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About the workshop

Hi! I’m Jean Michel, (former) smith/welder/designer/musician/drumbuilder.

I have a small workshop at home where I create bags and racks that ship all over the world, that’s so nice to do! getting better at it everyday, allways busy designing, sewing, tube shaping etc.

The bags have default dimensions, but very often people ask for custom bags and I’ve become really good at that, takes me less than half an hour to design and make new templates.          To be honest, my brains are kind of addicted to the adrenaline involved..) so yeah,.. come with ideas, requests!

Working at first with waxed canvas, great stuff: rainproof and tough, the seams swell when it get’s wet. use it mostly now for the traditional porteurbags, the first model randonneurbag, the traditional panniers, the expedition panniers and occasinally the handlebarbag, feedbag, just where it’s fitting.

For the bikepacking bags I use cordura, x-pac, nylon or polyester, all waterproof fabrics, where I apply seam sealer where possible, getting it pretty waterproof usually.

I can mix colours, for the edges it’s usually black, but it can also be beige, grey or orange.

On most bags you get to choose for pockets, mesh, elastic cord, mapsheet, webbing.  and for closing pockets I prefer velcro now, it’s really fast one hand usage compared to snapbuckles and you have quite some play how low or high you put it. but if it’s at a place where you don’t need to be fast, buckles are secure ( but adjusting the lenght of the webbing is not really easy, I prefer to stich it at a set length)   the fidlock magnetic closure can be awkward to use, snapping when you don’t want to and searching for it to snap sometimes.

I use atilon foam as stiffener to keep the bags from sagging and especially use it for the semi roltop porteurbag, wich slides on the rear upstanding part of the rack and next pulls bungeecord under the corners. a system I developed overtime. same as I use for the decaleurless randobags. I even made some 50grams superlight alu randorack that work with that system.

Where needed I can make sleeves for alu tubes, at points where the rack is just too small and for example for panniers, to keep them light, no need to use a heavy hard shell on the wheelside, when you got the fork as backbone.  just cross the alu tube and use lightweight channel plate.

That brings me to my beloved U loop bags with the superlight bikepacking rack/bag system I developed for LaFraisecyles, they where part of winning ‘concours de machines’ 2018, the famous framebuilding contest in France. the small U’s are ultralight and the bags slide on and fasten with one velcro strap. will be working on a ‘cuben fibre’ edition soon.

Other renowned item is the bikepacking steerer rack, sold as a roadbike front rack, to bikepackers in need of a solution for their sagging bags hitting the tyres and cables, or wobbling around too much. I recommend the 10mm for ofroad and the 8 for road use. for some applications I’ll have a extra support tigged to it wich increases the rigidity.

People know me for making bicycle racks completely bolt on and riveted, it takes more thinking to get the construction right, but I’m surprised how much you can do this way. specially like to press the small U’s at the end of the cross tubes..    sometimes a construction is better with a weld at some point, wich a friended company will tig for me. made lot of custom porteur racks and like doing 10mm tube sturdy cargobike racks.

The pics on my website don’t allways represent the final product, as it developes continuously, don’t hesitate to email to clearify things.

 

Den Bosch – Laon

 

cycling france bags1-fietsreis-frankrijk b-001I made a short trip to northern France, actually wanted to go in one day to Paris, but when I crossed the French border at 5.30 am , it was very hot over there. I had to find another store before closing time for my night supply, but no change for that in northern France. Only for 3 hours  and 90km later I found a night shop in Laon . I had driven  too fast and couldn’t manage to eat my pasta at the pizzeria. After my last experience with a heat wave I had become cautious and I didn’t feel like riding the returntrip the next afternoon in this hot France, so this would mean taking a train from Paris, but I came here to cycle, so turned my bike and drove back into the French night and enjoyed a wonderful trip!
After 650km I really got in the mood for a cold beer and  toke the train home in Maastricht.
I‘m all in all happy about how I finally managed the heat , next time I’ll make it to Paris and be better prepared.