08 August 2008

What's In Your Bag?

It's not quite Back-To-School, but I'm thinking along the lines of starting to get organized. I was going to show people what I carry in my bike bag (tools, etc.) but realized that it would be more fun if we all did a show and tell together. Anyone who wants to is invited to participate, post to your blog or send in submissions, whatever! Photos, lists, reviews, whatever you think would be fun and useful.

I'd also love to know what bag you use and what you like and don't like about it. If you don't carry a bike bag/any tools I also think that's interesting, so I hope you'll play too and let us know why you prefer to travel light.

Shall we set next Friday (15 August) as Bike Bag Share Day? Tell your friends!

Clarification, your "bike bag" can be your personal bag, but don't feel obliged to share the personal part. By saying "bike bag" I mean only bike-related items you carry regularly, if you carry any at all.

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

I posted my bag contents back in March. It's roughly the same stuff now, but without the scarf, gloves, etc. My bag is an LL Bean mesenger bag, which gets the job done, but isn't much to look at and can get a bit uncomfortable on longer riders. Check it out if you want...http://spokencontract.wordpress.com/2008/03/07/bike-bag-inventory/

Charlotte said...

spokencontract - this is perfect, thank you!

Your link, and another that you referenced are very interesting. My bag isn't quite so, uh, full....

Anonymous said...

Charlotte, would it be relevant to your quest for me to send pics of my bags which don't commute but are used on my bikes as fashion accessories only?
alf

Charlotte said...

Absolutely Alf - I am sure we're all interested in bags as fashion accessories!

aLex said...

oh, goodie! this bag whore is more than willing to share. i will take photos this weekend!

PhilboydStunge said...

I made a bag to hang from my saddle out of a fanny pack and a couple toe clip straps. In it is a lock and cable, a Target bag for covering the saddle on rainy days, a small tool kit, a foldable shopping bag, a rain jacket, and quarters. The quarters are for the gas station air pump or the bus, I don't carry a pump with me. Thats the every day stuff. If I need more I toss it in the basket.

bikegirl said...

It won't be stylish, but I'll post my bags (yes, bags) by next Friday. It may not be as spontaneous as what spokencontract showed, but I'll try.

Unknown said...

Fun invitation you’ve got going!!!
Happy you commented on my Best Panniers EVER! Also that you’ve been ‘inspired in part’ by these seeing bags! Check them out everyone and get inspired yourself at these awesome bags!

Charlotte I also have a little fun experiment called Poll Results. It’s like your “What’s in Your Bag?” I wanted to find out what people where wearing when they ride. I think your readers may get a chuckle.

Colville-Andersen said...

fun game. i use a shoulder bag but it has absolutely nothing to do with cycling.

if i acquired a 'cycling bag' i would be contradicting everything i say on copenhagencyclechic.com about how cycling is - and should be - normalised. which means using it as transport and nothing else.

people don't use driving gloves anymore, busses dont' have conductors, etc... if you know what I mean.

Courtnee said...

I don't have a bag, I have a basket. Yesterday, my wallet, new handlebar grips, old handlebar grips, and umbrella went in there. Often, library books and my wallet go in there. Sometimes I carry a purse if I have a lot of stuff and I know I'm going to be hopping on off my bike.

Charlotte said...

Zac, perhaps I stated the question poorly for Copenhagen...

Certainly any bag you take on your bike is a "cycling bag". Do you have anything cycling-specific in this shoulder bag? Tools for flat repairs, a pump, etc?

The Great Bald One said...

Awesome idea. I have a few different bags that I use. Will get some pics and info together soon.

Miss Sarah said...

I only wear a bike bag when I'm on the road bike. Contents include: lock, phone, wallet, sometimes a pair of flip flops to change into after I'm done with bike shoes.

Generally I just take my purse! If I don't have my dog or groceries it goes in the basket, if I have cargo then it goes on the handlebars. Contents include: Hello Kitty UV protection umbrella, wallet, glasses/shades, phone, essentials kit (kleenex, mini parfume, lipstick, etc), camera, mini brush, bamboo fan. The fan is particularly great when I'm done riding, I always whip it out and it helps the sweat go away:)

Ling said...

My bag is pretty soaked. Boston's sort of rainy right now!

Kristin Tieche said...

To answer your question, Charlotte, I carry a small purse with just the essentials: wallet, phone, lipstick, business cards, keys. I can post a pick of it if you like. When I'm carrying more stuff, like a magazine, I have a medium sized bag! They are over-the-shoulder bags, and not messenger style, really. Just like a normal purse.

MELI. said...

sounds like fun!. Ill post some images with my normal purse. sometimes I take this small backpack if I take a large magazine or set of books that dont quite fit in my purse. will send the link soon ;)

Anonymous said...

uh-oh... i hope my daughter's ketchup packet hasn't exploded all over the inside of my bag...

Colville-Andersen said...

it's not a cycling bag, it's a bag I carry while cycling.

when you get off your bike does it become a pedestrian bag? :-)

i have nothing cycle related in my bag whatsoever and I don't know anyone who does. if I need air, i go to a bike shop - all of which have free pumps out front. tools? if the bike is broken or punctured... bike shop.

In my bag i carry a notebook, a camera, cigarettes, gum... hmmm... that's about it. if i'm doing the shopping that day i have a canvas shopping bag for carrying the groceries home.

Charlotte said...

Zac,
I feel like you're willfully misconstruing my comments, but no matter. You don't carry anything bike-related in the bag and that's was I was interested in learning.

