Traffic Cone Blog

The Joy of Carry-On: how to stuff 8 countries in a Traffic Cone Bag

2021-03-10T00:36:00.001-05:00

No suitcase, no carry on. Just the Traffic Cone Bag (okay, and a foldable tote).

How far can you go with a Traffic Cone Bag and nothing else? I set myself the challenge in a 8-country art "scavenger hunt" - in the dead of winter - and survived all 12+ days without smelling terrible.

That's right, all of the above items either went in the Traffic Cone Bag, or went on me. With a little help from a pocket MUJI nylon tote to carry crushables - like a bit of food.

The secret of course, is your outer garments effectively become part of your luggage - think pockets, layers, and more layers... and the color black.

Read about my dual challenge on my ChelseaGallerista blog: The Damien Hirst Spot Challenge meets the Traffic Cone Bag Challenge

Citibike: Is that a helmet in your TCB (or are you just pleased to ride with me?)

2020-06-01T21:33:00.001-04:00

Is that a helmet in your Traffic Cone Bag?

With the Citibike bikeshare program taking New York by storm, I've discovered a new use for the Traffic Cone Bag: carrying your helmet AND stayin' alive!

Despite being a DFNC (double folder no car) gal I have joined the Citibike program, as I described in detail on my Galfromdownunder Upover blog. What's not to love about a ride-it-and-ditch-it personal cab for just $95155/year?'

But what to do about helmets? Some places are renting them out - does a lice protector come with that? The problem is, helmet rental stations are not situated at the bike stations, but somewhere else, compromising that "convenience" factor.

Carrying a helmet isn't convenient either, which is why many Citibikers have been riding without them. I confess I've ridden bareheaded a number of times while scurrying across town. Downunder, the mandatory helmet law is killing the Melbourne Bikeshare scheme.

So if you decide to wear a helmet, the Traffic Cone Bag will not only make you screamingly visible to traffic as is its mission, it will be a handy tote for your helmet off the bike as well:

Both small and large Traffic Cone Bags hold a helmet nicely, ranging from a regular road style to the rotund, skate style Nutcase Watermelon.

The small Traffic Cone Bag in stealth mode, holding a rather large helmet without any undue squeezing ...

At the risk of upselling you, here's why owning 2 TCB's - one inside the other gives you lots of clever, on-demand capacity!

Latest Traffic Cone Bag customers ...

Spotted in the saddle: Gerrit Guers, architect

The Traffic Cone Bag was originally designed for travelin' gals, but at least 50% of aficionados are guys - architects in particular like it for it's stealthy, minimalist, any-color-you-like-as-long-as-it's-black design. Like Gerrit:

Indeed, it's architect Gerrit Guers out for a spin on NYC's Summer Streets

Gerrit has one of my experimental black Scotchlite stripe bags. Here's what it looks like sailing down a car-free Park Ave

Good to see those kids are visible, TCB-style!

Stopping at the lights of course ... rule #1 for staying alive: act like a vehicle, obey the road rules

Climbing the Grand Central Station ramp where no bikes dare to tread on any other day except Summer Streets Saturday ...

"It's my everyday bag," says Gerrit. "Except when I'm on the bike, it's usually in black mode." Spoken like a true architect!

Spotted out of the saddle: Linda Hutchison-BurnFounder of Children's Education Foundation, Vietnam

The TCB in stealth mode outside Souen Macrobiotic restaurant. Not a bicycle in sight - but Citibike is around the corner ...

I recently caught up with Linda Burn, director of the charity Children's Education Foundation Vietnam who lives and works year round in Hoi An, Vietnam. "I use my TCB every day!" she says, zipping around on a motor scooter. Read about Linda's tireless efforts for her amazing charity here.

Order a Traffic Cone Bag

Double Bagging: Why 2 Traffic Cone Bags are better than one

2018-11-10T14:29:00.000-05:00

Trebling up the Traffic Cone Bag - one small, one large, one found!

A common-enough question about the reversibility of the Traffic Cone Bag comes from Becka Roolf in Salt Lake City via the TCB Facebook page:

Hey Lynette, I love my TCB, but I never reverse it because I'd have to take everything out of it... I wonder if you could make a version that just has a flap of fabric on the outside (that rolls up, tucks away, velcros on to stay secure while bicycling?).

Yes, Becka, this was indeed one of the prototype designs, which would be far easier and cheaper to do: sew a bright orange flap inside the big black pocket and somehow have it flop out and clip flat to provide a panel of visibility.

The problem is that it tends to look ugly - like those safety triangles. Ugh. I'm all for safety, but not at the expense of style - at least for this product. One could simply pin a neon triangle inside the black pocket a safety pin and flop it out when the rubber hits the road (with another couple of safety pins).

My Double TCB: A Large TCB with the Small one inside. Who'd know? And I think there's even a chunky DELL laptop in there from my last gig.

I like the bag to be all orange and visibly so from all sides. So what I do is double bag - I carry TWO Traffic Cone Bags most of the time, one inside the other. I have all my bits in the Small TCB (in black mode), and slip it inside the Large TCB (in orange mode) for riding the bike, or black mode for extra capacity when "boulevardeering." Either way, having everything contained in the inner bag makes it easy pull it out and reverse the outer bag from orange to black to orange to black ... or when you want to be minimal, just leave the outer bag at home.

Now, I'm not just saying this to sell you two bags.

The double TCB is very handy.

1. It creates an extra layer of storage (doubles the pocket space) while still being light and squishable. Here's a blog post, Minimalism to Go, about my recent 8 country 12 day art scavenger hunt, the Damien Hirst Spot Challenge, in which I doubled my challenge by doing the entire journey with my double TCB.

