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.