Most cycling gear is made to be light, fast, high tech… and obsolete. Today’s state of the art titanium widget is tomorrow’s bargain Craigslist buy. Don’t get me wrong; I like cutting edge gear where it makes a difference, but I also have a nostalgic place in my heart for the materials and designs of yore - steel, leather, wool, and canvas. Sadly, and maybe ironically, this so-called “retro” gear often comes with a high price tag.  So I was pleased to come across Minnehaha Bag Co., who specializes in affordable classic-styled bike bags made from canvas, leather and nickel-plated steel.

The Canvas Shoulder Bag is a magnificently simple satchel. After a week of testing high tech panniers and packs, it was so nice to throw on this light, uncomplicated bag and ride to a café to read a book. While decidedly low-tech, cotton canvas is actually more comfortable to wear and breathable than most synthetic-material packs and shoulder bags. It also doesn’t slide around on your back like slick nylon does. But in a thoughtful touch, Minnehaha Bag Co. provides a removable cross strap that can be clipped on to keep heavier loads from shifting.

The leather tabs and accents on the bag come untreated for water repellency so it is advised that new owners use some sort of leather treatment (like Sno-Seal) to massage in. This not only helps soften and waterproof the leather but it also turns it a nice shade of light brown. How quaint. In a nod to modern sensibilities, Minnehaha Bag Co. has sewn on a small leather tab for a blinkie light and provided two removable reflective streamers for visibility on the bike.

Make no mistake; if you’re transporting your laptop or epic novel manuscript, this might not be the bag to use. It’s unstructured and soft and the strap is not padded, so heavier loads are better left to your modern haulers. But it is perfectly adequate for café hopping or as a casual briefcase. Best of all, it’s low-tech and timeless.

Cost: $70