8 countries, 12 days, a double TCB. OK and a small nylon tote to carry my lunch of the day.

What went into the TCB: Read all about it!

2. When you have impromptu purchases you can separate the bags and carry both, as you can see in the picture at the top of this page - where I am taking delivery of 30 brand new Traffic Cone Bags from the studio of Caroline Fu. There's ten in each bag - the uppermost bag is a spare cheapie I found at home.

3. Of course you can simple get ANY kind of drawstring or zippered inner bag and use it as the "liner" bag. Like a library book bag or something from a camping store. I'm just saying 2 TCB's come in really handy.

4. At a pinch you can make one a handlebar bag to get your stuff home as shown in this picture:

Now how am I going to get this stuff home? Ah, use the handy unclippability of the TCB straps to make a handlebar bag!

Bag one (or two) here.

Happy TCBing, and feel free to post something about how you use it every day on the TCB Facebook page.

Watching your back in Lebanon: Following 120 women cyclists on a mission of peace

2017-11-28T18:41:00.001-05:00

Colleen McGuire and Carol Murry: Serious cyclists on a mission!

This week's TCB sighting hails from a bike seat in Lebanon - where 120 adventurous women cyclists visited Syrian and Palestinian refugee camps, bringing a message of peace. As you can see, two of the riders, Colleen McGuire and Carol Murry wore their Traffic Cone Bags - least they could find each other in that big peloton!

According to the FollowTheWomen website, the ride is the brainchild of 2001 European Woman of the Year, Detta Regan. In April 2004 she gathered together 270 women from all over the world, including America, Palestine, Britain and Iraq, to ride bicycles for over 300 kilometres through Lebanon, Syria and Jordan to campaign for peace and an end to violence in the region.

According to Colleen, this year's edition was organized by Beirut By Bike which is celebrating its twentieth anniversary in business.

"Its director, Jawad Sbeity, enabled us to meet with common people who expressed enormous gratitude that we came to visit their country. Lebanese mothers told us they want the same things American mothers want – education and opportunities for their children, affordable food and housing and, not just peace, but peace with justice."

Colleen is the Founder of CycleGreece, which offers tours of her beloved country she calls home.

So how she use her TCB on this trip?

"During the event I wanted to have my Surface Pro tablet with me at all times. It's uncanny how this hybrid laptop fits perfectly in the TCB, and I even have the small TCB. It's snug with enough extra room for wallet, snacks, glasses, map. I've had the bag for about five years (my second one) and the beauty is the TCB just doesn't wear out."

You can read Colleen's account of the trip here.

Small Traffic Cone Bag: Little bag, big capacity

2016-04-30T11:15:00.000-04:00

The Small Traffic Cone Bag can neatly stow three 1-liter cartons of my favorite poison: Zico Coconut water from Trader Joe's

In a previous post, Double Bagging: Why two Traffic Cone Bags are better than one I talked about how handy it is to carry two TCB's, one inside the other, for those unplanned side trips to the grocery store.

The other day I ran out to teach my yoga class with just my small Traffic Cone Bag, in its svelte little-black-dress mode from my soiree the night before. After class, I remembered I was out of my favorite hydration medium, coconut water.

Of course, like many Trader Joe's shoppers I go in there for 1 thing and come out with ten, including three rounds of samples in my belly. And I have to walk five long blocks home, so to protect one's rotator cuff one should distribute groceries as evenly as possible, and avoid carrying one ginormous heavy bag on one shoulder, which can lead to back twinges like I experienced in 2009.

The small Traffic Cone Bag has surprising capacity for its slim size. To carry my favorite drink back home I took stuff out and repacked it like so:

Stack the three liters neatly along the side that you will put against your back.

Viola! I'm carrying the capacity of a camel but who'd know?

Stack the three liters neatly along the side that you will put against your back. It can be either the side with the orange pockets (if empty) or the opposite side. Then repack the rest of the stuff in the remaining area. I always carry my favorite ultra-packable Aspesi packable nylon blazer in the event of an Arctic cold snap, so that gets slid down there to provide a little padding. Close up the bag and start walking! The other groceries were nice and light in the tiny MUJI fold-up nylon tote I always carry as well. See the carrying capacity of the TCB in action on my recent 8-country tour.

Buy the Traffic Cone Bag: small, large, or both - you get a break for buying two ...

Pick Pockets can't pick this!

2016-04-22T23:20:00.000-04:00

Linda Donovon wearing the TCB the secure way - drawn closed and patch pocket against your back!

Today a friend was pick-pocketed in the subway - her stylish, backpack-style purse was zipped opened and her wallet taken, "first time in 25 years living in NYC."

Putting stuff in zippered compartments on your back is asking to be robbed.

The Traffic Cone Bag, worn with the black pocket against your back and closed tight, is security by design - light fingers can't get at your stuff without slashing it with a knife.

More about TCB's clever security-by-design

TCB: How small does it go?

2016-04-15T10:23:00.000-04:00

How small does the TCB roll up? Above, you can see the Gal (13") and Guy (15") versions rolled up next to a standard small Kleen Kanteen water bottle.

Not ultra small, but not so big either. Small, ultralight bags that squash into a matchbox do exist for race day and hardcore roadie rides, but the TCB is meant as a hybrid.

From League of American Bicyclists Education Director Preston Tyree:

The TCB is for hard core city riding. Highly visible getting to the City Council meeting with my camera, iPad and keyboard inside and then turns inside out for the presentation to the Council Members so I don’t look any dorkier than usual. I have a blinky on the hook that looks like a reflector but turns on to light up. Wide straps are good when I load it down with camera and iPad.

