Gaciron Bird Nest 100/200, Loop 100 – light and bag combos
Gaciron Bird Nest 100/200 – a smart saddlebag – kinda
Gaciron’s new saddlebags are well-made, have an enormous capacity, and now come with a hint of smartness. The latest addition to the company’s range is an easy-to-remove rear smartlight that attaches magnetically to a socket in the bag.
It’s big…
Bird Nest 200
This is a massive 1.4L saddlebag. I could easily get a windcheater, tyres, tubes and a repair kit in it. Probably a day’s worth of sandwiches too :-). OK, perhaps not the latter, but certainly a few snacks. It’s a great alternative to a handlebar-mounted bag; big, but not as accessible when riding along.
The 200 model is surprisingly easy to set up with just one bolt fastening the permanent bracket to your saddle rails. The saddlebag then slides into a simple mount, and the front end is cleverly attached to your seatpost with a Boa/Fitgo dial-like twisting mechanism. It takes about ten seconds to put the bag on and five to remove it.
The light pod can also be easily removed by hand. A simple 90-degree twist disengages the magnet, and it pops out. You can charge via USB-C and re-insert it, or change its flash mode to one of two solid light modes and three flashing modes.
What I liked
Decent 35-hour battery life
Decent 30lm brightness, several modes
The seatpost mechanism will work on any seatpost cross-section
The material and zipper are good quality and seem to have decent splashproofing
The bracket extender will probably accommodate most saddle rails
Vast 1.4L capacity
side/top/light views
Zip detail
Clever seatpost attachment
What could be improved?
The aesthetics are Ok, but it’s a big, long beast.
I want an internal pouch to store cash, an AirTag, or to keep tyre levers away from inner tubes.
Can’t be compressed in use; you must fill the internal space; otherwise, the contents bounce around on bumpier trail/road surfaces.
‘Smart’ features are limited to a light that goes to sleep when no vibration is detected.
More: Gaciron.com
Birds Nest 100
The 0.8L model has 2/3rd the capacity of the 200 edition – the numbers in the name are confusing and don’t seem to relate to any size aspect of the product.
The same pros and cons apply to the smaller model, although it lacks the dial-locking mechanism for the seatpost.
Whilst the 200 is intended for its large capacity, Gaciron may have intended the Birds Nest 100 for more performance-focused riders. However, I don’t think it quite cuts it for that group.
Certainly in my case, the smaller Birds Nest bag seems visually more intrusive than my old Specialized mini wedgie bag that almost moulded into the shape of the underside of the saddle (image below) – the Specialized was a PITA to get off, though. Although light at 120g, Gaciron’s biggest saddlebag is double the weight of the smaller Specialized Wedgie. Price-wise, the wedgie-style bags typically come in at around GBP15- 20, again half the price of the Gaciron 100 but with a much greater capacity. My specialised bag could only accommodate a butyl inner, levers and a few other tiny bits (much improved with a TPU inner as a spare)
Loop 100
Gaciron’s Loop 100 is a small but powerful 100Lm light that can be attached to either the saddle rails with the supplied bracket or to a seatpost with the provided adapters.
The list has the flash modes shown in the image further below, plus it turns solid for three seconds when braking.
It’s a nicely competent light, perhaps priced only slightly too highly at $21.99 on Amazon. I had hoped to fasten this to my Cervelo P5, but its rails were inaccessible and there was no adapter for its tear-shaped seat post.
Take Out
Gaciron have some nice bag and light options here.
The Bird Cage 100 is a good quality bag if it meets your criteria. I expected this smaller model would replace my wedgie bag; however, I’m not keen on its size and aesthetics on my main road bike, as there is too much space around it.
I thought the Bird Cage 200 would be too big, but I’ll leave it on my old MTB bike, which I use for day-long or multi-day adventures with friends. That extra size is going to be extremely useful. This is a highly functional and well-made bag for carrying lots of stuff.
While both saddlebag lights undoubtedly add weight (210g, 120g), they also add storage capacity and save the need and weight of an additional rear light.
