----- Forwarded Message ----- From: billydavid13@comcast.net To: "John Betmanis" <johnb@oxford.net> Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 9:46:37 AM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central Subject: Re: [CR] What REAL bike messengers use and buy in San Francisco
Hi John, all. I've used my old 2CC [Second City Cyclists club] musette to carry the odd item, lock, tools, etc. It's considerably smaller than the Rapha "bonk bag" but could easily be stuffed into a jersey pocket when not in use. But having worked as a messenger i'd have to say the "bonk bag" is too small for serious use in that benighted trade. To bring this back to OT considerations: Does anyone know what [if anything] bike messengers in the pre WWII period used? I'm under the impression they were used by newspapers and perhaps others. Were any of these people racers using their day jobs to get in some training? Any info appreciated. Billy [former Deadend Express courier] Ketchum; Chicago, IL; USA.
Jon Spangler wrote:
> REAL bike messengers across the bay in San Francisco spend $80 - $200
> on CHROME, Timbuk2, and similar bomb-proof bags, and in daily hard use
> wear them out relatively quickly (2-5 years) despite their being built
> like tanks out of Cordura and Ballistics cloth, among other materials.
> That is probably
> 2-3 days' worth of gross pay (for very hard work) for an average bike
> messenger.
Well, to steer this thread back on topic and away from bike messenger or
Carnaby Street haute couture, the only kind of bag a REAL CYCLIST would
carry is a bonk bag.
This one costs 1/10 of the one from Brooks.
http://www.rapha.cc/
"Back in the day" these were home made from striped deck chair material, patterned after the throw-away musettes handed out at feeding stations in road races.
--
John Betmanis Woodstock, Ontario Canada