Preston, we love you stylish and dorky, but we think someone beat you to it!

Here's Ciclismo Classico grand dame Lauren Hefferon wearing it on a commute in Boston:

You know you want one!

TCB: Making the straps a leeeeetle bit longer

2016-04-12T10:22:00.000-04:00

A simple carabiner from any dollar store add length the straps. Buy a quality one from a camping store for extra strength.

In the spirit of K.I.S.S. I've tried to keep the straps of the TCB's One Size Fits Most. And indeed they do. When the bag is laid flat and the top is opened completely, the strap lengths are cut as follows:

Small TCB: 54" (or about 13" exposed length)
Large TCB: 56" (or about 14" exposed length)

It's better that they're a bit shorter than longer, because it's a real pain to make them shorter later (the join and strap anchoring stitches have to be in just the right place, ends cauterized with a flame and stitched etc etc - all by hand).

But if you want to make them longer, it's simple. Buy an inexpensive, stylish black carabiner like the ones sold at the store I worked at*. Or you can get a real el cheapo kind from $2 stores.

You simply insert the carabiner between the D-ring and snap hook at the bottom corner of each bag. Viola!

* Read about my once-was part time gig at Eastern Mountain Sports

Have you seen the neat video of a TCB Customer Preston Tyree and his "Traffic Cone iBag"? Take a look - and join the TCB Facebook Fan Page just for the hill of it. http://www.facebook.com/trafficconebag

Traffic Cone Bag: Bigger, Guyfromdownunder Version

2016-04-01T12:17:00.000-04:00

Large or small? Depends on what you want to carry!

NOTE! Since 2011, both TCB's now come with a vertical reflective strip. See photo below.

In 2009, I introduced a larger Traffic Cone Bag size.

The specs for the new, larger "Guyfromdownunder" (for want of a better term) version, pictured above left, are:

15" wide x 18" deep
3/4" webbing straps
Orange pockets are deeper and wider to take larger water bottles (and rolled up issues of Carbon Fiber Enthusiast?)
Black pocket is 13" wide x 14" deep - holds an unfolded copy of the New York Times (or Sydney Morning Herald, or Chicago Tribune - you get the idea)

The specs for the original, smaller "Galfromdownunder" pictured right, are:

13" wide by 17" deep
Slender, 1/2" lighter webbing straps
Orange pockets take regular water bottles
Black pocket is 11" wide x 13" deep - holds holds a manila folder or several standard trashy magazines

Both feature:

A new ANSI orange polyester neon orange lining, which is more water resistant than the previous version
2.2oz black Supplex fabric - slightly less bulk than the 4oz original, but still very sturdy, with a subtle sheen that can partner your little black dress, or if you're a guy, your whatever
A length that does not block bicycling jersey pockets.

Here's how they compare? Well, the small one held quite a few gifties last Christmas ...

The small one even holds three 1-liter bottles of coconut water and then some - read about that here:

The large one holds my chunky Dell work computer and its chunky power adaptor:

What's better than a traffic cone bag? Two traffic cone bags! I've been carrying the small one inside the big one, in whatever orange/black combo is most logical. So, when I want to spend time on or off the bike, I just whip out the inner bag rather than empty the contents, reverse and re-pack. At the risk of sounding like I'm trying to coerce you to buy 2 bags, read why double bagging the TCB is so useful and how I traveled 11 countries in 12 days with just two traffic cone bags

Having one inside the other creates two extra sleeves to stuff things in. Handy for buying extra stuff on the way home - you can wear "one over the other". You can also, at a pinch, sling it over your handlebars like this, thanks to the quick-release snap hooks on the straps.

Steve Chang commented that the straps cinch nice and evenly. This is because each strap is secured in place by a few stitches at the top where they loop around. If you have an earlier edition of my TCB that keeps exposing the raggedy join in the straps, simply stretch open the neck of the bag wide, make sure the straps are even, and stitch the strap to the channel at those four points. The new straps are also now cauterized with a flame to stop any fraying. You can do this to your early TCB too.

The stylish Steve Chang in Florence with his large Traffic Cone Bag

If you turn the bag inside out into musette mode you will of course see the "male" part of the snap on the outside lip of the pocket. I'm guessing that few guys do that, but I'm begging off putting it on the Gal version for now. Your thoughts? Post comments at TCB Reviews.

Update: I now use a more conventional snap. I'm offering people a choice of silver, orange or black, an offer that might well come back to haunt me, but let's see if anyone takes me up on it.

Read about and order the TCB here

How much is that baggie in the window? The Traffic Cone Bag in STORY

2012-12-10T00:17:00.000-05:00

David Singer, who designed my large shelf talker card, displays it and the Traffic Cone Bag in Story.

OVER CHRISTMAS, the Traffic Cone Bag scored a pretty cozy spot by a faux fire in Chelsea: it huddled with furry footballs, tech gloves, wooden gorillas and other objet d'esire in the curated concept store, Story.

Opened in 2011 at the base of a condo with a Mondrian bent, the "how to make retail exciting again" retail outlet looks across at the Chelsea Art Gallery District, the Highline and a clutch of starchitect-designed condos; we're talking Gehry, Nouvel and Shigeru Ban.

Story favors local products with a great tale of invention or inspiration, and that's where the Traffic Cone Bag fits in (bedtime reading: New York, New York: if I can make it there, why make it elsewhere?)

The Traffic Cone Bag in Orange Mode.

I walked in to see how my bag was doing and promptly ended up demonstrating it to a Story shopper - who went ahead and bought it.

"I think the orange side is very fashionable!" he enthused.

