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Sew this is it!

Beautiful moped…check

Beautiful convertible bag…check

Beautiful tool roll…che…oh crap!

The tool bag I had didn’t fit in the pocket I spec’d.  Probably because it’s more of a tool wallet than a roll.  It’s supposed to be worn by the rider not strapped to the bike…poo.

No wait, Yay! A new challenge.  I wanted Tia (from VayaBags) to make this too but I wasn’t sure when I’d have the time to get myself and my tools out to her to design something.  I tried making a template from a grocery bag but that was a failure.  I decided to use some safety pins and an old fabric bag to mock things up.  I had a lot of marine vinyl left from recovering the TSM-DR’s seat so I figured I’d try sewing one myself.

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Leah has an old school Kenmore sewing machine from the 50s or 60s and it can pretty much sew through anything.  I set to work taking measurements from my mocked up tool roll, sewing and checking for fitment.  Let’s just say I was glad I had some junk vinyl to practice on…I’m not good at building with fabric.  I also think that old sewing machine needs a tune-up.  If you know of anyone that does that kind of work in the nyc area let me know.

Slowly but surely it started to look like what I wanted.

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I needed to find some webbing that would wrap things up and secure it to the moped.  I looked online but everything was expensive unless I bought a lot.  A quick trip to Michaels and PetSmart solved my problem.  A dog leash and some paracord bracelet clasps solved the problem.

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Then some fabric was removed from the cover flap and I reinforced the other stitching and made a handle.

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Not too shabby.  I’m going to wear this out and then I can just hand off the roll to Tia to get something indestructible made.

Next up…keeping things well oiled and faired?

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I can hardly contain myself.

Get comfy…this is going to be a long one…before I even started on the TSM-SP I had decided I needed a bag that would work as a pannier as well as a backpack.  Why is this here now… well it’s a build isn’t it!  I never promised linear storytelling.

I love bags and containers.  I might even be slightly obsessed with the idea of the perfect bag.  Few things are as satisfying  as solving the problem of how to carry the exact things necessary, have the flexibility to adapt to the unknown and all while keeping your hands free.

I’m not a briefcase guy.  It never made sense to me to have a hand tied up carrying a beautiful but limited piece of luggage.  I wanted a bag that I could carry while wearing a suit or jeans or a kilt(yep I wear one), something a little funky but still classic and timeless.

I wanted it to be the perfect accessory to my commute to work, on or off a moped.  I wanted it to be a pannier when necessary and still a great backup.  I wanted it to be organized and easy to find things in.  I hopped I could just find an existing product and buy it.

After lots of research I was still not finding what I wanted.  There were lots of nice bags out there but nothing that was just quite right.  Thankfully I knew someone that made bags and she had something in her collection that was close.

Enter the brilliant Tia from Vaya bags .  If you aren’t familiar with her work you really should check it out especially if you’re in the NYC area.  She makes everything here in New York and the materials and quality of work even impress my wife.  (Leah was a costume designer in an other life and is rarely impressed). You could have a custom bag for around the same price as a Chrome bag and if that isn’t reason enough, I don’t know what is.  Check out her stuff with the link below or so in the store.  Everyone there is great!  Tia’s convertible was great for a bicycle but I was worried about clearance on a moped.

(That bag is sexy!)

I’d like my bag to be a little more of rucksack.  The roll top should let me carry bigger loads and the front pocket should hold the things I’d like quick access to.

But what had to live inside this magic bag…to the list!

Tia’s bags have a waterproof liner and I wanted to have access to the space under it for things that might get dirty.  I also wanted to be able to store a u-lock on the  bag for when I was riding.  Picture drawing time!

A quick visit to the shop to look at fabric and some quick mockups at home and the plan was off to Tia.  The results were great!

And when the TSM-SP was completed (ha…will it ever really be finished) everything fell into place.

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One thing then became apparent…my store bought tool roll wasn’t cutting it.

Next up…roll with it baby!