Cocotte Alfredo bag opinions?
#26
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Toronto
Posts: 65
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
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.
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.
#27
Newbie
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 3
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
#28
Newbie
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 3
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
#29
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: PHL
Posts: 9,948
Bikes: Litespeed Catalyst, IRO Rob Roy, All City Big Block
Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1332 Post(s)
Liked 398 Times
in
194 Posts
Digging up 13 year old bike forum posts to get defensive and tell people to use Google is definitely a good look.
#30
Newbie
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 3
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
#31
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: PHL
Posts: 9,948
Bikes: Litespeed Catalyst, IRO Rob Roy, All City Big Block
Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1332 Post(s)
Liked 398 Times
in
194 Posts
You're trying to interact with posts that were made 13 years ago, and I'm being bizarre.
#32
Clark W. Griswold
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: ,location, location
Posts: 13,765
Bikes: Foundry Chilkoot Ti W/Ultegra Di2, Salsa Timberjack Ti, Cinelli Mash Work RandoCross Fun Time Machine, 1x9 XT Parts Hybrid, Co-Motion Cascadia, Specialized Langster, Phil Wood Apple VeloXS Frame (w/DA 7400), R+M Supercharger2 Rohloff, Habanero Ti 26
Mentioned: 55 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4444 Post(s)
Liked 4,101 Times
in
2,737 Posts
#33
Senior Member
#34
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 10
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
You guys seem pretty serious about this. I use a regular tote in which I carry my laptop and class materials.
Last edited by andrea29; 08-08-19 at 07:23 AM. Reason: spell check
#36
- Soli Deo Gloria -
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Northwest Georgia
Posts: 14,779
Bikes: 2018 Rodriguez Custom Fixed Gear, 2017 Niner RLT 9 RDO, 2015 Bianchi Pista, 2002 Fuji Robaix
Mentioned: 235 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6844 Post(s)
Liked 736 Times
in
469 Posts
It was worth dredging up this old thread to click on the link and see the wrap around glass grille on the car on their home page.
I think that was a Ford Tempo? Or was a the Mercury version?
-Tim-
I think that was a Ford Tempo? Or was a the Mercury version?
-Tim-
#37
Super-duper Genius
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Muskrat Springs, Utah
Posts: 1,713
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 768 Post(s)
Liked 984 Times
in
508 Posts
I think Mercury Topaz had that grille style. My dad owned one for a few years. Ford Tempo was more of a plain, conventional grille. They were pretty crappy cars, and yet surprisingly popular/good sellers.
In the early '90s I maintained a small fleet of vehicles that included Tempos, Chevy Cavaliers, and a few Volkswagen Golfs. The Cavaliers were the most reliable and generally preferred by our drivers. For the '91 model year, we got a bunch of brand new Toyota Corollas, and they were head and shoulders above all the others in quality. Not as roomy or comfortable as a Tempo and some folks liked the Chevy's styling better, but those were their ONLY disadvantages. If I could have a 1991 model of any of these cars today, I would pick the Toyota without a moment's hesitation.
In the early '90s I maintained a small fleet of vehicles that included Tempos, Chevy Cavaliers, and a few Volkswagen Golfs. The Cavaliers were the most reliable and generally preferred by our drivers. For the '91 model year, we got a bunch of brand new Toyota Corollas, and they were head and shoulders above all the others in quality. Not as roomy or comfortable as a Tempo and some folks liked the Chevy's styling better, but those were their ONLY disadvantages. If I could have a 1991 model of any of these cars today, I would pick the Toyota without a moment's hesitation.
Last edited by Broctoon; 08-09-19 at 10:53 AM.
#38
- Soli Deo Gloria -
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Northwest Georgia
Posts: 14,779
Bikes: 2018 Rodriguez Custom Fixed Gear, 2017 Niner RLT 9 RDO, 2015 Bianchi Pista, 2002 Fuji Robaix
Mentioned: 235 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6844 Post(s)
Liked 736 Times
in
469 Posts
^^ Right. The Topaz.
I had a Tempo. Someone backed into it, dented the rear fender and their insurance gave me something like $2600. I never got it fixed but rented a condo is Orlando for a week and took my kids to Disney instead.
The rear main seal eventually went. I was doing demolition on a patio and didn't have a truck so filled the Tempo full of concrete rubble, back seat and trunk, and went back and forth to the county dump. The rear of the car was dragging with the load and the engine bearings going clacka-clacka-clacka the whole way, back and forth. Made six trips I think. I would rev the engine at stop lights and the bearings were super loud.
Then my friend wanted me to bring some aluminum to the dump so I loaded it up. I stopped hard at some point and a long piece slid forward, pierced the windshield and was sticking out like something from Mad Max. We were like, "Holy badword!" The dump was near the junkyards and so we drove it there, got rid of it and called someone to pick us up.
Its weird just reading this.
Sig worthy.
-Tim-
I had a Tempo. Someone backed into it, dented the rear fender and their insurance gave me something like $2600. I never got it fixed but rented a condo is Orlando for a week and took my kids to Disney instead.
The rear main seal eventually went. I was doing demolition on a patio and didn't have a truck so filled the Tempo full of concrete rubble, back seat and trunk, and went back and forth to the county dump. The rear of the car was dragging with the load and the engine bearings going clacka-clacka-clacka the whole way, back and forth. Made six trips I think. I would rev the engine at stop lights and the bearings were super loud.
Then my friend wanted me to bring some aluminum to the dump so I loaded it up. I stopped hard at some point and a long piece slid forward, pierced the windshield and was sticking out like something from Mad Max. We were like, "Holy badword!" The dump was near the junkyards and so we drove it there, got rid of it and called someone to pick us up.
Its weird just reading this.
Sig worthy.
-Tim-