Funny, I always thought it the black side was for the fashionista (or fashionmister); the orange side saves you and your steed from getting creamed by a passing truck on the road ... or while jogging at night. The black side is usually for wearing with your little black anything, especially if you're an architect or minimalist multi-use freak. This bag was my only luggage on my recent 8-country Damien Hirst Spot Challenge.

On another occasion, a Story customer said she was buying it for skateboarding nephew, for visibility when scooting down the double yellow line - another market that never occurred to me!

Traffic Cone Bags travelling across Brooklyn Bridge by day ...

... and reversed to stealth/chic mode by night

Oliver Carbonell (Peace Love & Pedals Cycling Jerseys) and Susan Notorangelo (Race Across America record holder, PACTOUR) demonstrate the LARGE Traffic Cone bag in two of its many modes.

The TCB peeks out of the window. If you can see it here, you'll be seen on the road.

The TCB proudly displaying the Story hang tag.

Last post I talked about commissioning designer David Singer to create an "airline seat pocket card" to display with the bag, which I laminated and proudly dropped off at the store with six bags. I was soon to get a first hand lesson in retail display from Story founder, Rachel Schechtman (@rachelschectman)

More about this

"Hmmmm, laminated cards ... " said Rachel, and then she pointed to other products with their instruction sheets nicely typeset and framed in glass. "We're very particular about how things are displayed in here."

Indeed, Story is densely and exquisitely art directed, creating a feeling of discovery and delight as you move from one unique tchotchkes to the next. It's a bit like going into a little girl's bedroom, with a slight edge. Many products are by crowdsourced design house Quirky. Details count at Story; the food at a recent event was an artisanal veggie platter and gourmet grilled sandwiches. Not a plastic Costco veggie crudite with ranch in sight.

Here's the latest incarnation of my sign:

An abbreviated version of the original card for displaying in the store.

My Traffic Cone Bag displayed in stealth mode among objects of desire at Story, founded by retail guru Rachel Shechtman (at right).

Click to see it bigger: where's the TCB? A panoramic sweep of Story.

Named one of Fast Company's 100 most creative people in business, Rachel's retail smarts have landed her projects for Fitflop, New York City and Diane von Furstenberg.

Story's event photographer William Ross sees bicycle wheels in his future ...

This is only the second place the Traffic Cone Bag has been sold in a bricks and mortar store. The beauty and bane of the design is that it really needs to be demonstrated live, or at least be explained by this short video which appears on my online webpage. One is usually on display at East Village folding bike specialist bfold.com.

The TCB - one bag with many lives - is comfortable in heels, cleats and everywhere in between. You can buy a Traffic Cone Bag from Story (for a limited time) or bfold, or if they're out of them, buy it from me.

Thanks to Rachel Shechtman and Joy Pettit at Story for the Traffic Cone Bag's holiday residency!

David Lam (right), owner of bfold.com, has a small Traffic Cone Bag on display in his East Village store.

Lynn Sarro is one of the original Traffic Cone Bag owners. She echoes the most common comment about the bag: "I use it every day."

The Traffic Cone Bag

A How-To Card for the Traffic Cone Bag

2012-11-29T23:41:00.000-05:00

CLICK TO ENLARGE: a How-To card with gray silhouettes

Retail visionary Rachel Schectman asked me to consign a handful of my Traffic Cone Bags to her Chelsea concept store, Story. Sweet! Story prides itself on curating locally conceived and manufactured designs, each with its own unique tale of the unexpected. And how more local (and unexpected) can you get than the multiple-personality, Made in the Garment District Traffic Cone Bag?

Up until now the TCB has only been sold in person and from my informal online store page, helped by a YouTube video and blog. So how do you effectively explain the bag's many incarnations when store staff may be busy demonstrating any of the hundreds of other objects of desire on other shelves?

Dave Singer stylin' with his personal Traffic Cone Bag

"You probably need a step-by-step card," suggested Rachel. So here it is. I enlisted the help of designer David Singer whose portfolio reveals a penchant for pictograms - the perfect way to demonstrate the product in an "airline seat pocket card" format.

We ended up with a stalemate of two designs, using black silhouettes or gray silhouettes. The card with black silhouettes has more dramatic impact, and I notice David has chosen this for his portfolio. The card with gray silhouettes shows the bag in its true color, black. Both work, but which do you prefer?

CLICK TO ENLARGE: How To card with black silhouettes

A cut down version

"It's my iBag!" Review by Preston Tyree, League of American Bicyclists

2012-11-24T02:08:00.004-05:00

VIDEO: Preston hamming it up with his iPad, Bike Friday and Traffic Cone Bag

Read Preston's review

League of American Bicyclists Education Director Preston Tyree has been toting his Traffic Cone Bag since 2010. He uses it to get to and from meetings in safety and sartorial style, and finds it useful for carrying his iPad and keyboard.

"It's my iBag!" he proclaims in the above clip, shot during a LAB Bike Ed program I attended in Albuquerque. "The bag is great. It doesn't look like a iPad carry bag so I don't feel so exposed when I am carrying it ... "

He's since written this review of the Traffic Cone Bag on his new blog, Cyclist in the Lane. Muchas gracias, Preston!

Preston stayin' alive, stayin' alive with his Traffic Cone Bag (size large)

VIDEO: Check out Preston's bike handling skills

Snappy new snap (with a story) for the Traffic Cone Bag

2012-07-07T16:29:00.002-04:00

The new snap applied to the large Traffic Cone Bag

Thanks to Serena at Assunta for these - a first look at the new snaps. The orange one goes on the orange side.

It's one small step for a factory in China, one giant leap for the kaizen of the Traffic Cone Bag: these new, engraved snaps featuring a TRAFFIC CONE will soon replace the current plain snap on the small and large TCB's.

