Oveja Negra Super Wedgie: The AnyBike Frame Pack

compose Logan Watts
time Jun 14, 2016
comment 17

For those who aren’t familiar with them, Oveja Negra is a small gear maker based in the mountain town of Salida, Colorado. They specialize in building bikepacking bags on-site and sourcing as many materials as possible from the US. We’ve been extremely impressed with the quality workmanship put into every Oveja Negra bag we’ve ever tested, so our ears perked when we heard about the new Super Wedgie.

There are a couple of hurdles that can stymie the search for your first—or only—frame pack. For starters, if there are multiple bikes involved, finding a single frame pack that fits each one can be a challenge. The ideal solution is to have a custom bag made for each bike. But that would require a hefty financial investment as well as substantial lead time for having the bags constructed. Otherwise, it’s a matter of resorting to a single frame bag that fits one well, but may be too loose or too small for another. Second, some riders may wish to retain the use of one or more of the interior frame bottle cage mounts. With that in mind, the only accessible and operative solution has been a half frame pack, such as a Oveja Negra’s ½ Pack or the Revelate Designs Tangle. That is a fine solution, but when a half frame bag is used on a smaller bike within a tighter triangle, it often impedes access to both seat-tube and down-tube mounted bottles.

Enter the Super Wedgie. The design and concept behind this frame pack is simple: use the front of the frame triangle (the wedge) for the bag, and retain access to the full height of the rear triangle for a seat tube mounted standard bottle cage — or better yet, larger bottles and cages. This spatial relationship can even allow the bag to be used on some full-suspension bikes that feature a vertically oriented rear shock.

The Super Wedgie comes in two sizes, small and large. Oveja Negra sent us both to try. After a month or so of use, it became evident that they did their homework when designing the angles of the bag. We tried them on several bikes and they always fit well within the wedge. The amount of space between the seat-tube mounted bottle and the rear of the bag just differed depending on the length of the top-tube. The large received the most use and fit perfectly on Gin’s size medium Advocate Lorax. We also tested it on a size large Krampus, Cannondale Slate, and Surly Ice Cream Truck, as seen in a few of these photos. It fit all of the frames nearly perfectly. That said, it would have been ideal for the pack to have about an inch and a half more length on the longest of the bikes. On the other hand, when used in tandem with a titanium ManyThing cage on the seat tube, the Super Wedgie usually allows enough space to fit a Vargo BOT or a larger Kleen Kanteen. We haven’t used the smaller sized bag much, since most of our bikes have open triangles and are either large or medium. However, it seems that it could work well for small bikes and those with full suspension bikes.

The Super Wedgie is constructed of water resistant X-Pac VX21 and Cordura 1000d with YKK Uretek Water Resistant Zippers. In addition to the elegant strap and panel design, it has a rubberized zipper garage and a nice rear webbing grab handle to use as leverage when closing the zippers. It also features closed cell reinforcements in the top and rear panels that help protect the frame and maintain the bag’s shape. The top of the bag also has additional HDPE reinforcement and a bar tacked webbing daisy chain, which allows the single OneWrap Velcro strap to move forward or backward to create the best fit. This design also enables the bag to be attached in conjunction with almost any top tube bag. Last but not least, Oveja Negra added a non-drive side zippered sleeve pocket that’s perfect for smaller items such as keys, a smartphone, or a map.

Pros

• The Super Wedgie is a well thought out bag that still allows full access to the rear seat tube bottle cage.
• Excellent build quality and craftsmanship.
• The useful side pocket for key, maps, tools, etc.
• Good strap placement and an adjustable front daisy chain strap.
• Added top panel padding helps the bag keep its shape.
• The downtube strap doesn’t interfere with underside down tube mounted cage; a pet peeve of mine with most framebags.

Cons

• The large feels almost like a big medium as it fits a medium size frame well; but this certainly depends on the bike.
• I’d like to see an XL option that is about 1.5″ longer.

• Weight (S/L) 204g/230g
• Dimensions (large) 15.5″L x 10.5″H (39.4 x 26.7cm)
• Dimensions (small) 13″L x 9″H (33 x 23cm)
• Volume (S/L) ~6L/~4L
• Price (S/L) $90/$100
• Contact OvejaNegraThreadworks.com

Wrap Up

Given the attention to detail and craftsmanship put into all Oveja Negra’s bags, the Super Wedgie is a really nice extension to their product line. It’s also a great addition to any bike bag collection and offers a creative multi-bike frame pack solution. For rigid and hardtail bikes, it’s design allows for the use of seat tube bottle mounts, a benefit that cannot be overstated, especially in the summer months when fewer clothes but more water is needed. Furthermore, for those interested in a smaller frame pack for everyday riding, the Super Wedgie is a great accessory.