I've got a Barley saddlebag on my Sweetpea. (It used to live on the Riv, until the purpose-built Sweetpea entered the scene).
It works for brevets. It even works for a one-way ride to Eugene (200k), in nice weather; I can carry a set of off-bike clothes to wear the next day on the train trip back up the valley. However, when planning my Virginia to NJ adventure late last summer, it became very clear that the Acorn front bag and Barley saddlebag would not suffice for carrying a basic set of off-bike clothes, plus riding gear for when the weather got cold and/or wet*. Which it did, eventually. My compromise was a Racktime Fold-it rack (super rack, and it folds flat! Easy to pack!) and the Banjo Brothers pannier rack bag. It killed me that the rack was only available in black :-(, but I went with it anyway. https://www.flickr.com/photos/lynnefitz/15449812840/ The Riv is currently set up with a front rack (Mark's rack plus Platrack) and rear rack (Racktime Add-it), plus the Ortlieb rear panniers to carry things, such as groceries, library books, knitting, and so on. Racktime is the value line of Tubus. Great racks! Whatever works best for the situation, in other words. *what I wore/carried: on me: bike shorts ss wool jersey socks sports bra cap hi-viz vest as needed: Showers Pass jacket Rainlegs knee warmers wool arm warmers rain booties helmet cover off-bike: lightweight Mountain Hardwear pants lightweight ls quarter zip wool shirt socks underwear Timberland Radler camp shoes misc: toiletries all the cue sheets a few permanent control cards iPhone charger camera iPhone bike misc, which I don't even think about anymore, because it is always on the bike: 2 spare tubes (got 1 flat) spare tire patch kit mini Leatherman bike tools (tire levers, S&S wrench, Topeak Rachet Rocket, a couple of 8/10mm open end wrenches, quick link, ziptie, FiberFix spoke, extra bolts, couple of pieces of Tyvek for tire boots) spare brake and shift cable small first aid kit, plus various of sunscreen, antactids, ibuprofen, Endurolytes, A&D ointment, travel size Kleenex, contact lens wetting solution... SPOT tracker and Little Pink Bear -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.