george carlin had this great little bit about "stuff," and how when you go somewhere, you take a big load of stuff, but then once you’re there, someone wants to go on a quick weekend, so you take a smaller bit of stuff, and on the weekend, you want to go out, so you take an even smaller load of stuff. it was hysterical the way he did it, cause it’s effing george carlin.

i find myself thinking of that bit all the time, cause i am a TOTAL culprit for that bit. i have various loads of stuff that i take, given the situation. and the most perpetually in flux is my riding stuff. for purposes of this, you can just take it as a given that my helmet (SEEN) and lock are always with me — helmet on head or in hand, and lock in back pocket or holding my ride.

that said, here’s some of my riding stuff…

PACK
this bag is really small, and so multi-use, it’s insane…
+ can expand another 4 inches from it’s standard cargo capacity (good for a pair of shoes)
+ special compartment can hold a big-ass bladder of water, with straw coming up over shoulder to mouthpiece hanging in front (good for long rides)

you can see that little white cord going to my ipod remote on the one strap. (i made the ipod peek a little out of the bag there, too.) that remote is on the strap that crosses over my chest and the headpones plug into that, so i have skip, play/pause, and volume controls right there while i’m riding. the other strap has a small combat knife on it, also for quick access.

inside that small outer compartment … pen, paper, extra bike lock key, ipod charger, phone charger, pillbox of advil, cycling map of sf, map of alameda, stamps, gum, matches, some zip-ties, sunglasses, small flashlight.

the inner compartment fluxuates, but for the most part usually has … hoodie, fresh drawers and socks, tshirt, knit cap, arm warmers, bike headlight and tail light.

i try and always leave extra room for one of stuff shaped like the following … operating system discs, small framed art, a tupperware of food, etc..

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but then what if i don’t need to bring all that shit? on to smaller stuff. and this stuff is always ON my bike (until i go inside somewhere, then i take it with me). so like if i’m not going to work, or i’m not going to (SG)rrlfriend’s house, or to dinner, or whatever, i ditch the pack and just roll with the needs, in this…

UNDERSEAT BAG

somehow, using lots and lots of stoney forethought, i’ve come up with a packing system that allows me to fit all that shit into that little bag … pump, extra inner tube, ratchet, 5 sockets, an allen key, tyre levers, zip-ties, band-aids, and an extra key to my lock.

i can pretty much field-strip my entire bike using that shit. i have another underseat bag on whatever my other bike may be at the time (in this instance, WRs loaner bianchi roadbike), but that usually has a lot less stuff in it, because modern bikes don’t require an entire craftsman toolchest to work on, like schwixie(tm), whose frame, steering column, and seatpost are 36 years old this year.

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kind of a bikey geek-out post, but whatever.

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