Thanks to Beijing-based Serena Assunta Store, I was able to get just 1000 of these made, which is considered a very small quantity - the minimum is usually 10,000. I did of course pay a premium for the smaller quantity, but I'm of the "need to have" mentality - though it crossed my mind to empty 10,000 in the bathtub, dive in and pretend I was in that Powerball ad ...

So why China, when I've been saying all along, New York, New York, if I can make it here, I'll not make it elsewhere? As I have learned in this little project, it is almost impossible to get small quantities of anything like this made locally for a reasonable price. I am fortunate to get my modest quantities of Taslan, Neon Polyester, 3M Grosgrain ribbon and hardware from Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics in Idaho, the woven labels from Heirloom Labels New Jersey, and of course, get the sewing done by Caroline Fu in the Garment District of New York City, who you can read about in my FastCompany post. Of course, some of these items are manufactured offshore, but at least I am supporting local businesses.

The best thing about these snaps is that Serena runs a wonderful charity in China called Little Flower Projects which offers a home for abandoned and needy children, including, sadly, a hospice. All proceeds from her Assunta Store go towards helping these kids. Some of the work they do is amazing, and the kids' conditions, heartbreaking, like this one about the children with the rare genetic skin disorder EB. Read this and be amazed, from the Assunta Store About:

We are Americans living in China; we have been here working with abandoned babies and disabled orphans for the past 15 years. We never planned to set up a store, yet over the years we have seen a great demand for the items that we use in our projects. We have had many requests to supply snaps, presses, sewing notions, diapers etc at a reasonable cost; Assunta Store is our answer. We sell items that we use ourselves, so we are confident of the quality and understand how they work. We are happy to answer any questions you may have about our products.
All sales from this store support Little Flower Projects . China Little Flower is a non-profit organization caring for disabled and dying orphaned children in China. Little Flower cares for orphans in a number of projects ... read more

Please go and take a look at the tremendous and selfless work done by Little Flower Projects check out their blog and like their Facebook page which is alternately uplifting and heartbreaking. Thank you Judy from KamSnaps in California, who generously referred me to Serena. This is what community is all about - paying and playing it forward, onwards, upwards!

Order a made-in-'merica Traffic Cone Bag (If you want one with these new, traffic cone engraved snaps, it will arrive August early 2012, otherwise the regular one is available now).

Traveling Ultralite: The 8-country Traffic Cone Bag

2012-04-01T23:26:00.003-04:00

A lot of this went into the large Traffic Cone Bag

I've just returned from a fun art scavenger hunt involving 8 countries and pretty well just my
Traffic Cone Bag as luggage. Sock by panty details here on my ChelseaGallerista blog.

Merry Christmas from Traffic Cone Bag mission control!

2011-12-14T08:17:00.000-05:00

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me ...

Ka-chingle bells ... stuck for a gift for the person who has everything-made-in-China? Consider this: a Made-in-New-York-City Traffic Cone Bag! This bag is starting to pop up in the strangest places around the planet.

For all Xmas 2011 orders I've been throwing in 2 starter sheets of Lightweights reflectors worth $10, handy for blinging up your bike, helmet, shoes ...

... NOT another Bed, Bath & Beyond voucher for stuff I already got!

Not one of those generic round tins of shortbread cookies everyone gives away ...

Not something made by underpaid elves working in sweatshop conditions ...

... but a Traffic Cone Bag in a pear tree!

It's a snap!

2011-11-09T10:32:00.000-05:00

UPDATE August 2012:
All Traffic Cone Bags now come with this new engraved Traffic Cone Snap:

~~UPDATE, October 2011~~
~~All Traffic Cone Bags now come with this metal snap:~~

The original snap - a ring:

BLACK SNAP (standard, if you don't specify).
The new, discreet snap closure. The fabric of the bag fills the centre of the snap.

This may well come back to bite me on the butt, but I'm allowing you to specify whether you want an orange, silver or black visible ring for your snap ON THE BLACK SIDE (on the orange side it will always be orange). The default is black. Let me know when you order.

Silver snap.

Orange snap.

(The following information - now superceded as of October 2012 - is about the former button and open ring snaps)

"Small things amuse small minds," my father use to say.

Well forgive me for my gnat-sized cerebellum today, but I'm excited about the new snaps I've been putting on my bag - by hand.

The original TCB had a snapless front pocket, which worked fine - I typically used the pocket for a magazine with my jacket stuffed on top and my cellphone stuffed deep, and wear it against my back for security.

But the launch of the new, bigger Guyfromdownunder TCB with its bigger, New-York-Times-unrolled pocket begged a little closure to stop it yawning on the way to the coffee shop. One TCB owner had already sewn a piece of velcro to his bag, and discovered how awful velcro is for this particular svlete application. Who hasn't had their clothes ripped up by Velcro?

The first batch of Guy TCB's had a rather large, heavy duty snap, painstakingly handsewn by Caroline Fu. Like this:

The OLD, handsewn snap. I have a bag of these snaps languishing in my bottom drawer if anyone wants them!

Since then, I've discovered a nifty little snap maker by SnapSource. It's basically a three-part plastic gizmo you sandwich the fabric and snap prongy parts with, then whack it with a hammer - here's the Snapsource how-to video. And here's the kit - a hammer, the snap setter, and the male/female snaps.

My friend Monika said she's had a kit like this for years - "from the time when it was fashionable to put press snaps on your jeans and shirts for decoration." Xanadu ... Xanadu woo-ooo ...

So, a couple of whacks later (plus a couple of tentative little ones to make sure), here's the result:

Using the rare silver snap. Most people want the black.