I use my bike as transportation, and so I need to be able to rely on it. I use it late at night when bike shops are closed, and when I'm miles away from bike shops. Thus I have to carry emergency supplies so that I can hobble home, much like cars are equipped with spare tires and buses have back-up buses.

Wouldn't it be nice if we all had it as easy as you do?

JPTwins said...

Charlotte,
I understand what you're getting at. Life in Boston isn't life in Copenhagen.

It's like having a car, and of course your have a spare and a jack in the trunk. I carry a tube and a pump and tire removers. Anything worse, then I guess I would just bail -- call the wife or a taxi. that hasn't happened yet.

Then again, I got a flat the other day, and just rode the T (metro) the rest of the way home.

Geoff

Charlotte said...

JPTwins -
I'd love to share a photo of what you carry, if you're willing.

When the T is running it is often a good solution. Too bad it shuts down so early and has so many service outages. The disappointing subway is part of why I love my bike so much (but only part!).

Unknown said...

I ride a relatively "hardcore" bike, since I like to do some longer rides too, and I didn't have the space or money to get more than one bike (that bike, I got in 2006 for something like half price, I was going to buy a more "civilized" bike when I entered the store!). And I like it zippy, too! I have a secret weapon to avoid "trouser in sock": an old school metallic trouser clip! Doesn't look too stupid, and I can take it off in a second.

Still, the content of my bag when biking isn't very different from when I'm not. In bike related equipment, I have the U-lock and the tool for my security skewers that I recently got (which doubles as a keychain and a bottle opener). I might have my lights if I expect I'll be coming back late. That's it.

The bag itself is a locally made messenger bag, but usually their smallest "Frida" model, which isn't really much of a messenger bag, more of a "hold well on my shoulder without flapping in my face" bag (they call it a "sport purse" on their site, which is pretty accurate). I also have a "Fred", for when I need to actually carry something.

Looks like I'd both be shunned by the bike chic community (crazy fitness bike) and by the more hardcore lycra crowd. Oh well. :-)

Anonymous said...

I have a milk crate with reflective sides on the back of my bike, but the only thing that stays there with any regularity is a waterproof jacket with reflective strips on it. I got caught in a white shirt in the rain -- I'm sure you can imagine the sight -- before that became a fixture. It folds up so small, though, that it tucks under the bungees that hold the crate to the back rack and is barely noticeable. I leave it in there even when I'm locking the bike up, and no one has taken it yet; I figure if someone does steal a jacket from a bike, they probably need it more than I do.

For flats/repairs/etc., I carry nothing with me and simply rely on the Metro or a bus to get me back home or to a shop if such a thing occurred. I can put the bike on a bus 24-7, and on Metro as long as it's not rush hour. It's funny, because when I had a car, I had a lot of classmates who had never learned how to change spark plugs or a tire, and I would chide them for relying on someone else to be able to do something mechanical. But I totally have no problem leaving that sort of thing up to the bike experts.

GZ said...

My bike bag is my normal bag, and as such it carries round my normal things. I have a pump in my office, and pump and repair kit at home, but I see no need to lug these round with me. There's a cable lock in the basket on the back (I couldn't ride without a basket or panniers).

Anonymous said...

late to this little game, but sure: I use a plastic/square bike basket on the front. Easy, cause my Dutch transport bike is practically made for that.

I traveled to Paris last weekend and in the morning I had to get to the train station with my luggage (suitcase). Guess what, it fits perfectly :).

I have a shoulder bag for my laptop and other related articles to get by during the day, not specifically for a bike of course, but when I'm riding I put that in my basket too. All very comfortable.

Anonymous said...

As we all know, Zak lives in a place that is rather conducive to traveling by bicycle. Unfortunately, the bike shop closest to my home is about 2 miles away, none of the local shops have air available outside, and bringing a bike in for repairs during the summer months usually means you get to wait for several weeks. So I carry the essentials to keep me on the road.

I have a small seat bag that I attach to whichever bike I'm riding. It contains a Park multi-tool, tire levers, patch kit, lock and a wrench for the axle nuts. I usually put my wallet and phone in there, too. If I need to carry anything more I ride the Collegiate with the Wald "Giant Delivery Basket" on the front. :)

Anonymous said...

I am going to copenhagen in a week...I hope I don't look too much like a bicyclist...sounds like I might have problems.

rb said...

I use a Velo Orange Croissant bag, that fits under my Brooks saddle. In it I have a Park Multi tool, and old Snap On Crescent wrench that I found at a garage sale, a small pump, and a spare tube. I also carry a plastic shopping bag to cover the saddle if it rains.

2whls3spds said...

Somehow I missed this post the first time around...

Bag/basket varies by bike, My Raleigh Superbe has a very nice Carradice Nelson bag. My Redline R430 and Staiger both have baskets. The "stuff" varies depending on the weather and where I am headed. The constants are a Topeak Morph pump, a spare tube, patch kit and a Park Tools MTB-3 and some form of rain protection...Poncho, umbrella,or a large garbage bag ;-D


Aaron

2whls3spds said...

Forgot to add in my last post...closest bike shop 20 miles+ (and there are only 3 within a 40 mile radius)closest bus stop 7 miles and it only runs 4 times a day, next closest bus stop is over 12 miles away, and that is making the assumption that the rack space is available. The price we pay for country living ;-)

Aaron

Reedy Jo said...

My bag contents are listed on my blog.

I agree that my mounted bag is like the trunk of my car - just in case something happens, I'll be as prepared as I can be.