In the 1980s, while on tour in Europe, I passed through Lyon, France. Lyon is considered by many to be the culinary capital of France. It is where the Rhône and the Saône rivers converge. Lyon is also home to the Henri Malartre transportation museum, which I thought might prove worthy of a visit. 

After a brief visit to the court house where Nazi war criminal Claus Barbie was being tried, I made my way to the Malartre museum. Just north of the City Center and built around the remnants of a 15th century castle, the museum was rambling and quiet. As should be expected <sigh>, most of of the floor space was inhabited by motor vehicles – cars and motorbikes – including Hitler's armored Mercedes. But they also had an impressive array of bicycles.

It was at the Malartre that I learned of randonneuring and a little of the history of what the French call “cyclotouring”. I saw 50-year-old touring bicycles and tandems built by Lyon’s own Paul Charrel. These were not crude, antiquated machines, but brilliantly constructed and detailed bicycles. I remember staring up at a Charrel tandem and feeling a bit like an orphan that just bumped into the grandfather I never knew I had!

At that moment, gazing in slack-jawed youthful wonderment at the gorgeous Charrel rando tandem, two things occurred to me. First and most obvious was that travel by bicycle with panniers, handlebar bag and all the accouterments had a history that predated WWII. Second was the realization that these bicycles – 40 or 50 years old at the time – looked contemporary and familiar. Actually, they looked superior to contemporary bikes. The design, materials, and some components from that era were still valid. Not something you could say about many things from the 1930s and 40s. I could have taken a Charrel down from the wall, loaded it with gear, and ridden off down the Rhone River Valley and not sacrificed a pedal stroke in comfort or performance.

I took something I learned from my experience at the Malartre museum 25 years ago. You see, unlike in the realm of racing, when it comes to traveling by bicycles the technological advancements in materials and components are less important. The static state of equipment for bicycle travel is oddly reassuring to me. Knowing I could take that Charrel off the museum wall and tour with it today gives me great comfort.

We’ve had folks ask us why the Orpington front bag opens towards the front.  It's a fair question.   Although, it should be noted that there are other rando-style bags that open from the front.  The popular Ostrich randonneur bag comes to mind. 

We did have a prototype that opened to the rear, but frankly it would not close up as tightly as the front open version and, therefore, was more vulnerable to rain penetration.  The front opening bag mimics our panniers and closes snugly with no need for inside flaps to help keep water out. 

Of course the point of having a rear-opening bag is that it makes accessing the main compartment simpler while you’re in the saddle.  However, the Orpington is still very accessible from the saddle.  Because it has a single front and center attachment point, it was easy to lift one side of the lid and reach into the bag to retrieve items from the main compartment. 

I’ve been using the Orpington for over a year and I’ve done this maneuver many times.  In fact, I have even unlatched the buckle up front, and opened and closed the bag with my right hand while riding.  I would not recommend that technique, particularly since lifting the edge of the lid is pretty effective.  

For now we don’t plan to make a rear opening front bag.  However, if you want the rear-opening bag there are plenty of great bag makers out there doing quality front rando-style bags that open toward the rider.  At the end of the day, it’s your happiness that matters!  

I have probably gotten more emails asking about the status of the front bag than any other subject.  Consequently, I’ve been reluctant to mention it because I end up explaining that it’s not in production yet and I’m not sure when it will be - blah, blah – an exercise that is unfulfilling for both parties in the exchange.  So, I’m hesitant to mention it once again, but I do so feeling pretty confident that we are about to move into production soon.

There are a lot of beautiful and finely detailed rando-style bags out there to be had.  And we’re not trying to be the finest or most finished in that genre.   Our goal is a handsome, functional, durable, and affordable bag.  I love the look of leather-on-canvas bags like Gilles Berthoud, but we don’t use leather.  The Berthoud bags are really beautiful and the gold standard, but I’d probably feel self-conscious having one perched on the front of my bicycle.  I’d be afraid to get it dirty.  I guess I’m a casualty of Midwestern sensibilities that are more machine-shop than fashion fop.

As you may note from the pictures, we ended up going back to a bag that will open to the front with no side pockets.  There are no pockets because we’ve added side straps to secure the bag to a front rack.  We are hoping to have the first batch ready in a month if all goes as planned.  Email me if you must, but we'll be sure to make an announcement here when they're ready for sale.

In other news, Elly Blue, Joe Biel and Joshua Ploeg brought their traveling show, “Dinner and Bikes”, to Iowa City last night.  Be sure to check them out if they travel to your town!

Just a point of clarification; you MAY purchase any number of bags you desire.  You may also purchase any combination of colors and styles.  

There is a reason we are clarifying this point.  Initially, we limited purchases to 2 bags per order.  This created some confusion.  Some people thought they were REQUIRED to purchase TWO bags.  In a feeble attempt to clarify this point, we posted a statement that said “you may purchase one bag.”  This did not help because it is really unclear and folks thought they could only purchase one bag.  Consequently, we have had people contact us wondering if they could purchase two bags. 

We are currently low on a few colors and styles, but we will be replenishing supplies shortly and we don’t anticipate running short.  Thanks for your patience.  Meanwhile, here’s a gratuitous picture of an old French touring bike fully loaded with Ironweed bags.