Great, except to be truly minimalist, these underparts should be BLACK. Especially for those who use my 3-1 TCB in the third "musette" mode, where you turn the black pocket inside out to make a smaller bag. Refresh your memory by watching the video. I asked SnapSource inventor Jeanine Twigg about this, and she got her Made in 'Merica factory (good one you Jeanine!) to rustle up some all-black prototypes. And here's the result ...

All-black vs silver 'undersides' of the snaps:

Snap Source now make (in 'mercia!) matte black snaps to make your TCB truly ruly stealth

All-black snaps installed on a couple of TCB's:

A couple of whacks (actually three plus one for good measure) and .... it's a snap!

Jeanine says she's worked hard with her factory to make sure the black won't rub off. Since I'm the prototyper I hope to hear from you folks about how they are wearing.

SO WHCH TO CHOOSE?

As I said above, BLACK SNAPS ARE BETTER FOR MUSETTE MODE: Does anyone use the TCB in that trippy third i.e. "dressy little shoulder bag" mode (see TCB demo video if you don't know what I'm talking about 'cos it's dang impossible to explain)? If so, snaps are best all black, inside out and outside in.

Below: And how does it look on the body? Here I am in Caroline Fu's studio ($20 retro paisley dress courtesy of Happening Fashions Wholesale, 209 W37th St NY):

So how does the orange side of the snap look? Very orange!

The orange side has an orange ring. Not a true match (navel vs valencia) but not bad.

This is on the non-pocket side of the bag, the side against your back when riding the bike (or walking) in orange mode. The small stud falls between your shoulders and should not be felt.

Yes, I know it should ideally be hidden INSIDE the bag, installed before the bag is all sewn up, but logistically, for this little 1-woman project, it's easier to do it on the finished product.

If you want to send your bag bag for me to retro-fit the snap, email me. I'll have to charge you a nominal amount to cover postage, snaps and time, otherwise you can always go to the SnapSource site at www.snapsource.com and become a happy snapper yourself. It's a little tricky to get right, be prepared for a couple of wasted snaps as you whack the wrong side, get it off center etc.

Thank you for your intense interest in the Galfromdownunder, made Upover Traffic Cone Bag.
Can you stand more of this? Go join the TCB Facebook Fan Page.

Q: How to you make a minimalist bag? A: Start with a piece of fabric and take away everything that's not bag

2011-02-06T18:40:00.000-05:00

Today a friend was pick-pocketed in the subway - her stylish, backpack-style purse was zipped opened and her wallet taken, "first time in 25 years living in NYC."

Stuff in zippered compartments on your back is asking to be robbed.

The Traffic Cone Bag, worn with the black pocket against your back and closed tight, is "lite" security by design - light fingers can't get at your stuff without slashing it with a knife.

Wearing the TCB the security-conscious way - drawn closed, the outside pocket against your body

It's all part of designing only what you have to, or "minimalist design."

I learned something about this from my advertising days at Saatchi:

Q: How do you carve an elephant from a block of wood?
A: Take a block of wood and remove everything that's not elephant.

Minimalist industrial design has always been my first love.

When designing this bag to be 'everything you need and nothing you don't', I found myself re-thinking the actual wearing process, and how that interaction with the body might influence the design.

For example, you need somewhere to put your cellphone. This would normally suggest a pocket with some kind of closure - a zip, button, that awful velcro stuff that rips into delicate fabric if you brush against it - to keep it secure.

In the above picture, Linda is wearing the bag with the large black pocket against her back rather than facing out.

Not only is the patch pocket deep enough to drop items into and have them stay there, wearing the bag in this way replaces the need for a zip.

What's wrong with a zip? Adds cost, bulk, and looks like, well, a zip. It's just not minimal, and the zip can catch and break.

I have though, conceded to adding a single snap closure you can eyeball on this post. That's to stop the lip from gaping somewhat when open.

Of course there's nothing wrong with these closures. But unless you're specifically designing a bling thing (and I like crazy bling too), re-thinking how an object is used in a holistic sense leads to no more - or less - than a perfect elephant.

TCB security at your favorite bar

Stayin' Alive, stayin' alive ... new Scotchlite strip is here

2010-11-11T01:01:00.000-05:00

Just in time for Christmas 2010: the latest incarnation of the TCB now sports a life-saving scotchlite strip for safe travels in low light (like, way past your bedtime).

The strip is actually centered on neon orange grosgrain ribbon, which blends nicely with the screaming neon orange polyester. Caroline insists that she needs to sew 4 rows of stitching to do it right, when I was pretty sure the two outer ones would suffice, but hey, never argue with an expert!

Pair it with your blinky light on the elastic loop, and you're hot to trot in the darkest night (with your dark knight).

Of course, you can add even more life-saving bling to your TCB with iron-on Lightweights. I sell a starter sheet. You can stick them on your helmet, bike and other bling-starved accoutrements. The second shot below shows them applied to my original prototype TCB circa 2007 in a whimsical flower pattern:

The reason I don't sell it like this - men may object. So iron 'em on in whatever pattern you want yourself, OK?


Lightweights added to helmet and an original TCB from way back (no pockets)


Lightweights starter set

I recently did a special commission for some New York Cycle Club folks. Special Scotchlite jobs like this are a little involved but can be done:

Placing the 3M Scotchlite custom logo prior to heatpressing.

Earlier version TCB didn't have the central Scotchlite strip

The price of the TCB with scotchlite strip will remain the same for 2010, as a special introductory offer. Buy a handy TCB, stay visible on the road, stylish at night (yes, it's reversible to black in case you missed that detail) and support the local economy.

