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Now retired but busy still living..

Tuesday 25 January 2011

TOO MUCH CHOICE.........

SMALL SIZE SCICON BAG
The trouble nowadays is that we all have too much choice. It doesn't matter what it is that you wish to buy - from food to high tec electronics you could be forgiven for being totally baffled by all the options you have. Back when I was a kid there wasn't so much choice and what there was would be around in the shops for a long time. Today - anything you decide on is almost superseded before you have got it home.

Recently I decided to buy a new saddle style bag for the Tifosi. The one I have with my Felt Z1 is made by the same manufacturer as the saddle - FIZIK. It is instantly detachable by way of a small button and I fancied something similar for my training bike.

Enter the SCICON  range of bags. These are detachable by way of a twist lock which is attached to the saddle rails first (no tools required).The other positive for me is that they are Italian and as most of the components on the Tifosi are also Italian I thought it would blend in well. It even has a small Italian flag on the rear - what could be better! I ordered the small size. Now this is seriously SMALL as can be seen in the photo above. Spare tube - small tyre levers - small puncture kit is about  all it will hold...!
MEDIUM SIZE SCICON BAG

LARGE SIZE SCICON BAG (EXTENSION UNZIPPED)
 I decided that the bag was too small for general use but decided to keep it on the off chance that I ever used the Tifosi on a supported event. So I then ordered the medium size. When my order arrived (these were all internet purchases) it was obvious that I had been sent the large size in error. This size could hold everything the small size did but also a pump plus bottled air - tools - race cape - energy bars - gels- etc. It even has a zip out extension to make it even larger. It was bigger than what I wanted but I decided to keep it on the off chance that I might use the Tifosi on an extra long unsupported ride where the space would prove useful.
I then ordered the medium size again.
THE THREE SCICON BAGS I NOW HAVE
 When this bag arrived it was the correct size and suited my needs perfectly. All the usual things can be crammed into it. Spare tube- puncture kit - pump -tyre levers - multi tool and even my miniature bottle of Purple Extreme that I posted about recently. The three bags can be seen side by side in the photo above. Now to be perfectly honest I only really needed the medium size- but having seen the choice of sizes that they come in I wanted to cover all bases. It was easier to have all three than it would of been trying to make a decision about which 'one' to have. If Scicon had only made one size I would have bought that one - would have been happy with it and would also have accepted any compromise on size. And that is my point - with all the choice we have nowadays we are not happy to accept compromise. We don't 'make do' with things any more. It has to be right - it has to be exactly suited to the purpose - if it's not then we buy something that is.
SCICON TWIST LOCK UNIT FITTED TO SADDLE RAILS
Now I am as bad as the next person regarding this as I have shown here- but I have to admit that it is something that I don't like. In lots of ways I would like less choice..!  This would make making a decision about what item to buy far easier and in turn less stressful. If I go to a supermarket do I really need 38 different types of coffee to choose from..?
The more there is to choose from (in what ever we do) the more complicated life seems to become and what I want above all else is an uncomplicated life................!!

13 comments:

coastkid said...

Your right!, were all real fussy ... because we have so much choice...fewer options for everything (at cheaper prices) would be ideal, we all waste too much time deciding what suits our needs!, funny aint it!

Rena Starska said...

Uśmiecham się na myśl, że musiałabym wybierać w całym stosie urządzeń pod rowerowe siodełko :)

Myślę,że często w naszych wyborach kierujemy się ulubioną marką produktu. Dobrze, gdy nie dajemy się ogłupiać reklamom, którymi atakują nas dosłownie z każdej strony :D

Kawa dotychczas smakowała mi najbardziej w słonecznych Włoszech, a w markecie mam jedną ulubioną i na niej zawsze zawieszam swoje smakowe oko ;)

Życzę cudownych wędrówek na rowerze po bezbrzeżnych przestrzeniach...
Wszystkiego dobrego Przyjacielu!

jeff said...

Totally agree about too many choices. And your quick release bags are something I'm going to have to look into. I've never given it much thought, but that would be pretty handy.

TrevorW�� said...

*Coastkid*
Cheaper prices - that would be something to hope for.

*Imaginacja*


Cieszę się, że myśl o uzyskanie wszystkich siodła torby twój uśmiech.
Zgadzam się, że nasze ulubione marki nam pomóc w naszych wyborach.
Dziękuję za komentarze moim przyjacielem.

TrevorW�� said...

*Jeff*
Yes it is pretty useful being able to swap bags in an instant and although I use the medium size most often the other sizes are used every so often depending on what type of ride I am doing at the time.

MrDaveyGie said...

Seems with internet shopping all those choices are easily available, picking the right product becomes a challenge.

rlove2bike said...

I have never used a quick release bag, but they look interesting. I like to have a seperate bag for each bike and then I don't remove them unless I have the bike on a car rack. I got caught one time with the wrong type tube in the tool bag because I had neglected to switch the tube when I moved the bag from one bike to another. I called myself some not so glamourous names that day and had a nice long walk.

limom said...

I must resist....

TrevorW�� said...

*MrDaveyGie*
I think that is the problem- the internet makes seeing what is available too easy you then have to try and make a decision. As you say 'a challenge'.

*rlove2bike*
I'm the same - I don't swap bags between bikes - these three are all for use on the Tifosi. An indulgence I think you could call it.....

*limom*
Ah ! But for how long ?

J_on_tour said...

Too much choice, too many people trying to push rival products, an all singing and dancing one or a budget one. I quite agree, uncomplicated is good as we too many other things to ..... make that decision on as well. My rule is I look at the price of the budget and specification of the expensive and end up with something in between. The big decision I usually have to make is which brand. A magazine read in WHSmiths seems to help !!! as opposed to an Amazon review... because if you believe all you read on there, I wouldn't own anything.
One of my work colleagues has a bag that big for a night out. It's amazing what she brings out of it, everything except..... a rabbit !!

As a Post Script. You'll be pleased to know that one of my walking friends has inspired me into going to look at bikes with him soon. He does 40 - 50 mile bike rides with a group that stop for lunch etc, sounds a bit sedate to you maybe, but another travel feather to my bow possibly.

TrevorW�� said...

*J_on_tour*
It's a great way to travel and your friend seems to have a good social ride going on there......You should enjoy it.

By the way- we still have a 'vacancy' for one more rider on our 'Rock to the UK' ride from Gibraltar in September if you want an adventure on a bike.................!

Dan O said...

You're correct - the amount of products available is mind boggling.

Not just bike related. Have you ever shopped for a camera or printer? It's insane.

cloudbusting2 said...

3 sizes to choose from is pretty okay and they look very handy. It´s true that once the selection gets larger it´s totally crazy. Can´t they have less than 400 hundred cheeses in the mall? It takes ages to choose one.

Six weeks off.

 The visit to see the Consultant went quite well really ...   My ' numbers' have started to creep up again so I am going to be given...