Commuting - bags

So Im in the market for a messanger bag and Im looking between buying either a Citizan Chrome bag or Timbuk2's ProSeries messanger bag. If anyone can tell me their experience with either of these bags (pros and cons) that would be great. thanks.

You'll find lots of info in the single speed/fixed forum about this topic. Just go there and read...a lot! :)

To summarize what you'll discover: Chrome good, Timbuk2 bad

Before you decide, take a look at Wingnut (http://www.wingnutgear.com). I recently got one of their bags and I'm thrilled with it so far. One big advantage over a messenger bag is that you can put a CamelBak bladder in there. :)

pac designs

http://www.pacdesigns.com/oversize.htm

I've heard good stuff about r.e.load bags - http://reloadbags.com/

So Im in the market for a messanger bag and Im looking between buying either a Citizan Chrome bag or Timbuk2's ProSeries messanger bag. If anyone can tell me their experience with either of these bags (pros and cons) that would be great. thanks.

You will have to go a looooooong way to find a better, more comfortable, tougher bag than a ......
"Courierware" bag. Never heard of them?? Yep, a small Vermont company that sells bags made by
and used by bike couriers and everday folk's. I've had just about every brand out there and nobody,
yes, nobody make a more useful comfortable bags that will beat a Courierware bag. Nobody.

I'm on my second bag as my son took the first one for his worldwide travels. These bags are the best.


http://www.courierwareusa.com/

There's no reason for anyone to buy a messenger bag that takes two hands to adjust. That rules out timbuk2 and all the plastic cam-buckle bags.

After that, it's pretty hard to go wrong.

Is chrome the only company that has a release buckle in the middle of the strap?

Chromes seem to be a good, reliable bet, I'm hoping to get a mini-metro sometime soon. Timbuk2's are beloved by many but they're really kind of a McBag.

http://www.courierwareusa.com/ http://www.courierwareusa.com/

http://www.courierwareusa.com/ http://www.courierwareusa.com/


http://www.courierwareusa.com/ http://www.courierwareusa.com/

http://www.courierwareusa.com/ http://www.courierwareusa.com/

http://www.courierwareusa.com/ http://www.courierwareusa.com/

http://www.courierwareusa.com/ http://www.courierwareusa.com/

Really people get the best, most comfortable bags out there..........

http://www.courierwareusa.com/

Y'know, there just haven't been enough arguments about messenger bags.

get a backpack. why are ya'll so obsessed with the one strap thing? it's hard on the back.

Chrome is good. timbuk2 are a waste of money. Get a reload bag. A friend of my girlfriend knows the girl who makes them. I've also heard good things about dank bags. www.dankbags.com Made here in Seattle still I think.

I've been punishing a timbuk2 daily including through last winter. I definitely wouldn't call it a waste of money. It's working great. The key ribbon is starting to fray, but no sign of any other wear, other than the mud stains all over it.

sewed my own. it's not the greatest, but it works. I guess it looks kind of like an Under the Weather bag.

to be honest, it didn't save me that much money over buying a new one, but it was an informative project.

Is chrome the only company that has a release buckle in the middle of the strap?

Nope, baileyworks has that too.

Most popular with us messengers is chrome and baileyworks.

Ive got a timbuk2, it was my first, wont be buying another one.The strap on them sucks, it works, but it still sucks.

Nobody yet has made a bag with a more comfortable strap than the chrome, sorry, just the way it is.

Most bags with a decent strap are just fine, they all have their good and bad points.they all seem to last about the same amount of time, 18-24months of pro use and they leak in the rain.

I will try any bag, im not prejudiced, they all cost about the same amount of $$, but until someone has all the features that a chrome has, I have to say given the choice, chrome is really tough to beat.Id put bailey works right behind them.Baileyworks makes a damn fine bag.

You will have to go a looooooong way to find a better, more comfortable, tougher bag than a ......
"Courierware" bag. Never heard of them?? Yep, a small Vermont company that sells bags made by
and used by bike couriers and everday folk's. I've had just about every brand out there and nobody,
yes, nobody make a more useful comfortable bags that will beat a Courierware bag. Nobody.

