I need a new messenger bag.

I’ve been riding with an old TimBuk2 (that’s how they spell it) for over ten years and not only does it look ratty and the lining is coming apart… but it has started to smell like my armpits – particularly when it’s wet. I’ve taken to strapping it to the rack of my bike, which works wonderfully. That said, I’ve never found a perfect bike bag.

I realize that that last statement was a gay statement.

I’ve tried panniers, and they seem like a good idea, but I never got used to riding with a weight imbalance. On top of that, it is truly an embarrassing moment when you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror, ankle strap, helmet still on head and carrying a pannier, while your co-workers are giving you that indulgent smile usually reserved for the retarded.

I tried a pannier/backpack combo from Bike Nashbar that I scooped off my co-host Jeff for a week. It actually had a really nice backpack with an integrated rafting trip style dry bag. But the ‘pannier’ part epically sucked. I lost the bag while scooting across Queens Plaza, as a multi-cultural mess of the world’s worst drivers bore down on me, intent on delivering their lunch carts to a prime midtown location.

So, a new messenger bag it is. There are so many more companies making messenger bags now that it’s blown my mind and set me off the quest. I’m also afraid of buying the favored douchebag brand like, say … Chrome (fer chrissakes, they make a Vans rip-off sneaker now… that’s just low. Fuck you, Chrome Messenger bags.). But I want a handmade USA made bag that’ll accommodate my ‘Ninja Sword’ strap style (Loop goes OVER the shoulder – the other way is too close to car mirrors and doesn’t look like a Ninja Sword). Join me on my Quest, to be continued later or till I get a free bag.

Bike Tunes: Ike Turner

Working Together (right click to Save Link and enjoy repeatedly--go for it!)

Game of Love (right click to Save Link and rock out repeatedly--why not!)

First things first: nycbikecommuter does not condone biking and listening to tunes. We DO condone rocking while riding and a good tune should stick in your head long after you hear it, providing ample fuel for your commute.

(Full confession: I have been known to listen to tunes while riding about Prospect Park. And maybe on the Manhattan Bridge. But never in traffic. At least not since I ran in to a car while listening to tunes).

And we DO condone tasty tunes, two of which we have gleefully posted and eagerly hope you will download asafp!

These tracks pay tribute to the recently departed Ike Turner. Whatever his personal flaws, Ike was a supremely tasty guitarist and even a fine songwriter--he wrote both these songs, albeit as Eki Renrut (get it?), a pseudonym he devised to procure additional royalty checks.

Culled from Working Together, a GEM of an album that you can snag in its entirety from iTunes, these songs show Ike and Tina in a more mellow mode than some of their more strenuous hits.

Given Ike's well-reported extracurricular ickinesses, I can understand if you greet the eponymous title track with a few ironic titters. But try to shelve your cynicism and enjoy what is a lovely plea for unity: the melody is a honey, Tina's vocal is rough-hewn but restrained, Ike chips in some tangy guitar and the horns take this track over top. Gets me every time!

Game of Love is far funkier fare. Ever the able rhythm guitarist, Ike drives the track with an itchy lick that could go on for many a minute without bugging me. Tina rides on top with a nasty vocal that never shows an ounce of strain or fuss. A stone cold groover!

If you dig these tracks, by all means read this illuminating interview with Ike. And run don't walk to find Bold Soul Sister, a Meters-esque mover that has yummy rough vocals from Tina and a groovin Ike riff that achieves lift-off on the fade-out. yummy!

Rest in Peace Ike.
Ride and rock folks,
nycbikecommuter