Note: Remember that the TCB can also be used for walking and running. Runners can unclip the straps and cross them over the chest to make the bag sit closer and not flop around.

Buy your TCB here

Night Riding: New scotchlite strip for 2011

2010-10-26T14:13:00.000-04:00

UPDATE! New for 2011:

All TCB's now come with a 3M Scotchlite grosgrain strip down the center orange pocket, courtesy of my fabric supplier, Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics. Now you can combine it with your blinky light + optional Lightweights reflectors and you're ready for the darkest night ...

Caroline Fu and I prepare to execute another run of TCB's, this time with the new reflective strip.

The orange pockets have to be just a leeeeetle wider to accommodate the 3/4" scothchlite strip.


The view from Caroline's shared workroom, her trusty industrial Juki sewing machine close at hand +++ A little note from Clay and Rob in the tech dept at 3M: "Highway standard ANSI 107 requires a minium RA of 330 (level 2) for their safety garments. If you are using the reflective material as a safety item, I would recommend keep the brightness above that value." I asked them to geek on a bit more: We take a brightness reading per ASTM standards. Our silver (ie. what is seen on highway workers vests) has a typical brightness values of 500 ...

The stripe I use as an RA of 500.

The new bags will retail for $55 and $65, an increase of $5 to cover the cost of materials, Caroline's time and so forth. Yes, it's a little pricey to be making things in 'merica, but I thank you for supporting local talent, labor and materials. We'll get out of this mess yet!

+++

Some non-3M tape sold in the NYC Garment District. I've been experimenting with these too.

Up until now, I've been selling a starter sheet of the Lightweights reflectors that you can iron on yourself. They work nicely and last at least a few years, at which time you can put new ones over the old. Read about Lightweights here:
http://trafficconebag.blogspot.com/2010/07/stayin-alive-stayin-alive-lightweights.html

They also work great applied to your helmet, spokes etc:

Of course, as you can see above, you should hang a good blinky light off the provided elastic loop for even more visibility.
Thanks!

Fashion Week: Put it in reverse and let's ride, please!

2010-09-15T12:39:00.000-04:00

You can't tell a NYer how to look fashionable in Fashion Week - it's black and black.

It's Fashion Week (Sep 13-19) - everyone wants to be seen - so how come I couldn't convince Lynne to wear her TCB orange side out when biking?

"I like it black!" she says, jumping on her folding bike after coming to my Chelsea Rec yoga class then eating a killer pad thai at Cafe Zemi. Looks like you can't take the black out of the NYer ...

Fortunately, the little loop for the blinky light on the orange side is elastic and stretchy, and can be flipped over the lip of the bag to light up the black side, as she has done in the pic above. But the bag was meant for stayin' alive, and that's what both the orange color + elastic loop for your blinky light + the optional Lightweights reflectors are for. Read my TCB Night Visibility rant.

The Power of Two: I put all my stuff in an inner bag - a TCB in black mode - and pop it inside the larger TCB in orange mode. Then when you want it black you just whip out the inner bag and leave the larger one at home. When doubled up, you have extra cavities you can stuff things into. Of course this sounds like I'm trying to sell you two bags ... but all I can say is that's what *I* do and it works well. You have an an outer bag for the impromptu trip to Trader Joe's, which can be slung over handlbars or worn over the other on on your back - get my drift?

Speaking of Fashion Week, Benepe's Bike Blog featured a some cool cycle threads that would go great with my bag. It's written by journo and apparel designer Jennifer Benepe, who clearly knows what We Wheel Women Want - a decidedly un-matronly wardrobe for being seen in all the right places, please!

And for more bedtime surfing, take an Anna Wintour seat at my multimedia expose of the fascinating collaboration between Bike Friday and the NY designer Telfar Clemens in 2008.

Buy the TCB | TCB on Facebook

The TCB gets 4 stars in RoadBikeRider.com!

2010-08-26T10:46:00.000-04:00

The TCB reviewed by the legendary Jim Langley, bicycle aficionado and all-round nice guy: http://www.jimlangley.net

REVIEW of the TCB in RoadBikeRider.com

How much of a coup is this? Let me tell you - you're talking to a readership of 63,000 largely male, largely hardcore roadies, many of whom wouldn't carry so much as a spare tube let alone the air to fill it if they flatted mid-sprint. RBR's resident mirthman Scott Martin ("Scott's Spin") wrote about this breed some time ago in his hilarious In the Bag piece. Excerpt:

*Minimalist*. Seat bag contains: ---1 tube with valve cap and stem nut removed to save weight ---1 tire iron ---1 glueless patch ---1 CO2 cartridge (or mini-pump not exceeding 2.5 inches in length) Motto: "Don't you know how much a hex wrench weighs?"

*Leech*. Seat bag contains: ---Nothing. Doesn't use seat bag. Ruins bike's "pro" look. Motto: "Thanks for the tube. I'll pay you back on the next ride." Read the rest

To address the "Not!" about limited capacity - both small and large bags comfortably hold a helmet. But it's not supposed to carry a life support system - just an errand-support system. You can actually put one inside the other and create even more "pocket space".

Quite a few of Lon Haldeman's PACTOUR riders now sport a TCB at Desert Camp. "We can spot 'em from the support van a mile away."

But what about the times you're not in training, but simply heading out for a more leisurely spin or to get something? What if you commute? And what about the many RoadBikeRideHER readers? Yes, there are hardcore roadie women to, but we women have lives off the bike - and we like stuff that is useful, unobtrusive, multifunctional, and uh, a little bit sexy, please.

