Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - cocotte alfredo bag opinions?

Does anyone have one of these? A friend is thinking of getting one but we can't find any info about them.

Thinking of getting one but don't know a thing about em. Makes sense.

http://www.cocotte-equip.com

They're nice bags. Well designed inside. I do _not_ like the clip attachment mechanism... seems like it'd break under heavy wear. I know a few people who have them who don't wear their bags particularly hard, and they do like them.

from the pictures, the lining doesn't look as waterproof as other bags'

golly, that seems Very Large

If I was spending $150 on a bag it would be a Large Pac Designs Street

Yeah, you can definitely find better bags for the money.

Keep in mind that the bag is $150 canadian. Thats like, 3 molsons US$.

Keep in mind that the bag is $150 canadian. Thats like, 3 molsons US$.

The PAC Street Large is $180. So, not a whole lot more.

like $50 dollars more

messengers here in montreal use em daily. i've seen some on the road for 10+ years.

the plastic buckle will not fail. IMHO some of the bags out there are a tad overbuilt.

the nicest thing about them is they cinch down real flat when they're empty. plus they loosen very easily one handed, as in one-handed pedalling. i don't like bags which seem like you need a secret 2 handed handshake to swing in front. makes it hard to hold a slice and pedal.

the PAC site says the large street is $155 US

Seagull Bags out of Columbus are awesome. Each one is custom, and they cost around 150 for a large.

That and the guy who makes them is my dude.

Seagull Bags out of Columbus are awesome. Each one is custom, and they cost around 150 for a large.

That and the guy who makes them is my dude.
this is a little off topic, but i've been wondering about seagull for a while. do you have any experience with their fanny pack deal?

I have one (Cocotte Alfredo)... got it in December. I wear/use it every day.

The one-pocket system is cavernous. While it's awesome and can hold everything I've tried to put in it, I still wish there was more in the way of organizing side-pockets. That said, I have no complaints. There is a padded back (removable/replaceable padding), the strap is the most comfortable I've ever worn. The long-body style really wraps around your back nicely. And the clip mechanism is pretty beefy (to answer an earlier concern). I don't see it breaking under any load.

Straps on the bottom cinch the whole thing up so that at any time the bag is only as big as you need it to be. It's very smartly designed, in my opinion. I got lots of compliments on it from the Ottawa messengers I was interviewing the day after I bought it.

Oh, and buy it in Canada if you can. Mine was closer to $100 (Canadian) at a retail store in Montreal.

Here is a nice view from Flickr:

http://static.flickr.com/1/1271442_447cd1d30e.jpg

Here is the link:

Cocotte on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/qbert72/1271442/)

yeah, i got one, and like it a lot. the only thing i don't like is where the main strap attaches to the bag. it uses to hook/clips, sometimes the main strap gets twisted around and then when you try and pick it up the strap just pops off. doesn't happen often, you just have to make sure the strap isn't twisted when you pick it up.

i always have it about half full and it rides pretty nice. it has more of a cube interior shape as opposed the rectangular prism shape of the chrome. the only bag i've seen in person that i think i would like more is the bailey works. the bailey has a better bag/main strap interface and is also padded where they meet.

i think it's a good bag for the money.
back pad, padded strap, single hand adjustment. i could use maybe two exterior pockets instead of one. but that's about it.

hey everyone, How do you think these bags handle the snow and what not, being in new england I need something that can deal with everything and be waterproof? how does the bag fit when its full? thanks

call me crazy but the cocette looks a lot like the one they're sellin' on Nasbar:

http://www.nashbar.com/profile_moreimages.cfm?category=66&subcategory=1237&sku=17248&brand=

very similar in build....

hey everyone, How do you think these bags handle the snow and what not, being in new england I need something that can deal with everything and be waterproof? how does the bag fit when its full? thanks

why not get a baileyworks bag? they're made in new england (new hampshire). tremendous against the elements. . .

call me crazy but the cocette looks a lot like the one they're sellin' on Nasbar:

http://www.nashbar.com/profile_moreimages.cfm?category=66&subcategory=1237&sku=17248&brand=

very similar in build....

That looks exactly like a re-branded Cocotte! Probably overstock from a custom order or something.

thanks for that price i might get it and see how it is. it looks the same bag. does anyone know about Auclair Messenger Bags?

yeah, i got one, and like it a lot. the only thing i don't like is where the main strap attaches to the bag. it uses to hook/clips, sometimes the main strap gets twisted around and then when you try and pick it up the strap just pops off. doesn't happen often, you just have to make sure the strap isn't twisted when you pick it up.



I was having this same problem and talked to the guys at Cocotte. They had me send the strap back and they put different buckles on it, so it doesn't pop loose. TheY did it for free, except for the shipping to their shop.

Anyway, that Nashbar bag is the same bag, and a hella deal at that!

call me crazy but the cocette looks a lot like the one they're sellin' on Nasbar:

http://www.nashbar.com/profile_moreimages.cfm?category=66&subcategory=1237&sku=17248&brand=

very similar in build....

So I emailed the folks about Cocotte about the Auclair mess bags... here's what they wrote back:


Hi Micheal,

No, it is not a Quebec made Cocotte but a Chinese cheap replica. We've
seen a couple of them about 3 years ago in Montreal, they were copy from
one of our bags that was bough at ABC cycles by the Auclair rep. They
have been used by a couple of messenger and lasted between 3 and 6
weeks, sometime less. I don't think there are making them anymore.
Thanks for the info.

Patric Meunier
www.cococtte-equip.com

I was having this same problem and talked to the guys at Cocotte. They had me send the strap back and they put different buckles on it, so it doesn't pop loose. TheY did it for free, except for the shipping to their shop.

Anyway, that Nashbar bag is the same bag, and a hella deal at that!

i might do that. i recently emailed them about getting compression strap extensions. i emailed them my address and waited for a price quote, never came. but the straps did. free straps, hell yeah. i know straps don't cost much, the shipping was probably more, but it's still cool.

as far as the interior goes, it is pvc coated nylon, not truck tarp like most bags. i haven't had a problem, but i don't use it for more than an hour in the rain.

i'm never going to buy a bag based on price again, and i'm never going to buy a bag without seeing it first. it's the little things that make all the difference.

Reviving a dead thread, since when I was researching this bag way back when it was really hard to find good reviews of it.

I couriered with one of these for about 4 months. Personally, I don't really like this bag. It does have good build quality, a comfortable shoulder strap and decent-ish waterproofing. But it's just not that great of a value for the price. If you just want a simple bag for carrying books to class, get a MEC Brenta, which has 3 litres less capacity for $50. Pick up some waterproofing solution at MEC as well, treat the whole bag with that and you're good. If you want to lay down some more cash for something high quality and strong, for $30 more you can get a PAC Street Large, which is better quality and larger.

I ended up upgrading to a PAC Ultimate. The Cocotte feels like a purse when I put it on now. I wonder how I managed to make any money with it. I do remember spending a lot of time in lobbies of office buildings unpacking and carefully re-packing everything in my bag to make it fit.

For any Torontonians here, Shannen at Red Arrow bikes in Kensington Market (19 Kensington Ave, I think) has PAC bags for below MSRP. I think he carries the Street Large. He's also probably the best and fairest mechanic in downtown Toronto.