Press & Other News

I met a man named Joe Grubb, a NOBO (northbound thruhiker) on the Appaliachian Trail (a 2179 mile long trail from Georgia to Maine, the longest in the country).  He's hiking the trail to raise awareness and dollars for the Elevate Hope Foundation - a group "dedicated to providing abused and abandoned children an alternative method of therapy through music and the arts"   He's nearing the end of his hike, and is still plugging for support.  You can read all about it and check out his video blog at his site:

joegrubb.org

After he finishes the hike - he told me he plans to bike from Boston to San Diego in order to continue his mission for the foundation.  I told him about North St and my plans to get some touring bags designs together, and an obvious partnership was sprouted.  I hope to show my support by sending out some bags in exchange for some publicity (not to mention some incredible product testing).  I was already planning on getting the first round of prototypes up for my own touring plans in October, so the timing works well.

In the meantime - good luck Joe!

My own adventures pale in comparison to his, but I sure did have fun.

-Curtis

I haven't kept up with the blog now that summer's here.  I've been out enjoying myself quite a bit.

[caption id="attachment_1591" align="alignnone" width="386" caption="powell butte"][/caption]

Also I'm planning some time off in a few weeks.  The shop will be closed from Aug 5th thru the 30th.  Production will resume when I return.  I'm heading back east to visit family and friends, and I may get some hiking in as well.

Custom orders placed after this week will be made after I get back.  I can ship out stock orders up until the 5th

This is not to say that I've been idle.  I have a few new designs that I'm almost ready to announce, and the old favorites are now better than ever.  Here are some highlights:

Hip Pouch:  increased carrying capacity, more secure closure, blinky loop

Woodward & Avenue B:  improved shoulder strap cover,  simple pannier setup w/ bottom hooks, more options & features

A grocery pannier with Mayor Adams??

Josephine Convertible (this is a new one) : recycled fabric & liner, waterproof, convertible, less than $100?  I hope so.  I'm still working out the details:  more will follow.

Laptop Bag (also new): to fit inside any of the convertibles, backpacks or panniers.

I'll announce these as they become available on the site, so keep an eye out, and enjoy your summer!

Curtis

I've had a chance to test out a new pannier system for my convertible bags, and I want to share my results.  I posted about this a while back here.  I'll now use a modified hook & bungee system as the standard setup.  The bungee unhooks from one side, and easily tucks into a side strap for use as a backpack.  It does require an extra couple seconds to convert the bag, but the pannier setup is very secure, and ideal for commuting, touring, whatever.

As an upgrade (for $25), I'm still offering the Ortleib hook setup.  The advantage with these is the brilliant spring loaded clip which secures the bag to your rack with no bottom hook needed.  I've heard a lot of concern about the wobble factor of this setup (one of the reasons I developed the new system) but it works very well for commuting purposes, and converts very quickly.

Curtis

North St Bags has a NEW LOCATION!   It has been very exciting for me to get out of my basement studio and into a real space.  I have moved into Switchyard Studios on SE Salmon and 2nd Ave.  It's a community of artists and crafters.  There is actually a vacancy here at the moment, if anyone is looking for such a space - it's next to mine!

This brings a lot of exciting changes to my business (and to my day) - not the least of which is that you, loyal customers, can now come and see where the bags are made.  If you want help picking one out, need to see color choices in person, or just want to say hi - now you can.  You can now also pick up your orders free of charge.

The address:

109 SE Salmon St,  Portland OR, 97214

I'm generally around 9ish to 6ish on weekdays, but do call or email to make sure.  Also, you will have to call when you get here so I can let you in.  I'll be posting more regular hours once I've settled into more of a routine.

917-922-6507

curtis [at] northstbags [dot] com

Enjoy the sun!

Curtis

Attention Portland!  Two bags were stolen off of my porch at SE 71st and Division the day before yesterday.  They were in USPS boxes waiting to be picked up by my mail carrier for shipment.  They are ONE OF A KIND - the only bags in these colors - Navy with Royal accents.  If you see them, please let me know ASAP, or better yet -

$100 for their safe return - no questions asked.

curtis [at] northstbags [dot] com

917-922-6507

Thanks,

Curtis

Things have been picking up for me here at NorthSt.  My bags are being sold at one shop (soon to be two) and I have been talking with several others.  I just sold my 50th bag and my production queue will keep me busy for at least another month.  Plus I have a list of about eight new products I want to put out.

The bags themselves have improved considerably since I started back in October, as you can see in this photo gallery, which I just added to facebook.  It shows most of the bags I've made, from the very first bags I made back in Berkeley all the way up to the bag I made yesterday.  This gallery will be added to the site soon to show different color choices.

I've learned a lot in the past seven and a half months.  I knew next to nothing about running a business when I started, and still have a lot to learn.  I've had moments of frustration, but for the most part I've enjoyed my work immensely.  Finishing a bag is an excellent way to end the day.  I've had a tremendous amount of support from friends and family, as well as the bicycle community here in Portland, which I am thrilled to be a part of.

Thank you all for your kind words and support, and thanks for reading.

-Curtis

The Woodward Pannier is finally here!  The same solid, waterproof construction as it's convertible counterpart.  Order a matching companion with the backpack pannier, or buy it on it's own as reliable commuter pannier.

This bag features:

• waterproof vinyl liner
• roll top closure
• large front pocket with organizer
• handy pockets on the sides
• rings to add a single shoulder strap

Extras include ($5 each):

• a removable, adjustable shoulder strap
• side mesh pouch
• laptop sleeve
• extra internal organizer
• secret pocket
• pump pocket
• mail pocket
• key clip

My introductory offer is this:

single pannier - only $95!

order a set (pannier & convertible) - $295

Available now until June 15th!

