As you may have seen in the other post, the Chrome Sherman is something totally new. I was super intrigued to get my hands on one for the upcoming Cross Season (never not thinking about cross!). It seemed perfect for me since I never drive to races and always have no system to packing my gear and spare wheels up into my other bag.  No wonder I was so interested!

The back is pretty much what one would expect from any Chrome bag. Good padding to keep your back from getting super sweaty when riding to the race. The shoulder straps are really comfortable too.

So, as you can see, this is no “normal” bag. It’s for race day, and has a ton of nice features that you wouldn’t expect. Such as when you’re at the race, being able to hang it from your stand, and have access to everything in the bag. How sweet is that! No more digging for ages to find your multi-tool.

Here it is all packed up. After setting it all up and thinking “I’m probably doing this wrong, I was. It looks a little weird in my photo, because I had the bottom flap on the outside instead of where it goes, on the inside. Regardless, if you’re one to freestyle things like I am, be assured that it was as secure as can be, regardless of my freeform style.

And one detail I love, shown below, is the captive strap-dangler-thingys. I’ve owned a ton of bags, and this is the first one to take into account those god forsaken dangling flaps that make you seem like a villain in a cartoon as they flap in the wind while you’re riding. Good job Chrome.

All packed up and on my back, it felt like any normal bag. It was actually much lighter than I had anticipated and even more comfortable that I would have imagined. Riding with it was not an issue in the slightest. What a stellar job they did with this.

If you’re intrigued, head over to the Chrome Bags store and read some more about it and see some shots of how you’re supposed to pack it up. I’ll report back after my experiences with the first road/cross race! I think this bag is a great solution to a problem many people face and I’m excited to put it to good use. Thanks a lot Chrome!

Leave any questions or comments for me below and I’ll be sure to answer.

Image via BikePortland.org Flickr.

26-year-old Angela Burke was hit by a drunk driver on her way home on Wednesday night in Portland, Oregon. Angela was an Albany native that had just moved to the cycling mecca of Portland after graduating from SUNY Albany with a degree in psychology.

There is really nothing else I can say to accurately express my deepest condolences to all of her friends and family. It’s a real shame that I was never able to meet her.

There will be a candlelight vigil held tonight, Wednesday, December 22nd outside of Bombers on Lark Street at 9pm.

To read more, read the article on BikePortland.org.

The good folks over at Rapha have developed an iPhone app which takes the legwork out of meeting buddies for a good ride. The description from Rapha:

We all know the problem. Organising a ride with friends. Or maybe not friends, more likely adversarial training partners, or perhaps someone you have never ridden with before. Arranging meeting for a ride can be a thankless task spread over a multitude of devices and communication methods.

And then, further to this complication of arrangement is the uncertainty involved in the act of meeting. An unforeseen puncture, a headwind from hell, getting lost, another unforeseen puncture (after two they become foreseen) – the epic could begin before the planned epic (or perhaps just a light training spin) has even begun. “Where the hell is Fausto?”

No more.

Rapha Rendezvous for iPhone is coming soon.

Hopefully they will release an Android version sooner rather than later!

Read more at Rapha’s Rendezvous Page.

Just popped up for sale on the Chari & Co webstore. If only I had the money!

I’m sure many of you know about Bike EXIF where they combine sick motorcycles with great photography. Well now they just launched their sister site just for bicycles.

Here’s what to expect:

See the rest on Cycle EXIF.

For some reason I just remembered about this today and figured out there’s a lot of commuting types that would appreciate it. For a long time people really wanted a good looking SPD sneaker and here it finally is, from a small company no less.

Go look at the Rondel on Mission Workshops Site.

The past weekend was amazing and there was so much bike fun to be had. I ventured out and had a really really fun weekend.

Goldsprints! Absurdly hard and fun, and has been updated with really nice software and hardware since MTX2007.

So many cool bikes to stare at just walking down the street.

Kickstand! They’re a coffee shop that is carted over on bicycle and setup for the day wherever they’re at. They have amazing iced or hot coffee.

Ines Brunn.

Birdman

Fixed trick comp, coolish/kind of boring.

Cool ass bikes.

So many bikes!

Marty from Geekhouse!

Prolly being a weirdo.

Aaron!

GHCX!

Weirdo

…this thing…

Mini velo!

Went to bed late as hell.

See the pictures full size and the rest of my Bicycle Film Fest 2010 photos on my flickr!

Read the article at the Wall Street Journal.

In an attempt to let the world know how committed they are to their footwear line, Chrome announces their Turds For Gold Shoe Exchange. For two days only, Chrome will be slinging a new pair of shoes to anyone that sends them a worn-out pair of kicks.

“There are a lot of great shoe brands out their but few, if any, are made to handle the harsh demands of riding in the city,” says Chrome Marketing Director, Matt Sharkey.

“Our shoes are built to hold up under the toughest conditions and are designed 100% to address the needs of the everyday city cyclist. Not only did we want to build a shoe that was durable and functional, but we also paid close attention to overall fit and timeless style.”

The exchange begins on Wednesday, March 17 and ends promptly the next day on Thursday, the 18th. Packages must be post marked by 3/18 to qualify and should include a return shipping address and shoe size info.

Please ship all packages to:
Chrome Industries
Attn: Turds for Gold/Sharkey
580 4th Street
San Francisco, CA 94107

Free motion rollers are cool becuase it helps get rid of that super sterile feeling that you get when sitting on the rollers. I personally have an issue with being on the rollers for more than five minutes (not kidding). This would add some realism and fun to riding indoors during the horrible winter. I want to build these for next winter!

DIY InsideRide Free Motion Rollers #2

via make:

I just got one of those indoor bike trainers. You know, the kind that props up the rear wheel against a heavy, resistance-providing wheel. The front of the bike rests on the floor, the rear axle is pinned, and there’s no balancing required. I didn’t think of it at first, but that’s not really how you ride a bike in real life, and therefore must not be good enough for athletes training for more than just a good indoor cardio workout. Instructables user pennachi1 created this indoor cycling rig that lets you actually ride your bike the way you would outside. Looks a little scary to me, but I’m informed it “works fantastically!”