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Redshift Quickdraw Saddle Bag Review
Equipped with a magnetic attachment system, the Redshift Quickdraw saddle bag looks to bring a new level of ease to swapping your everyday flat kit between bikes. Nic spent some time with the Quickdraw ahead of today’s launch to see if it lives up to its claims of convenience. Read his review here…
Redshift has a knack for the little things. Intent on solving the small problems that plague cyclists, the Redshift Quickdraw saddle bag aims to create a modular ecosystem that eases the hassle of transferring a saddle bag across multiple bikes.
With a universal strap system and a magnetic attachment designed to work with all kinds of bikes—including those with droppers—the Quickdraw is another product looking to fix a problem some might imagine didn’t need solving. In my review of the bag, I look at whether its design provides value or is simply superfluous.
Why?
We’ve all been there. You have a dedicated everyday ride kit that lives in a bag of some kind but groan at the idea of having to transfer it from bike to bike when conditions or desires change. Most of my flat kit usually lives in a frame bag. While it’s not that big of a deal, gathering all the small bits and bobs floating around my Outer Shell half frame bag is a minor annoyance, and it’s something I do often given the sheer breadth of bikes I ride.
As a result, the thought has crossed my mind: Could someone invent a universal system that plugs into every bike and easily transfers all my ride essentials? Enter the Redshift Quickdraw saddle bag. Designed to work with any bike that has rounded saddle rails, the Quickdraw system combines a Velcro strap and a magnetic attachment to host a system that can theoretically pass between bikes, provided you’re okay with committing to their product ecosystem.
The Velcro strap threads through the rails, with a plastic half-moon clamp on each side. Those clamps attach to the magnetic clip, letting riders undo the Velcro strap and pull the bag when they want to access its contents or transfer it to another bike. In Redshift’s world, users would buy a $20 strap for each bike they own and seamlessly pass the saddle bag between them.
The Quickdraw Experience
The Quickdraw comes in two sizes, small and medium, and each bag is sold with the necessary strap. The bag features an oval storage compartment and a small neoprene pocket on the door. It opens with a zipper that runs along the edges of the compartment and is made from abrasion-resistant, weatherproof fabric that appears up to the task of keeping everything inside safe from the elements.
The Good
Though I was sent both the small and the medium, I tested the medium size and used the strap included with the small to swap between two bikes—one with a dropper and one without. Switching between bikes was the ideal use case. It’s quick and easy, and it’s simple to leave an unused bike with an empty strap so you can plug and play whenever needed. It takes about 10 seconds, and the magnet and strap keep the bag secured to the rails.
I experienced no rattling, looseness, or clicking over many miles, and the attachment system worked flawlessly. One thing to note is the spacing and shape of half-moon clips. They’re made for rounded rails, not oblong carbon shapes like the ones on my carbon Brooks Cambium. This system will not work for you if you’re running anything other than conventional rounded rails, but the brand says they’re working on a strap system to fit other shapes. Because it attaches at the rails, the bag also worked great on the mountain bike I have in for review. It stayed out of the way and never collided with the tubing or rear tire. The Velcro strap is thick and sturdy, though it could be a little longer as it didn’t have much room after wrapping around the medium bag.
The Bad
That brings me to the main issue with this bag. My gold standard for day-ride saddle bags has been the Outer Shell Roll Top. It’s spacious, quick to install, and made with the quality we’ve come to expect from the San Francisco-based company. It attaches to both the saddle rails and the seatpost, making it a less-than-ideal option for droppers, but its design is minimal, simple, and easy to use. The best thing, though, is its capacity. At an estimated 2.1L, I’ve been able to cram an enormous amount of stuff inside. Currently, it fits two butyl tubes, two Pedros tire levers, a multi-tool, and a plug kit, with plenty of room to spare. On my single-day crossing of Florida in 2024, it fit my entire flat kit (sans pump) and an extra set of clothes. The roll-top design is small and compact for everyday essentials but expands generously when needed.
The Quickdraw, however, is quite small. Though the brand says there’s enough room for all ride essentials, that wasn’t the case in my testing. I rarely use the smaller latex tubes in my flat kit, simply because I have so many butyl tubes, which are the cheapest and most ubiquitous option at the stores I frequent. As a result, I could only fit one butyl tube and a multi-tool in the larger of the two bags. After some testing, I could also cram two Pedros levers next to the tube, but the bag was bursting.
While I understand that conceptions of what a “full flat kit” entails will differ from rider to rider, both bags are too small for riders venturing off-road or into situations where they might need more than one or two repair items. Again, this might be sufficient for road-goers, as you could fit a CO2 cartridge, a smaller latex tube, and potentially one or two other things inside. But, for me, it was little more than the absolute minimum.
The Quickdraw in Context
The Quickdraw’s design is another in Redshift’s line of innovative solutions to small problems, but it comes at a high cost relative to what it actually provides. Looking at the market, compact saddle bags from various brands range from $36 to $100, depending on size, brand, and included technology. Though Redshift boasts an innovative, convenient, and easy-to-use attachment system, $70 seems a little high given its capacity. In addition, the system’s biggest boon is diminished without the ability to shuttle between rides, bringing the true price to over $90 for just two bikes.
Using our own data from last year, we asked our audience how many bikes they own. With over 2,000 responses, the two largest groups had between three and four. Factoring that in here, you’re looking at roughly $150 for a modular saddle bag system across your bikes. As sort of an economic Rorschach test, some might look at that number and say, “Wow, not bad.” I, however, think that’s a pretty high cost for a saddle bag with little room to stretch, especially when the alternative is simply undoing a clip and Velcro strap and installing the more analog saddle bag on another bike. It takes a few minutes, but it saves quite a bit of money.
- Model Tested: Redshift Quickdraw, Medium
- Actual Weight: 115 grams (4.05 ounces)
- Place of Manufacture: Thailand & Vietnam
- Price: $70
- Manufacturer’s Details: Redshift Sports
Pros
- Attachment system is convenient and is easy to swap between bikes
- The bag is well-made and weatherproof
- The bag is secure and works well with a dropper
- It’s compact and out of the way
Cons
- Half-moon attachments might not work on every rail shape
- Expensive for a relatively simple problem
- The capacity of the largest bag is still insufficient
- $20 for a strap that makes the system worth it is also expensive
Wrap Up
Much like the Mousetrap pedal adapter I reviewed earlier this year, the Redshift Quickdraw saddle bag aims to solve a unique problem. On its own, it’s a solid, simple saddle bag that lacks some basic capacity for those of us with larger flat kits. As a system across a fleet of bikes, it’s a convenient solution to an issue that would otherwise require more time and effort from the end user. Whether you’re okay with paying a solid chunk of change for that is a personal decision, but I ultimately view it as a luxury.
It’s great that the Quickdraw works well with dropper posts thanks to its attachment system, but the fact that it may not fit all saddles, combined with its limited capacity, is enough for me to suggest you wait for a larger size and perhaps a slightly more refined half-moon clamp system. If you run a small, road-oriented flat kit, have round saddle rails, and have multiple bikes (and a bit of extra cash), this could be a solid solution.
Further Reading
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