Chrome Ranchero Messenger Pack

Chrome Bags

So, remember how I was saying that I’ve completely fallen in love w/ bikes & cycling? Well, I took it a step further a couple days ago and sourced a used Chrome messenger pack.

The bag is a Ranchero, their medium sized backpack. It rocks.

I got it off a nice guy on craigslist for a little over half the retail price. I was/am very excited and am loving it!

Today, it carried a change of clothes (full change of clothes, boxers and everything), all my necessary bike stuff (aka: emergency tire tube, mini-tool), a big laptop (14.5″ screen) + power supply, some snacks, pens, Lord of the Flies, and (2) notebooks with lots of room to spare.

It fits comfortably with two over-the-back straps. A friend recommended getting a messenger pack (as opposed to a bag which slings over one shoulder) for comfort and because you can get a bigger one. I am glad I did get a pack! It’s been lovely. More to come.

May 20, 2008 Update:

So, I’ve been using the bag a bit more. Overall, I still love it to death (which, is about as long as it’ll last since it’s got a lifetime warranty).

First, a few things I’ve began to notice:

We had a short fit of 95°F+ weather. I rode when it was down in the mid-80′s and, well, the pack was sweaty. I was sweaty. My back was the sweatiest of the bunch.

The padded backing is nice (it’s a slightly older version of the bag, not sure from when but at least 2 years old) but you have to get a little creative with packing the thing otherwise you get protrusions jutting into your back.

On a regular basis, I pack it with a change of clothes (jeans, shirt, boxers, socks, shoes), my bike tools (mini-tool, tire changing stuff, a spare tube, screwdrivers), deodorant, some snacks & drinks (Clif bars and Naked drinks for the win!), a couple notebooks, a few pens and at least one book. It carries all that happily and without fail. It has also been as waterproof as they say and I haven’t noticed even a lick of dampness inside the pack.

Chrome after commute

Bicycling Reviews

So, I’ve definitely dove head first into this whole biking thing.

Part of my obsession seems to stem from the ease of relating a bicycle to a car. Well, a very very simplified car. Also, a much less expensive car.

Right now I am rocking a mountain bike commuter (woot woot). Let me tell you, it is hard! Everyday I seem to get passed by people who, while looking like they are in quite good shape, have got to have at least 20 years on me. I’ll be pedaling quite hard up a teeny-tiny slope and some geezer (for lack of better words) will blow by me on an older road bike. I don’t know how long I can take this!

My bike’s a 2006 Cannondale F600 Hardtail. A front shock, but it locks out. Not too bad but I still am loosing some of my pedaling power due to that. It is pretty damn comfy but I don’t really care much for that. I upgraded to smaller tires (26×1.5″ versus 26×2.1″) to make the commute a little better. Still, even very minimal slopes seem to be a slow deathmarch. I tend to average less than 9mph on my 3.5mi way to and from work. It’s kinda depressing but for now, the bike gets the job done.

I’ve been logging my progress on Bike Journal. I started out at number 57xx/59xx and I’m up to 5,027! I’ve biked 52.52mi and average 9.45mph. I’m a sucker for statistics so that is pretty sweet. I can’t believe that a week ago, I wasn’t biking at all! It’s an amazing pastime and it is kicking my ass into shape real quick. Not to mention, filling up my car is almost a $50 affair now-a-days… And I drive a damn Subaru! I cannot believe it but I must. I feel that bikes will become my new passion. Cheaper, healthier, better for the environment, better for me. Not too much to argue with except that they are so much slower.

Anyways, I’ve been searching for a new bike. I’ve come to love cyclocross bikes a lot! They are pretty much the bike version of a Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Fast on and off the road. Sure, you can get a mountain bike and be faster off-road or get a road bike and be faster on the pavement, but I tend to be on both. Plus, the cyclocross bikes seem better fit for double duty and can accommodate fenders and nice big tires very nicely.

I’ve ridden:

-Bianchi Axis $1200 w/ mostly Tiagra components

-Kona Jake $900 w/ all Tiagra

-LeMond Poprad $1500 w/ mostly 105

Reviews to follow. I’m tired for now and I really gotta get some sleep as I got a long workday ahead of me tomorrow!

First, I rode the Axis. It was my first big expensive road-ish bike that I’ve ever ridden. What a crazy experience! Needless to say, I didn’t really know how to compare it to anything and I really need to go back and ride it again with my new found bicycling enlightenment (well, lack there-of).

Yesterday (Wednesday), I test rode the Kona Jake at Bike Gallery in Lake Oswego, OR. It’s an aluminum bike with a 4130 chromoly steel fork and Shimano Tiagra components. I was kind of blown away. For the price ($850), it was very very good! It handled well and climbed pretty good (better than my Cannondale Mtb).
Today, I rode the Poprad from LeMond. This is the first bike that I’ve ridden that seems to be worth every penny. Given, it is $1500 but it is damn sexy. It’s a cx bike, yet it is pearl white. Badass! It’s made to get dirty and it is about as pure a white as you can get. The red accents work perfectly and the race rims look amazing.

Looks aside, the bike has Shimano 105 comps w/ an Ultegra rear derailleur. It was fantastic! Shifted smooth and got up to speed very quickly. Also, it climbed with ease! The frame is True Temper OS(OX?) Platinum Steel and the bike was incredibly light. It was a dream to ride and is currently my dream bike. Too bad Trek is stopping the Poprad… LeMond has 23 poprads in my size left at their factory… So, long story short, I do not think I will be able to save up the $1500 necessary to get that bike. Oh well. Looks like I’ll have to test out more bikes

Bikes I wanna look at:

• Salsa Casseroll
• Surly Cross-Check
• Cannondale Cyclocross

Part of me really wants a singlespeed but the other part of me thinks I’m not strong enough… I guess we’ll see where this whole bike thing takes me.