Bags! Bags! Bags!

Are we really a week into August already? The calendar seems to think so. That means "back-to-school" is just around the corner. Whether you're groaning or sighing with relief at the coming of September, we hope you'll enjoy our Bags! Bags! Bags! posts for the next few weeks, dedicated to the back-to-schooliest bags in the store: backpacks. This week we're all about the Metro Backpack from Banjo Brothers.

Designed for cycling, The Metro Backpack is a high quality backpack that boasts loads of organizational features that are sure to put you at the head of the class. Twelve different interior and exterior pockets make your gear, books, sack lunch, etc. easy to find (homework tonight?) and the bag itself easy to pack. In addition, the Metro has a padded sleeve for your computer on the go, cinch straps to expand or contract when you're carrying a little or a lot, and plenty of spots to clip your keys & lights or tuck your phone—there's even an included outer phone pouch. The Metro is built with the same attention to detail and value as Banjo's waterproof gear, but instead of a plastic waterproof liner, this most compact member of Banjo's backpack line applies the hanging liner system used in the company's messenger bags, making it functionally waterproof as there are no seams to the outside. At 1100 cubic inches it’s big enough for the commute and can still claim a stylishly compact profile.

Eager to learn more? We thought so! Scroll down to get the details on our special Back to School promotion, and read up on the Metro Backpack at PerennialCycle.com.

This Saturday Perennial Cycle will be back at Fulton Farmers Market with a focus on bags and panniers. Fulton Farmers Market is all about local fruits & veggies, crafts, and ready-to-eat food, so the natural choice was to bring along our friends from Banjo Brothers, our favorite locally-owned bag maker.

The folks from Banjo Brothers will be bringing along some great takeaways (including a coupon so good we can't share the details here):

• A limited quantity of a 4-color postcard designed by local artist (and cyclist) Adam Turman that is, in his words, "Totally mailable, framable, or hang on your fridgeable."
• A sample size of "Dude" or "Cowgirl" soaps from the local natural bath and bodycare company Bodylish, whose hand-made, all-natural soaps are perfect for everyone, but are especially good for cyclists of all stripes.
• A coupon good for a special offer on Banjo Brothers bags at Perennial Cycle

The peak season of fruits and veggies is just taking off, so if you're heading to the market by bike you'll want to have a bag that will help carry serious quantities, particularly if you're an experienced (or first time!) home-canner. Whether you’re heading home with a coffee cup and a handful of carrots or several pounds of cucumbers and tomatoes, if you're aiming to pedal it, we can help you find a way. We’ll have a sampling of grocery panniers & shopping baskets on display as well as a group of bikes well equipped for market shopping.

What: Bag Day with Banjo Brothers at Fulton Farmers Market

When: Saturday, July 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where: 49th and Chowen in S Minneapolis — between Xerxes and France Aves. just off of W 50th St.

Saturday is going to be a beautiful day for a bike ride and thanks to our tent-mates Banjo Brothers it's going to be an extra-special day at Fulton Farmers Market. See you there!

Today’s post is part of a new series of entries dedicated to showcasing Perennial Cycle’s involvement in local farmers markets during the summer. Be sure to watch the Shopcast as the weekend approaches to see where you’ll find the Perennial Cycle team throughout the season.

In our last post we featured the Civia Back-Roller Classic, the perfect partnership of Civia's urban styling and Ortlieb design. This week's bag comes from another of our favorite utilitarian city bikes: Linus. Just like Linus's bikes, Linus's Market Bag combines simplicity and reliability with a personality and style that, as Linus likes to say, "makes you feel like you’re in an old French movie". Oui, oui! we say!

Available in three colors, the Linus Market Bag is made from rugged 22oz cotton canvas with a classic look that's sure to always be in style. Leather straps and brushed brass snaps mean this bag is built to last. Carry it in the market by its handle or with the included leather padded shoulder strap. The Market Bag also comes with a small padlock that can be attached to the bag's built-in D-ring for extra security when leaving the bag on your bike.

In the above photo, you'll see three straps on the inside panel of each side of the bag, two at the top and one along the bottom. It's a snap (!) to attach the straps to the top rail of your rack and along the bottom portion of the rack's stay. The three-point attachment ensures your groceries won't bounce on the ride home.

The best part about the market bag? It's incredibly versatile. It can hold a little or a lot and will fit on almost any bike rack—Linus or otherwise. That's what makes the Market Bag so perfect for an afternoon shopping run. Even my L-XL Nutcase Helmet fit inside. The side flaps snap shut on either side, and for those of us who don't want to make the effort to secure the snaps each time, there's a handy magnet sewn into the center of the flap to hold it in place.

On its interior, the bag is wide open—no space is wasted with separations or compartments. With a firm, flat bottom the Market Bag is ready to be loaded up with veggies straight from the farmers market, grocery bags, or pastries and deli treats... as in my case.

Whether I'm riding to work or home from the grocery store, I want to be sure whatever I'm carrying is well protected—especially from rain. Soggy shoes or cereal boxes aren't the end of the world, that I know. But, having grown up in the Midwest, I do have an appreciation for a waterproof bag that's always ready for a turn in the weather. That way I'm never at the mercy of a downpour—the kind that has led me (an otherwise scrupulous user of my own reusable grocery bags) to be shamefully bagging every last paper-wrapped item at the co-op in the teeny plastic bags provided at the checkout.

When we (and many of our customers) think waterproof, we're often thinking Ortlieb. At home, I've had a black Ortlieb Shopper for the past couple of years, and it's been a stand-out bag. Lately though, I've been looking for something with a little more style. That's where the Civia Back-Roller Classic comes in. Civia's Ortlieb bags have always stood out to me for their bold, simple graphics. Even the reflective, high-vis dots of the ends of each bag are a step up from the norm (and for the design nerd, a clever tie-in of Civia's three dot signature). Another bonus for the casual shopper or commuter is that the bags are sold individually, so there's no need to spring for a set when you only need one bag to get you started.

We had a few out on Monday when the Civia team came by for a test-ride night and they shared a little of the Ortlieb/Civia story with us. Designed and manufactured in Germany, Ortlieb panniers were a natural partner for Civia when they began their search for a sturdy, fully waterproof bag that would be a good fit for the brand. The bags have the same slim profile, bold colors, and built-in practicality that you'll find in any Civia bicycle. Before Civia's line of Back-Rollers were released, Ortlieb made mainly solid-colored bags, but after seeing what Civia's Minneapolis designers had done with their German-made bags, Ortlieb rolled out a line of Back-Roller Classic pairs with their very own minimal graphics. Excuse me while I have a moment of Twin-Cities pride...

Like the original, Civia's Ortlieb has an inner pocket for an added bit of organization and a built-in carrying strap. And, as you've come to expect from any Ortlieb bag, Civia's Back-Roller Classic has easy, reliable and customizable attachment hardware. The Back-Roller's non-directional design means you can hang it on either side of your rack, and it's narrow enough that it'll adjust to fit almost any rack without worrying about heel-strike, which is bike-shop code for knocking your bag off your rack with your own foot.

Best of all, like a good pair of jeans, the Back-Roller is built for every-day use. And when every inch of your jeans is soaking wet and hours from dry at the end of an unexpected ride in the rain, you'll be glad to know you've got a warm, dry change of clothes tucked away in your Back-Roller to change into at your destination.