it closed tightly and secure, and the straps hold it tightly under my saddle. I'm tempted to buy several and stash them away for the day when this does fail, just in case they ever stop making it.
Definitely for the minimalist. Excellent quality. Fits everything I need except a tire lever (I could probably trade the lever for one CO2 cartridge. I carry 2). No big deal to stick the lever in a jersey pocket.
Nice quality bag to hold the bare necessities for you when riding. Note though, it is quite compact. Mine held a small multitool, a CO2 cartridge, a patch and one TPU inner tube. That's all I need, but just a heads up.
Nice quality bag to hold the bare necessities for you when riding. Note though, it is quite compact. Mine held a small multitool, a CO2 cartridge, a patch and one TPU inner tube. That's all I need, but just a heads up.
This is now my favorite seat bag. It fits perfectly under my seat out of the way. The material is durable and sheds dirt. It is big enough for my standard repair kit. The boa closure is easy to use. All that awesomeness comes at a price- you have to remove it from your bike to get at the contents.
Other reviews are right, there is no extra room in these. I've got a latex tube, 2 co2 cartridges, SILCA inflator head, and on the other side of the flap, a pair of tweezers. That's it. I could fit a debit card or some cash, but no more. Nice and tight. I forget it's on the bike
I had a saddle bag, but it was rubbing against my thighs. Started carrying everything in my back pockets. Gave this a try and love it.
Expensive-ish but works like Silca does. This is small and fits just enough; tube, Co2, levers, patch kit, boot, multi-tool, but not much more.
Back in the old days we strapped a spare tubular tire under the seat with a tire strap. Now that we're back to using clinchers, this pack takes up even less space and looks great. Very light too. Perfect for road, I'm not sure about off road if you need more than a tube and co2 bottle
This Silca Mattone seat bag is great, no regrets for upgrading from my last bag. It looks really nice, very compact, and stays quiet/hassle free. I use it for a tube, CO2, tire lever, allen key, patch, and toss the ID/money in. It just holds the essentials, don't expect a backpack sized compartment.
I've owned a few saddle bags but this one is by far the best one, great design, material, and space. I can fit a tube, 2 CO2, a CO2 inflator, a lever, and a multi-tool.
I also have the Mattone Grande which I prefer for general rides because it holds 2 butyl tubes (I'm cautious). The regular Mattone is for faster group rides when I want to more minimal. I like the Boa. Pack is snug under the saddle. Zipper works well so far although haven't put it through too much work. Fabric is nice and appears to be waterproof and easy to clean.
All around great bag. Fits up under saddle so others can see your radar light in back. Highly recommend.
The BOA mechanism works really well for securing a seat pack. It's a small bag, it was a tight fit for a tube, levers, CO2, valve, and multitool but they all fit.
