Commuting - courier bags

does anyone use a courier bag for comuting... I am going to start commuting to school.. and I love the look of courier bags and eventually want to become one..

any flaws pros or cons??

You want to become a courier bag?

Courior Bags are very, very cool! I use a fairly large "Timbuktu", (it's my third bag), and LOVE it, much better than a back pack. Ride with it "HIGH" on your back. I've even used it for multi day rides, grocery trips etc. etc. Timbuktu makes their bags "to order" so you can get the exact size, color and accessories you want, and they're very tough. Once you get used to the "cross chest" strap you'l find it far more comfortable than a waist strap.
Ride for everything
Pat

Courier bags are a real pain in the @$$ for long rides. They work great for short runs, and for quick dismounts (like a courier does), but leave a lot to be desired if you are carrying anything more than letters, or are going farther than 2 or 3 miles. They will throw your center of mass way off if heavily loaded, put all the weight on one shoulder, and will often slide forward on quick stops.
A backpack will at least keep you balanced and spread the weight over 2 shoulders, but will raise your center of mass even higher.
If you have a long commute or are going to carry enough heavy stuff, a real rack (the kind that hooks to your dropouts, not the type which bends your seat post) and a set of good quality panniers (or even a clip-on briefcase-like I use) are absolutely essential.

Its a trade off between what weight you'll be carrying, and what distance, and how much you want to suffer for style.

More than 10 miles and a couple of kgs and suddenly nerdy rucksacks start looking good!

Stew

thanks alot everyone... I am only going about 4 to 5 miles to school... I am also a decent sewer and I am going to make a courier bag.. well hopefully I will try at least... I have everything heavyduty nylon thread... super strong waterproof nylon.... etc....

well thanks alot..

and p.s. I want to become a courier not a courier bag...

Originally posted by Allister
You want to become a courier bag?

Is that a viable career choice?

Originally posted by J.P. KING
thanks alot everyone... I am only going about 4 to 5 miles to school... I am also a decent sewer and I am going to make a courier bag.. well hopefully I will try at least... I have everything heavyduty nylon thread... super strong waterproof nylon.... etc....

well thanks alot..

and p.s. I want to become a courier not a courier bag...

Just playing around with your phraseology.

I'm not going to touch "I'm also a decent sewer..."

Originally posted by Chris L


Is that a viable career choice?

Dunno. What's your capacity?

I carry a courier bag. I ride over 5 miles each way to work with a laptop, papers, magazines, and the like, in my courier bag.

If you have a chest strap, it will limit the "roll around" when you stop suddenly. I also find that it has less contact area with my back than a rucksack does, so sweat is less an issue.

It does raise your CG, but not as much as a rucksack. I carry the bag to my left, with the strap over my right shoulder. When I ride, it sits closer to the center than to the left, so it doesn't make me feel lopsided, even though it weighs 12 lb (5.5 kg) fully loaded.

Jonathan

Originally posted by jramsey
I carry a courier bag.
I used to mount my load on a rack, until the [stupid thing] broke. Then I went back to a backpack, which I started with. I dreamed of panniers, but the cash slipped away first.

Each person uses what works for them. That's what I've learned.

check these out.
http://www.reloadbags.com/options/flames.html

Made for messengers, by messengers, in the City of Brotherly Love.

:D

Hi J.P. King,
Thanks alot ..its early in the morning here and you made me squirt coffee thur my nose !

Ride Safe ....Dudley

Sewer doesn't just mean drainage, but you probably already no that, so I won't go any further. JP King, you gotta be careful about what you say with those wierd Australian guys.:D

I used backpacks for many years until I discovered courier bags about 12 years ago. I've never had one ( CB) "slide forward" in a panic/quick stop, sure they only use one shoulder strap, but if you keep the chest strap adjusted correctly- no problems. Rearward vision is less impeded on a CB than a BP.

Couriers often ride several miles with heavy loads, there must be a reason why they use/prefer Courier Bags.

Earlier I recommended to mount the CB high on the shoulders, that is what the MFR suggests and what works for me, many prefer to mount them around/nearer to the hips. Experiment and go with what works for you. If you prefer to put, (unsprung). weight into racks on your bike, do that.

As for overnight rides, if the situation warrants I'll use a bike that has racks or use my trailer, but I prefer to use a bag when I can.

Ride Loaded (or Unloaded)
Pat

I ordered a Swiss army bag from Nashbar when they were discontinuing them, but my order got there to late , I was mad. I(when I have a bike) do a lot of errands that are no more than 2 miles away. My errands consist mostly of things like returning or checking out books from the library, picking up some thing from the grocery store, running into the BX for a bike magazine etc etc. So a back-pack is annoying to me because I am trying to move fast and it takes a while to unzip the BP, jam the stuff in there, wrestle the zipper closed and then corners and stuff poke me in the back. So to me a Courier bag sounds like it could be heaven on a bicycle. But I can't really say.