Shopcast

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.

Riding in Minneapolis' Powderhorn 24 bike race stands out as one of the most fun events I've been involved in by bike—ever. The field of riders is men, women, teams, solo riders, unicycles, recumbents, road bikes, touring bikes, folding bikes, fixies, single-speeds, etc, etc. All riding together... for 24 hours. The wide range of cyclists and wheels big and small all riding together made a bit of a party out of it (to say nothing of the hundreds of people camped along the Greenway's start/finish area). Trapped together in the maze of the Powderhorn neighborhood, we all shared an intense need to keep going and going and going. Minneapolis bike culture at its best!

The route was simple, or so it seemed. There was about a 5 mile loop that started and finished on the greenway. The loop (or lap) was a fairly straightforward ride that made a rectangular pattern out in the open streets (not a closed race course) around Powderhorn Park. The lap had 4 checkpoints that you had a hole punched on your lap counting card that we were all wearing as necklaces. If you missed a checkpoint, the next checkpoint would not give you a punch and this way it was obvious that everyone was hitting all checkpoints every lap.

When I signed up I didn't pay attention to anything beyond it being a 24 hour ride. Upon learning about the checkpoints I thought it was something a bit different than I imagined and I considered bailing out, but thanks to peer pressure (I signed up with a friend whom I had done a 24 hour ride with once before) I kept my doubts somewhat in check. After finding out we wouldn't just have our laps counted, we'd have bonus checkpoints throughout the 24 hours within a mile of the route, I worried we were on the verge of a potential disaster. Truth: the last 24 hour ride Derek and I did together led to us making some irrational decisions starting at about 14 hours in and were pretty much completely delirious for the last 8 hours (and that was a simple ride to Duluth and back!).

The roll out with a few hundred spectators cheering the couple hundred riders was exciting and we quickly got into a rhythm and discovered that even with all the stops, we were able to keep up a decent pace and within a couple of laps we had a route that was making sense to us. An hour in and we had over 15 miles under our belts and then we get handed a manifest with our fist 5 bonus stops (each with 2 hours windows to stop at them).

The bonuses forced us to start thinking beyond the laps. We had to go to a Beehive where we added antennas to our helmets to turn us into bees (worker bees, for sure), did a karaoke stint to Rocket Man, raced through a little obstacle course on a tiny kids bike, rode a lap on a Nice Ride, did yoga, played out a bit of an operetta (I was Crete, stirring up the seas), tried a little bike polo on my recumbent, wrote a Haiku, learned about in-season veggies at the Midtown Farmers Market, etc, etc. Phew!

The bonus (!) of the bonus stops was that they kept us sane (though they were mostly doing things that took me out of my comfort zone) and the constant encouragement and socializing with other riders kept up our pace and sometime Saturday morning we had ridden a double century and a triple seemed do-able. How cool is this, eh? Things continued going smoothly for us and while we didn't make the triple, we did end up clocking 275 miles over a total of 51 official laps.

The final lap was glorious in that the "race" was over and all the riders were content with simply finishing off the lap (only full laps were counted) and celebrating an amazing accomplishment. Thanks to all who came out to cheer us on, to the organizers and volunteers of the Powderhorn 24, and to our fellow riders!

Here's some video that I shot:

This Saturday is Bike Day at Midtown Farmers Market and we'll be there running the Bike Valet all morning. Whether you're looking for a way to get your veggies, berries, and baked goods home from the market via pedal-power, or just need a safe place to park your wheels while you shop—we've got you covered. We'll have a sampling of grocery panniers & shopping baskets on display as well as our carrot-colored cargo bike (The Bullitt, of course), a Brompton folding bike, and a utility bike ideally suited for market shopping. Fancy a test ride on the Brompton? Interested in finding a way to haul a canning session's worth of tomatoes by bike? We're happy to help.

What: Bike Day at Midtown Farmers Market

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

Where: E Lake Street and 22nd Ave S—between the Midtown YWCA & the Lake Street/Midtown light rail station—a few blocks south of the Midtown Greenway.

Other Bike Day highlights at Midtown Farmers Market this Saturday:

• Market staff will be giving away Midtown Farmers Market panniers to 5 lucky winners
• Quality Bike Products (QBP) has donated 10 sets of bike lights and 5 bike racks that will be offered as prizes during the day
• Nice Ride will be running a booth with info and games and passing out free (yes, free!) bike helmets
• The Midtown Greenway Coalition will be participating as a Community Table
• Our friends from Angry Catfish will be offering complimentary safety checks throughout the morning

All in all, the Midtown crew has a great day planned for the bike community. You won't want to miss this market! See you Saturday!

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 the watch the Shopcast as the weekend approaches to see where you'll find the Perennial Cycle team throughout the season.

So you've custom-ordered your Brompton and you've settled on a front-luggage solution—be it the Folding Basket, the T-Bag, the S-Bag, or another option. Maybe you've even considered the B&W hardcase for traveling with your Brommie. You're good to go when it comes to commuting to work, heading out to the grocery, and hopping on a plane. But what about when you're just grabbing drinks or a coffee with friends? Sure, you could carry a bag or stash your phone, keys & wallet in your jeans. But, if you're like me, you might not want to bother with a shoulder bag, however small, and you might not have any pockets in the skirt or dress you're wearing. That's where Po Campo's Six Corners Wristlet & Handlebar Bag comes in.

As Emily demonstrates in the video below, the Six Corners Handlebar Bag is petite yet roomy and within view while you ride, and plays just as well with Brompton's handlebars as it has with Civia or Linus in previous editions of the Shopcast. And, like the easy carrier block mount you're used to with your Brompton bags, Po Campo's handlebar bag is made to clip on and off quickly when you're locking up your Brompton and want to take your valuables with you. Best of all, and especially important for any Brompton owner, Po Campo's little handlebar bag won't interfere with the bike's fold if you're bringing the whole package in with you at your destination.

(And gentlemen, before you excuse yourselves for a replay of our folding competition on YouTube, note the stylish, unassuming tones of the Umber Handlebar Bag. Just consider the screaming teal interior part of what gives you speed when you're down in aero on your S- or M-bar.)

Ahem. Back to the bag at hand. One of the best things about the Six Corners Wristlet is that it's not just a handbag. It's a wristlet, yes. It's also a purse when you clip the handle at either end, or a clutch with the handle removed altogether. There's even a hands-free option if you happen to be sporting a belt: the back of every one of these beauties is outfitted with two convenient loops through which to slip a belt, so long as it's not ultra-wide.

Aesthetically, what really makes the Brompton + Po Campo combo hit it out of the park is the way the Po Campo patterns sing alongside Brompton's many color-personalities. You can pair Fanfare with Sage for the tone-on-tone look above or match up the complementary Feathers with Brompton's Arctic Blue. Rounding out the trio is Umber, a great neutral that will ride well with any Brompton—hers or his. And, though they likely won't be around long, we also have a few of Po Campo's now discontinued laminated-cotton "Bicycles" wristlets remaining. They pair well with matching white, turkish green & raw lacquer handlebars and contrast nicely with Brompton's warm hues of yellow, orange, and red. Get 'em before they're gone!

See you later this week for another of our new features, "At the Market."