Scicon Phantom 230 seat pack review

Get The Leadout Newsletter

The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Name: Your Email Address

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands

Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors

Thank you for signing up to The Pick. You will receive a verification email shortly.

There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.

Scicon has moved away from its focus on luggage for carrying bikes around recently, making a splash with itshigh-end sunniesand£225 bibshorts. But it still sellsbike travel bags, alongside a range of different sized saddle bags. The Scicon Phantom 230 is one of its smallest.

Designed to clamp to your saddle rails, the Scicon Phantom 230 has just enough room - 230ml, hence its name - for a spare inner tube. You might manage to squeeze your house key in there too, but Scicon’s suggestion that you could fit in aCO2 cartridgeand a patch kit looks ambitious if you carry a standard butylinner tubewith you. It’s an either/or option.

So if you want to guard against the majority ofon-road hiccups, you’ll need to carry some stuff elsewhere - probably in yourjersey pockets.

But what the Scicon Phantom 230 does really well is to give you a small amount of extra capacity unobtrusively. It sits under your saddle and is small enough that it’s not going to get in your way as you ride.

>>> Best bike saddle bags

Plus, it’s held in place really securely by the clever Roller 2.1 clamp. This fits to your saddle rails and is tightened using a large red screw. Unlike some systems, this means it’s tool free and the size of the screw head makes it easy to get enough leverage for a tight fit.

Once the clamp’s fitted, the Scicon Phantom 230 bag slots onto it at an angle and turning it clicks it securely in place. It’s a simple, effective system and keeps your bag away from a delicate, expensivecarbon seatpost. There’s a light loop built in if you want to attach a rearblinkieto up your visibility.

Another useful feature is the two red plastictyre leversbuilt into the bag’s mounting point, one inside and one outside the bag. They’re reasonably robust, but the plastic feels slightly brittle and they are a bit short. I wouldn’t rate their chances against a tighttubeless tyre.

The £35 list price makes the Scicon Phantom 230 an expensive option on a price per volume basis, but it feels sturdy and well made and its easy on/off mounting system is a definite advantage.