Traffic Cone Blog

  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  

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 $ 95 155/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 deci...

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 ...

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 ex...

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...

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 s ecurity by design - light fingers can't get at your stuff without slashing it with a knife. More about TCB's clever security-by-design

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 wa...