Sometimes synthetic materials just work too well to ignore.  Natural fabrics {wool, waxed cotton, canvas} helped conquer North America but synthetics took us to the moon (Alice).

Ortlieb makes some kick-ass, super waterproof, ergonomically well designed bags;  backpacks, messenger bags, panniers, duffle bags, . . . (etc.)

Ortlieb bags aren’t poser products; with your individual, personal and unique style, it’s your job to bring the grooviness to the bag, rather than the poser expectation of the bag bringing its grooviness to you.  I call this the GroovY-Reciprocity-Factor (GRF).

Get-on with your super-bad GRF and sling this bag over your shoulder to Bev-Mo and Trader-Joe’s and bring home the holiday cheer.

The medium Sling-It Shoulder Bag [$102.00 msrp] (pictured here) will easily carry 4 bottles of wine or a six pack of beer and two liter sized bottles.

I love this bag.  No dangly straps to distract you from the task at hand.  The non-slip shoulder pad holds the strap comfortably in place and comes with a stabilizer strap that keeps the bag well positioned across your back.  The medium bag is perfectly sized for a bag with a single strap.  When you use a larger bag you’ll find yourself stuff’n it full and too much weight on one shoulder is uncomfortable.  The larger Ortlieb single strap bag would benefit from a wider strap to help spread the pressure of the weight more uniformly across the shoulder.  If you plan on carrying heavy goods, consider a backpack style bag.  The key difference between a messenger bag and a backpack is the convenience of get’n stuff in and out of the messenger bag without having to take it completely off; unfasten the stabilizer strap and you can swing the bag around and easily open the Velcro secured flap.

The bags come in a variety of colors.

Other features I really like:
•2 zippered internal compartments
•2 big open inner pockets for easy access
•padded laptop pocket
•pen slots
•removable internal snap hook for keys

Visit BikeBagShop.com ($79.00) to review specs and other size options.

Tenga Moda Animaux!

Well, Mr. Fashionista, your velo-style inspiration has been jacked wide open.  I stumbled upon his backpack through a link from the very groovy site;  JJJJound.com.

As Mr. JJJJound demonstrates the highest in esthetic regard, applying the associative property of style influence [ (a•b)•c = a•(b•c)]  we can conclude Mr. Fashionista has subscribed to a groove. Q.E.D.

The bags are created by Makr Carry Goods at http://makr.com.

The back pack is the Farm Ruck Sack ($160.00)

The shoulder bag is the Farm Messenger Bag ($195.00)

If you’re gonna get in some urban city riding and trade a few automobile miles for commuting miles [you know you better jack-up your annual total on two wheels for bragging rights], you gotta get geared up for the convenience and fashion of moving around town on two wheels {in style}.  Also, it’s essential that you have a bag to keep the Bev-Mo goods stored for the ride home.

Makr Carry Goods offers some very distinctive items.

Personally, I love canvas but would prefer nylon to leather straps.  The leather closure straps on the bags look too dangly and give the bags a sloppy appearance.  Leather works well in some applications but often seems a throwback to early design ideals when applied as straps to bags for carrying stuff while on the bike.  I love the size and shape of these bags but the leather ruins it for me here.

Muy Fashionista Animaux!

The SAD[dle] company is determined to attract a wider audience beyond their traditional market.  The poster on the left was photographed from their booth.

They had some very cool panniers on display constructed from material that was very un-Brooks-like in material and design [high-tech fabric, water-proof zippers, nylon straps, silver hardware, not one leather strap or brass buckle].

[Elle est Animaux!] [I wonder what's on her sign?]