I'm on my second bag as my son took the first one for his worldwide travels. These bags are the best.


http://www.courierwareusa.com/

Just looked at their site, no thanks, probably durable, but durability is the easy part, comfort and actual usefullness is another issue, their strap system sucks.You put some weight in that thing and it will eat your shoulder for lunch, sliding shoulder pads dont work worth a damn, even when fixed to work they way they should, middle strap cinching with pull down to tighten works better than anything else.

get a backpack. why are ya'll so obsessed with the one strap thing? it's hard on the back.
if you're just going to be commuting, consider a backpack. just make sure its good and waterproof (chrome makes good backpacks).
having said that, this thread might help: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=78461&highlight=messenger+bag

Just looked at their site, no thanks, probably durable, but durability is the easy part, comfort and actual usefullness is another issue, their strap system sucks.You put some weight in that thing and it will eat your shoulder for lunch, sliding shoulder pads dont work worth a damn, even when fixed to work they way they should, middle strap cinching with pull down to tighten works better than anything else.

I can understand why you might think that, mate. However, the interesting thing about Courierware
bags is that they are simple to a fault which is why they work so good. Nothing to break or not work.
The more you use one the more you like it. These bags just sorta "do it all" very quietly with no fuss
at all.

As to the strap....that also is deceptive as to it's comfort level. With the strap alone 90% of what you
throw in a bag will be carried very comfortably. The added pad is for those who overload the bag
to aid in keeping the strap (as any would) digging into your shoulder under the load. As this bag wears
in it becomes more and more comfortable.

I carry a small bag with my coffee thermos,lunch , and papers for my job(which can be a lot) plus my
jacket/coat when in season. I walk over a 1/2 mile from where I have to park to the job twice a day
often with the bag fairly well stuffed. My old bag was often painful at the end of the walk but the
Courierware bag never has caused any discomfort. As a fact the more I use it the less I know it's there.

Its exactly like the timbuk2 strap, sorry, no sale.Spend 350 miles/wk carrying loads up to 50lbs for years and these little details start to matter.I have never broken anything major on any of the bags, but they ALL start leaking in the rain after a year and a half or so.Big integrated strap pad and center strap buckle and cinching system blows everything else away both in usability and comfort.Dunno if your a courierware salemen or what, but trust me, out in the real world working for a living carrying one of these bags, and you'll appreciate a pro quality bag, courierware isnt it, neither is timbuk2.

"Dunno if your a courierware salemen or what, but trust me, out in the real world working for a living carrying one of these bags, and you'll appreciate a pro quality bag, courierware isnt it, neither is timbuk2."

No, I'm not a salesman just a very firm fan. That said, you're entitled to your opinion as am I.
;) ;)

PAC Bags are the best bags in my opinion. They really last forever.
PUSHTHEENVELOPE and RELOAD are also awesome.

Chrome are great too, but perhaps a little over hyped.

In my opinion the TIMBUK2 bags are the most overpriced poo bags I've seen. Their website is great, but their bags I've found not to be nearly as well built as PAC, PUSH, CHROME or RELOAD.

I've been punishing a timbuk2 daily including through last winter. I definitely wouldn't call it a waste of money. It's working great. The key ribbon is starting to fray, but no sign of any other wear, other than the mud stains all over it.

I have three Timbuk2s in different sizes. What's the beef about them? Mine have all worked great for years.

if you're just going to be commuting, consider a backpack. just make sure its good and waterproof (chrome makes good backpacks).
having said that, this thread might help: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=78461&highlight=messenger+bag

Yeah, the Wingnut bags I linked to above are fantastic in the waterproof department -- they even sports the fancy sealing zippers. Really a great bag (but not cheap!).

Haha... I'm a dufus.

The Chrome store is about 100 yards from where I live. I guess I should walk over there and check the bags out.

Doh!

I'm going to SF on the 26th-31st of July. Should I hold out and buy a Chrome bag (Royal Blue, Metropolis) at the store, or just buy it online?

I really want to get it now to commute to class, but if its worth waiting, I think I might have to.

http://www.reloadbags.com/

I like the look of the chrome bags
but how is it riding with a messenegr bag, i never quite got the hang of it though i think the bag i use may be accountable for most of the problem. its a noname brand i picked up for $20 and i can never get it to stay on my back while i ride, it always drops down and hits the tops of my legs as i pedal or just makes it very akward to. do the mroe expensive bags remedy this or is this a fault in the design of all messenger bags?

sorry for the hijaak but id liek to know if anyone else had had the same problem

its a noname brand i picked up for $20 and i can never get it to stay on my back while i ride, it always drops down and hits the tops of my legs as i pedal or just makes it very akward to. do the mroe expensive bags remedy this or is this a fault in the design of all messenger bags?


That is what the stabilizer strap is for. Both Chrome and Timbuk2 bags have these. It's just a small strap that wraps around you body and connects to the shoulder harness. It holds the bag on your back. Can't imagine why any bag that calls itself a messenger bag wouldn't have it. Some bags are just knock-offs to have the 'look' without the functionality.