Levrier Courier bag

​Levrier is French (I think) for greyhound (je pense) so I'm pretty sure these courier bags will make you go like the clappers on your bike (possiblement).

Based in Bristol, they are made by Dan Burbridge 'for cyclists who want their kit to stay safe and dry in the rain' which is a pretty good thing to focus on because it is always bloody raining in this country. Dan got into making bags after taking voluntary redundancy from his job in IT and having a bit of time on his hands and a bit of skill with a sewing machine set about making a courrier bag for himself. After making one for himself, all his friends wanted one and Dan found himself making a business out of it as the demand grew and Levrier bags, the company, was formed.

Our bag is an early model of the largest capacity model in the range, the Greyhound, with a 35 litre approx main compartment and ​a 5 litre approx front pocket​ makes it a bit bigger than a standard back pack. Built from super tough 1000​ denier nylon and lined with a waterproof tarpaulin the bag is designed for the daily grind a messenger will put it through, come rain or come shine, week in, week out. A bike messenger doesn't chose to stay indoors if the sky darkens and nimbus clouds​ obscure the sun so a bag like this needs to perform in the worst of it.

When you order your bag to be made, you need to specify which shoulder you wear you bag over or the buckles will be upside down. Your second choice is what colour you would like it in, navy blue, black or red for the outer and white o​r bright orange for the liner. Then there are further choices that will affect the price like non-stock outer colours, non-stock liner colours, twin outer pockets, scotchlite reflective strips, X-Strap (useful fo carry REALLY heavy loads), main strap extenders (another set of straps that clip onto the main strap to secure the flap when the bag is overloaded). And some changes that can save money like no back padding, no rib and stabiliser strap padding or no suspension straps.​​

It is a good sign when we see new cottage industries popping up in the UK, in a country that once upon ​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​a time used to be at the sharp end of textiles and manufacturing. This bag is well made, with a good level of detail producing a fairly traditional messenger bag with no bells or whistles just an honest hard worker that is built to last. The long body of the bag sits nicely across your back and with the padded stabilising strap is kept in its place well when riding and while full of kit. There is a padded panel on the back to stop awkward shaped contents prodding into your spine. Fully laden the bag can feel like you are giving someone a fireman's lift and does get a bit sweaty but it also feels like you are being given a big hug and that keeps you warm too. The supplementary X-strap ​was designed for Dan's young, whippet like frame and ​not for our more sturdy physiques in the Road.cc office because using it almost certainly would stop circulation to ​our heads. Remember, this bag is made for you (but this one was made for him) and this is how far Levrier go to getting the right bag for you. Alterations to the design now allow adjustment of all the straps so sharing the bag between friends of different physiques is now a possibility without disfigurement.​

Verdict

A good, honest, hard working messenger bag with no bells or whistles although they could be mounted to it if you wanted.