-Curtis

After a few months of testing I've decided to add a back zipper flap to the standard design of The Avenue B backpack pannier.  The flap is similar to the one on The Woodward - two quick zips and the backpack straps are secured.  The main difference is that on this bag, there's no spot available on the front of the bag to stow the flap when in backpack mode, so I added velcro to the underside of the backpack straps so the flap can secure back underneath the straps when not in use.

I'll include this new feature with the next three orders at no extra cost while I figure out how to price out this change.

-Curtis

One question I'm asked a lot about my bags is regarding the pannier hooks - Isn't it a problem that there's no hook at the bottom?  This is understandable - we've all grown used to some sort of attachment at the bottom of the bag.

My answer is that for commuting, it's been fine.  Myself and a few close friends who have been using my bags as commuter panniers for months (some of them every day) can attest that there is no problem with having hooks only at the top.  The key to this success has been the use of Ortlieb hooks which have spring loaded clips which lock the bag in place.  The hooks are adjustable and come with inserts which you pick out to fit your rack specifically.  This creates a very secure connection between pannier and rack.  The only way the bag can move is to actually swing away from the bike.  I have found, after months of regular commuting, that this simply does not happen.   Granted, Portland isn't very hilly, and the whole idea gets a lot more iffy when thinking about a convertible bag which you can also tour with.

[caption id="attachment_1005" align="alignnone" width="386" caption="Shows the spring loaded clips which will lock the bag to the rack."][/caption]

Another problem with this is that using Ortlieb's system is not only costly, but also not ideal as a long term solution for my business.  I don't want to depend on another company's thing, especially when(if) I expand.

To address these issues, I've decided to develop a new system.  I've been using the standard hook and bungee setup for my grocery panniers, and I have an idea for modifying this so it would work for a convertible as well - Basically  the bungee would detach from one side of the bag and stow elsewhere for use as a backpack - That way it isn't poking in to your back.  The advantage to this is a more secure (and cost effective) pannier solution without compromising the backpack feature.  The drawback is that there would be an extra step or two involved in converting the bag.  (There's always a trade-off).

I've already had a request for this on an order, and hope to have a working prototype up within a few weeks when I will share my findings.  In the meantime, I welcome ideas and comments. (If the comment section doesn't show up on this blog, feel free to use my facebook page - there's a link at the top of this page and here).

Curtis

I got to go on a little smudge of a bike & hike the other day.  Nothing strenuous, but I found myself on the coast in Mendocino county for a day, and decided to stretch my legs a bit.  At the moment I'm in Berkeley for a few days - crashing with friends and basically living out of my large Woodward (8 x 11 roll-top) bag.  I also have an Avenue B (flap) bag with me.  This trip has been opportunity to use these bags in a couple of new ways, and I have some findings to share.

The Avenue B, though a commuter bag, came in hand as a bike & hike bag.  I spent Sunday morning on a ten mile jaunt through the redwoods wearing the bag on my back.  It was by no means the most comfortable hiking pack I've ever worn, but it served well.  I returned to the campsite, snapped the bag back onto my bike and then rode 20 miles down the road to my next camping spot.  Again, it wasn't ideal, but the whole experience got be thinking a little harder about the ideal bike & hike bag - one designed for this purpose. I look forward to developing one (and testing it!).

Back in the city places, I've been using my Woodward, and I have the thing packed to the gills.  It's a tad heavy on my back (but I'm glad it's a backpack and not just a shoulder bag), but I've had no problems with the weight on my bike, even on one side.

I have a few more design refinements to make given these new perspectives, as always making the bags better and better.

-Curtis

My younger brother is in town.  On his very first day in Portland we joined up with Friends of Trees, loaded up the trailer and planted trees around the neighborhood.  Our crew (an all bicycle crew), after getting lost and crossing the freeway a couple times too many, planted six trees around NE Glisan and 73rd, including two in a much needed spot on Burnside.

Overall there was a great turnout for the event, and the weather was brilliant.  We put a total of 230 trees in the ground that day, and I learned that plantings happen every week.

The new trailer made at Rejuiced Bikes worked out great!  That bin fit in well, and the bucket on the back is very useful.  It drew a lot of attention.

Not a bad intro to Portland, I think he's hooked.

I've got a new name for the business - NorthSt bags.   For those who don't know, the name comes from the street I grew up on in Vermont.   I remember long rides up to the top, and my first bike wreck was on that street too.  I was 8 and I took a good sized chunk out of my knee on the way to a parade.

Following the streets-I've-lived-on theme,  the bags now have names:

The Woodward - I designed this bag with the Portland winter in mind - It has a roll top closure and waterproof liner.  Named for my home on SE Woodward.

The Avenue B - This is the bag I wish I'd had when I lived in NYC (on the top floor at Ave B and 13th St).  It features a flap & drawstring closure, and now a nylon liner.

The Bowl - My basic grocery pannier made from old banner vinyl.  This one's named after my favorite grocery in Berkeley where I first used it.

Also - I have some new color selections in.  I'll get some photos/swatches up on the new site

Cordura - Khaki, Navy, Mint Green (I plan on using this for Hip Pouches)

Vinyl (liner) - Tan, Red

Nylon (liner) - Silver, Tan, Red, Yellow

Nylon (inside pockets) - Charcoal, Red

Webbing (straps) - Kelly Green, Brown

I want my color selection to grow and grow, but it gets a little pricey, so I have to control it.  Plus my tiny basement shop is pretty much at capacity storage wise.

If you're holding out for your favorite colors, let me know and I can try to get them into the next order.