J-McKech

Yo, I'm lookin' to get either the citizen or the metropolis. I need to be able to carry 3 notebooks maybe 2 or 3 college text books and a t-shirt, jersey shoes, and perhaps shoes. The Citizen looked big enough when I was checkin it out, looked like tons of room but after comparing it to my current backpack, it has space volume space. The metropolis looks a little TOO big, as in I won't use nearly that much space. I've read the reviews but not typical what people carry. What do y'all carry?

slvoid

There's a pic of what I've stuffed into my Metropolis. Mind you it's all vinyl, so it's slightly stiffer than the cloth one and won't expand as much until it wears in a little.
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ght=chrome+bag

The timbuk2 bag I had in medium is just about the size of the citizen. So you get a good idea how much more space you'll have.

What exactly are you planning to carry in the metropolis in the worst case scenario? I can load it up with that and take a pic for you.

J-McKech

Well I want the citizen because it's smaller and less expensive. Worst case scenario I would carry, 3 note books, 3 text books, t-shirt, shorts, and shoes. Looking at the citizen, it seems it would carry it.

J-McKech

a Dank backpack? lol

MAK

A few thoughts from a Metropolis owner:

1. If you get a bag that just fits the stuff you expect to carry, you won't have the room to carry stuff that unexpectedly pops up. Like some hot girl's books when it starts raining and you can be her hero carrying and protecting her stuff. Or someday you may have a research project that requires a load of library books be transported. (If you're anything like my students let me give you a hint...The library is the big building with all the books in it. LOL)

2. Depending on how big or small you are, a bigger bag might actually be more comfortable than a smaller one. I own the Metropolis as well as a Bailey Works Superpro XL and find the Chrome is more comfortable because I'm a pretty big guy with a broad back.

slvoid

The timbuk2's pretty much the same size as the citizen, except the citizen's slightly less in terms of how deep (not high) the bag is but about a water bottle's width wider. As you can see, it's pretty much filled. You can stuff a shirt + pair of shorts on top but that's about it.

The chrome metropolis holds significantly more and will probably be more in tune with what you want.

J-McKech

The first one is the citizen and the second the metropolis, I'm assuming? I think between you and MAK, y'all have talked me into the metropolis. MAK, you're a prof? How well does the bag hold up? slvoid, books and clothes would fit in the metropolis no problem? I just hate carrying a backpack and a gym bag all around campus, I'm looking to consolidate.

slvoid

Yeah, the l&m box is the size of 2 text books. So in there you have about 4-6 textbooks, plus a bottle of water, plus sneakers, plus room for a jacket, pair of pants with enough room left over for maybe a gym outfit.
That's about the reasonable limit. I mean, you can go 1 up and get the kremlin and be able to stuff a laser printer in there but at that point, you're probably better off carrying a duffle bag then.

J-McKech

Hahaha, alright the metropolis sounds like more than enough, I would be carrying a laptop every now and then so thats a good thing. Alright, looks like I'm going back to the bike shop and picking that sucker up, sweet. I just have to be able to justify the 120 price tag to myself and slap it on the credit card.

MAK

Yes, I'm a professor. I've never had a problem with the Metropolis and have always had enough room. One thing that you must consider before you spend the money. In my opinion messenger bags are not super comfortable for walking around. I do find that the bag almost disappears once I'm on the bike but off the bike it's not as comfortable. A backpack may be more comfortable if you are doing a lot of walking around. Maybe some others could voice their opinions to help you.

michaelnel

I fill my Metropolis all the time and wish it was slightly larger. I sure wouldn't want a smaller one.

jyossarian

You could always get an Ortleib waterproof messenger bag. It's a backpack that may be big enough for your needs and may be more comfortable for riding/walking.

https://ortleib.com/_prod.php?lang=en...t=kuriertasche

bennyk

I use a BaileyWorks bag. It's pretty comfortable when walking around as long as it's not completely stuffed. I typically carry my computer, some folders & stuff, a few notebooks, and some other stuff with no problems on or off the bike.

It gets less comfortable when I have to put more than that in, and my computer gets smashed against my back.

Below is a picture of my Large Baileyworks bag, filled with a reasonable amount of stuff. As you can see, I could comfortably lay a jacket or shirt over the top of that stuff and close the top, but that's about all I like to pack in the bag. It's not that it gets uncomfortable as much as it gets heavy.

main pocket: computer case, rain jacket, 1 folder w/ envelopes and papers, 3 small notebooks, 2 paperbacks, a pair of shoes, 1 bottle of gatorade, a yellow pages, and the hotel bibles. other pockets: another pile of crap that includes checkbook, wallet, hat, pens/pencils/scale/light, mp3 player, camera, sunglasses