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chrome industries cinelli barrage cargo backpack

chrome industries cinelli barrage cargo backpack

sat pretty much at the back of thewashingmachinepost bikeshed is a beautiful italian lugged-steel roadster, sporting a sturney-archer three-speed gear, rod-pull brakes, fully enclosed chain, mudguards, a more-practical-than-you'd-realise newspaper rack on the swept back handlebars and a sturdy, tubular steel rack over the rear wheel. if that is insufficient to whet your commuting appetite, it also has a bell and a sprung brooks leather saddle. there really is little to compare in the velocipedinal universe. riding it confers a status that has no equal and i have been known to emulate the royal wave upon meeting acquaintances along the way.

chrome industries cinelli barrage cargo backpack

in order to augment the carrying capacity of that rear rack, i have festooned it with a set of brooks brick-lane roll-up panniers, offering what i regard as the best of both worlds; when there is stuff to be carried, one or both can be unrolled to participate in cargo duties, but when flying free, with the wind blowing in my greying ponytail, they are rolled together atop the colour co-ordinated rack. agglomerating all the above into a single cycling package, you would think i'd resemble the proverbial pig in sh*t, but there is, as always, a weak link in the chain, so to speak.

chrome industries cinelli barrage cargo backpack

those of you brought up in the heyday of sturmey-archer, when it was still british and owned by raleigh, will be well aware of the three-speed hubgear's limitations. though a five-speed hub would ameliorate at least two of those limitations, for one reason or another, that particular variation seemed less than popular in the church of sedate cycling, hence the ubiquity of the three-speed variation. basically, first gear is a 33% reduction, second is effectively direct-drive and third is a 33% increase. in other words, never the right gear for any occasion.

so despite the joys to be had from commuting on this particular variation of italian steel, hit anything above a breeze or a robust slope and life becomes harder than it really ought to be. add even a modest amount of cargo (as in the standard 3kg bag of porridge oats) and chris hoy thighs can be developed during the ride home.

chrome industries cinelli barrage cargo backpack

what's a porridge-loving coffee commuter to do?

those lovely people at portland's chrome industries are pretty much equal partners in team cinelli chrome a band of itinerant racers who are, if the website copy is to be believed "...a new energy in racing. This is a team that transcends urban landscapes and creative movements - seeing the bicycle as a form of communication." unlike the pampered pros in the world tour, these hardy individuals "carry their own bags, wrench on their own bikes and bandage their own wounds." fulfilling this mission statement requires a backpack that can leap tall buildings in a single bound. if you were a small backpack just starting out in life, this is what you'd hope to be when you grow-up.

chrome industries cinelli barrage cargo backpack

cast from the sort of heavyweight nylon cordura that could repel a concerted klingon attack and backed with a welded waterproof 'truck tarpaulin' liner, this pack would not only swallow several 3kg bags of oats but probably the warehouse in which they're stored. i managed to cram in far more stuff than i'd ever have need of during normal domestic carrying duties and should i have had one at my disposal, there's an internal pocket capable of enclosing a 15" macbook pro. my considerably smaller 13" macbook air almost disappeared without trace. to protect all those contents, the rolltop opening is secured by a particularly substantial adjustable strap and buckle.

chrome industries cinelli barrage cargo backpack

the rear of the pack, the bit that sits against your back while riding, consists of heavily sculpted padding and features channeling to allow cooling airflow. i cannot deny that there was still a modest degree of sweatiness when riding on a warm day, but a bit like the archetypal breathable jacket, the holy grail in this area has yet to be achieved by anyone. the comfort, however, is highly impressive. and in order that all this stays where it's supposed to, even when rocking and rolling up the steepest of hills, there's a chest strap that slots into a chromed miniature seatbelt-style buckle on the rightmost strap.

the more observant amongst you might be querying, if those cinelli chaps are involved in the racing end of bicycling, won't they have need of carting helmets about? well spotted; but those chrome people are already one step ahead of you. chrome industries cinelli barrage cargo backpack featured on the outside of the brightly highlighted, roll-top backpack is an open mesh easily capable of safely enclosing an entire cycle helmet augmented with adjustable straps. and as if that weren't enough, side pockets can cheerfully grasp a u-lock and water bottle.

this chrome industries barrage cargo backpack will save any intrepid cyclist from the iniquities of sturmey's three awkwardly placed gears, all the while carrying your worldly possessions in safety upon your air-conditioned back. if you've the more contemporary eleven-speeds, even with heavy hauling, you'll be flying. there's more adjustability and versatility available here than you could ever catalogue and the fact that it's guaranteed for life surely demonstrates that chrome have as much faith in their workmanship as we'd like them to have.

state of the art with orange and yellow.

the chrome industries cinelli barrage cargo backpack retails in the usa for $200. it's available from 'always riding' in the uk at a cost of £189.98.

chrome industries

sunday 3 september 2017

twmp ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................