Product Spotlight – Cedaero Bags – by Dustin Marsh

I first noticed Cedaero bags when they sponsored the Marji Gesick 100 a few years ago. I saw some wildly colored top tube bags with tidy stitching. The business was just getting going in the back of SpokeNGear bike shop of Two Harbors, Minnesota. That’s way up nort der, just a bit past the big town of Duluth. At the helm is Dan Cruikshank, who wanted a new challenge after building the Granite Gear brand in the 1980’s. His new bike shop incorporated a coffee shop, because all the trendy shops are doing that now, and opened in 2017.

I picked up a new bike this summer, and it needed a framebag. I always have more junk with me than necessary, so in the bag it goes. I own a few of the Revelate designs and Salsa branded framebags, and while they work well, it was like I was driving a Toyota Corolla. I wanted something more; more color, better fit, and better function. It was time to shop for a custom bag.

I crossed paths with Dan at the KA Bike Duluth Festival, and we chatted about the bags Cedaero can make. He rode down to Duluth on his Salsa Cutthroat set up with a clean day pack setup. Half frame bag, bar bag, small seat bag, and a Fred bar. This was my first chance to get up close and a little too personal with Cedaero products. I was ready to sign a check as soon as I slid the zipper. So smooth! We chatted a bit about designs. I had seen a similar frame with a crazy skittlebomb color scheme, and I wanted something to incorporate the stripes that bring groove to the ‘grease. Dan had me work with pack designer Karl Mesedahl, and I gave him full license to go wild on the design. I ordered a custom bolt on full frame pack and a matching custom bolt on Tank Top pack. I chose the options to have a map pocket for the left side and a horizontal divider for the main compartment on the right.

The ordering process was pretty simple, all they need is a clear picture of the side of the bike, and they use some wizardry and computers to measure off of the water bottle bosses and a ruler to come up with a pattern. A cheese powered retro-futuristic robot cyborg cutting machine from the 90’s does some fancy dance moves over many flavors of colors, and a weird 3D jigsaw puzzle is born. Skilled hands stitch the pieces together, probably because skilled feet leave a strange odor. The turnaround time is usually 3-4 weeks. My bags took a little longer, but good things come to those who wait. Karl knocked the design out of the pickleball court!

Mounting the bags was straightforward, and the Velcro straps were left plenty long to accommodate the chunky frame. A quick trim of the straps, and I was ready to baptize the bags in the waters of Lake Michigan at the Grand Funduro Beach Ride and Ball! First order of business was getting a growler from a local brewery to bribe fellow test pilot JP into sharing his bed with me. The growler didn’t seem to bother the bag one bit, as it was stable and secure all the way home.

I’ve already started putting the bags through their paces; beach riding, singletrack, mud wrasslin’, daily driving to work, and some lovely early November salted road margaritas. Each of these bags will be individually reviewed once I get to know them better- keep an eye out for those in a few months.

Custom full frame bags start at $199.95, with upcharges for additional features.

• Map pocket: $25
• Second drive side zipper: $25
• Multiple colors are $5 each
• Vertical divider: $15

Single color Tank Top packs: $54.95

• Add $15 for custom color combinations

Cedaero.com is the place to go for pretty bike pictures and more information about their products.