Long ago, the East Bay Bicycle Coalition (EBBC) started up "Bike to Work Day" in the East Bay. It has since spread to the entire SF Bay Area and beyond, and one of the highlights for me is the free cotton musette bag that is handed out to participants each year full of small schwag: bike lights, commute and safety info, coupons for local restaurants, etc.
I have about a decade's worth of these highly useful bags and use them all the time in local stores, hauling a notebook or bike parts to Stone's Cyclery, etc. The unique silk-screened designs each year are always fin and promote my love of cycling as I go about my daily business. (They're too small for some things, but I have my off-topic Timbuk2 briefcase and messenger bag for bigger loads.)
Jon Spangler Alameda, CA 94501 USA
On Sep 23, 2009, at 8:12 AM, <classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org>
<classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org> wrote:
>
> Message: 12
> Date: Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:12:04 -0400
> From: <oroboyz@aol.com>
> Subject: [CR] Was: REAL bike messengers, now, staying on topic and
> messengers and bags....
> To: <billydavid13@comcast.net>, <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Message-ID: <8CC0A77580E7795-DA4-1215A@webmail-d092.sysops.aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>
> << 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. >>
>
>
>
> That is a great question, Billy...
>
> What about bicycle messengers in our On Topic period?
> What did they deliver and how organized were their efforts?
> Obviously they did not become cult fashion figures in their day
> with young (or young wishing) people mimicking their dress and
> accessories (!) but they certainly existed.
> I am remembering Joe E Brown in 6 Day Racer was a bike messenger,
> wearing a neat uniform and delivering a meal to a hotel...?
>
> This talk about what bag is exactly correct for a "real messenger"
> strikes me a bit silly; obviously in recent years there has been a
> consensus toward these heavy duty over built bags, a few actually
> used by messengers, but also style & marketing ("We are the real
> messenger bag makers") aimed at college kids or wannabes who carry
> their ipods and spare hoodies within... Nothing wrong with that but
> not much for us to talk about here on a vintage bike forum, is it?
>
> Now mussettes, now being referred to by some as "bonk bags" seems
> to be moving into that same highly marketed fad & fancy world.
> These have been around for many moons in many forms, ranging from
> the throwaway and therefore inexpensive light cotton bags to heavy
> vinyl 'keepers'.. This is why I created last year the http://
> http://www.classicrendezvous.com/
> chic designer coolios and their copy writers come along and
> pronounce one style or the other as the Real Bonk Bags!
>
> Dale Brown
> Greensboro, North Carolina USA