Why is it that the creative director of any company always seems to stroll into the office, unruffled, unflustered and perfectly put together? Maybe it’s because they have an eye for good design that means they only buy stuff that’s fit for purpose. Like Ortlieb’s Twin City Urban bag, a sleek shoulder bag that does double duty as a practical bike bag for daily commutes. You select the bag’s mission by closing the flap on one side or the other. Detach the shoulder strap, and the mounting system conveniently clicks onto your bike rack. Then, once you get to the office, simply remove the bag from your bike, fold over the flap to hide the mounts, attach the shoulder strap and stroll in stylishly. Large enough for a laptop, a tablet, a wallet, a smartphone and a water bottle, it’s ideal for carrying the essentials, yet compact enough to take anywhere. And it’s not all style over substance either: the Cordura nylon fabric is both waterproof and highly abrasion resistant.
| Dimensions | 39 x 30 x 12 cm |
| Weight | 666 g |
| Volume | 9 L |
Life in the great outdoors is unpredictable, which is why it’s wise to be prepared. Basically, if your adventure goes from dry to downpour, you want your kit to stay safe and protected. Ortlieb’s durable, waterproof bike bags and backpacks are the ideal solution.
The first Ortlieb bag was invented in Germany in 1981, after founder Hartmut Ortlieb got back from a very wet bikepacking adventure in (you guessed it) Southern England. Inspired by tarpaulins he’d seen lashed on the truck beds of lorries, he fashioned a pair of bike panniers from red truck tarp, which he stitched at home on his mother’s sewing machine.
A year later he founded his own company, buoyed by early success and positive feedback from friends. In the following years, young Hartmut came up with a series of innovations that would define the modern drybag, using high frequency welded seams and roll-top closures. He even developed the first self-locking mounting system to attach panniers to bike frames.
Today, Ortlieb remains the first and most trusted choice for adventures and expeditions on land or sea – a brand name synonymous with waterproof protection and super-tough, outdoor-ready gear.
