{"id":40329,"date":"2022-08-22T11:00:04","date_gmt":"2022-08-22T09:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/?p=694205"},"modified":"2022-08-22T11:13:12","modified_gmt":"2022-08-22T09:13:12","slug":"bikeradars-high-mileage-heroes-stans-chrome-industries-mini-metro-bag","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/bikeradars-high-mileage-heroes-stans-chrome-industries-mini-metro-bag\/","title":{"rendered":"BikeRadar\u2019s High-Mileage Heroes | Stan\u2019s Chrome Industries Mini Metro bag"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Stan Portus\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 22 August 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

I bought my Chrome Industries Mini Metro bag on 14 April 2011, and I can tell you this because I still have the receipt buried away in a box file.<\/p>\n

This might seem weird and hoarder-ish, but the \u00a3101.99 I paid was a lot of money for my 18-year-old self. The bag\u2019s label said it was \u2018guaranteed for life\u2019 and clearly I wanted to hold Chrome to its word should I ever need to.<\/p>\n

However, over a decade later, I can tell you I have had no need to call on Chrome. The bag has withstood years of being hurled around.<\/p>\n

Courier bags<\/a> may not hold the same appeal as they did back in 2011. But their flap-over designs and how they hang at an angle across the wearer\u2019s back are still signifiers to many of a particular mentality and time, when fixies<\/a> were the cool bike of choice and bike messengers could enjoy a weird Z-list level of internet fame.<\/p>\n

My Mini Metro bag may have become a mnemonic for my late-teen awkwardness and early-adult-life idiocy, but the fact I still use it when I commute by bike<\/a> means it is undeniably a High-Mileage Hero.<\/p>\n

The buckle<\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
The seatbelt-style buckle is an unmistakable feature on Chrome bags.<\/span><\/figcaption> Oscar Huckle \/ Our Media<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Chrome\u2019s bags are immediately recognisable due to their unique buckle design. Looking through pictures from the last decade of my life, the gleaming finish of the buckle is present in many of them.<\/p>\n

The story goes that the people at Chrome wanted a messenger bag with a quick-release strap<\/a>, so they salvaged a seatbelt buckle from an Oldsmobile car and incorporated it into one of its bags.<\/p>\n

Having a buckle across one\u2019s chest means you can take the bag off without lifting it over your head.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
The strap has begun to fray, but it still works fine.<\/span><\/figcaption> Stan Portus \/ Our Media<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

This is a neat touch if your bag is loaded to the brim. It is not so neat should your classmates know how it works, releasing the bag from your shoulders as an irritating schoolyard prank.<\/p>\n

The bag\u2019s strap is made from seatbelt webbing. It has begun to fray and I suspect this will be the part of the bag that will give way first, but it has a long way to go yet.<\/p>\n

BikeRadar\u2019s High-Mileage Heroes<\/h2>\n

High-Mileage Heroes<\/a>\u00a0showcases the products that have stood the test of time and become part of our everyday riding.<\/p>\n

These aren\u2019t reviews, but rather a chance to talk about the kit we depend on and the products we choose to use when we\u2019re not reviewing fresh gear.<\/p>\n

More from High-Mileage Heroes:<\/p>\n