The RBR editors, faithful to their cause, were initially leery of my little bag. Indeed, there are smaller, lighter, cheaper or completely free backpacks out there, usually with some ugly graphic on it and cords that cut into your shoulders. Yes there are ones that are orange. Yes there are ones that are black. Yes there are ones that are completely waterproof, even though statistically most people avoid intentionally riding in the rain. But not many of them do most of the above things so simply and stylishly.

The TCB is a minimalist, versatile little bag that screams "Share the road/path" when you want it to, and reverses to a stealth black when you don't (board meetings, red carpet functions).

It's handmade made by Caroline Fu in her tiny workshop in the NY Garment District rabbit warren, thus stimulating the local economy.

Read about Caroline on my FastCompany.com post: New York, New York, If I can Make It There, I'll Not Make It Elsewhere

You can get Caroline to sew you a nice jacket like she did for Denzel Washington in An American Gangster, or a meticulously detailed dress like she did when she headed up Ralph Lauren's cutting room - before everything got outsourced to China and she and others lost their jobs. Call her on (917) 660-4673 (NYC).

Right: Guys like it too! Art Hellebusch from Kentucky with a TCB on PAC Tour Desert Camp 2010. Read about amazing Stage 4 cancer survivor Art here and here

Here's League of American Bicyclists Education Director Preston Tyree talking about his Traffic Cone "iBag":

And here's Ciclismo Classico founder Lauren Hefferon modeling it at 15 mph:

Remind yourself of how the TCB works by watching the original TrafficConeBag demo movie featuring bfold.com's David Lam.

As you can see, there's a loop at the top for your blinky light for night riding, but if you add a sprinkling of the optional Lightweights reflectors in whatever trippy pattern you want you're good to be seen on the darkest night:

Thank you to reviewer and former Bicycling Magazine senior editor, Jim Langley, who must have convinced RBR it's What Wheel Women Want. Who is Jim Langley? The legendary bicycle aficionado and all-round nice guy: http://www.jimlangley.net

VIDEO: Leverless Langley's Tire Removal trick

Buy a TCB here

Stayin' alive, stayin' alive: Lightweights Reflectors Starter Sheet

2010-07-19T01:11:00.000-04:00

UPDATE! As of Nov 2010 the Traffic Cone Bag comes standard with this 3M Scotchlite Strip. But you can still add these reflectors for even more bling. Read on ..

For those who ride at night and want more visibility than their blinky light attached to the convenient elastic loop, I carry a small supply of Lightweights Reflector 'starter sets'.

These are unpackaged single sheets of 16 ovals that you can arrange however you like.

Here, I've used the entire sheet to make this flower pattern. You rub each down through its paper backing oval with a fingernail. Finally you peel off the paper backing, then dry iron briefly through a sheet of baking paper.

The Lightweights starter sheet I sell for $5.
I'm feeling generous and will probably throw in 2 sheets until I run out.

Presto! Stayin' alive, stayin' alive ... Of course, you can attach them to the black side instead, but why would a minimalist metrosexual want to do that? They also go great on helmets, jackets and gloves.

You can sleuth for a special Gal discount code if you download the above instruction sheet.

Lightweights Corp donates a portion of the profits to charity, so you'll be supporting good causes all round, including your life!

Download Lightweights Instruction Sheet + Gal Discount Code

Buy 'em from me

TCB in Arizona

2010-03-13T01:36:00.000-05:00

Stayin' alive, staying alive ... The TCB is proving popular at Arizona Desert Camp - 7th great year.
I sold almost everything I brought on Day 1.
Check out the shots of the Traffic Cone Bag on the TCB Facebook Fan Page

Bill Donovan (above) and Bob Kenner (below) show this bag isn't just for da gals.

Stayin' alive in the Bahamas with the TCB

2010-01-21T00:47:00.000-05:00

Someone's gotta do it! The traffic is nutty so my TCB gave me a sense of security, false or otherwise.
See Bike Friday in the Bahamas for the scoop.

Below, the TCB married with a hippy dippy string top, circa when-I-was-twenty-something. That's the beauty of a simple, black bag - dress it up or down as you need. Here, I believe I have a Timbuktu cellphone holder velcroed around the straps. The most common customer comment? "I use it every day."

I was also fortunate to meet the CEO of John Hardy jewelry and hear the story of how his baubles really are made with the greater good in mind. His company is the biggest foreign employer in Bali, structures labor so that mother and grandmothers can work from home and not have to pay for childcare, and pays workers a decent living wage. The idea being, stimulate the local economy while making a beautiful thing.
Read about it on my Galfromdownunder Upover blog.

Traffic Cone Bag (TM) in a New York state of mind

2009-09-26T23:26:00.000-04:00

So far, TCB customers have sent along plenty of shots of the bag in orange mode, but few in black mode. So I thought I'd fill the void. This shot was taken in the lobby of the Standard Hotel, Chelsea, Manhattan. The dress is a Wolford Fatal tube - the perfect travelin' gal's glamor gear - imagine the leg one very black stocking for one very corpulent person, cut with scissors at the thigh and ankle, and that's pretty much the Wolford Fatale. As you can see, the TCB in black mode blends right in. It could (should?) be teamed with this getup in the 'musette' or 'little shoulder bag' mode.

"I used the musette mode when I went to the opera" ventured Melanie (above), last seen with her TCB helping out at the Bike Friday booth for Escape New York, Sep 2009 - watch for Lindsay Lauder talking about this security feature at 1:10 min into the movie on that link.

A whole new version will appear 1 October 2009: an inch wider all round, 2" deeper black pocket, 2" deeper orange dual pocket, 3/4" straps (were 1/2"), and a new ANSI orange more waterproof fabric.

Stand by, order from my store