Loren Wheeler
From: Eugene, OR
Time in Portland: 3.5 yrs
TRUNK: Vaude Pannier
In TRUNK:
- Helmet
- Almonds
- Empty Plastic bag with crumbs inside
- Bike multi tool
- Phone numbers
- Booklist
- Empty Toblerone package
- Napkin
- Goodwill receipt
- 3 bungee chords
- Butter knife
- T-Shirt
- Handkerchief
- Unsent letters
- Received letters
- Journal
- Canvas tote bag
- Toothbrush and paste
- Pen
-Klean Canteen
- 20 cents
- Wallet
- Key to bike lock
- Phone
- Edward Abbey, “Desert Solitaire”
DP: Are you from Portland?
LW: I’m from Eugene but I’ve lived in Portland for the past three and a half years.
DP: What are you doing up here?
LW: I went to massage school originally, I do massage. I’m also a preschool teacher.
DP: At a school in town?
LW: Yeah, Portland Preschool… It’s a pretty original title… I’m going back to finish my bachelors in the fall.
DP: Do you have a school that you’re hoping to do that at?
LW: University or Portland
DP: What are you going to be studying there?
LW: Music, I’m a singer
DP: Like a choral singer or do you sing for a band?
LW: I do improvised, solo, eclectic, genre-busting stuff.
DP: Do you perform around town?
LW: So far it’s been Last Thursday that I like to perform at. My most recent thing that I like to do is sing Dr. Seuss books, for example, “All the Places You’ll Go”. Most people have read Dr. Seuss books thought their whole childhood. So they see the book that I‘m reading/singing and there’s this instant connection with their childhood and it totally re-enlivens this book that was probably a huge part of their life for a significant period of time.
DP: Do you put music with it?
LW: Yeah, So I’ve got this machine that allows me to loop my voice and layer it. So I do my own bass and beats, harmonies, and everything, and then I sing the words of the book over that.
DP: So other then music is there anything else you might be studying?
LW: Yeah, I’d also like to talk to whales, so I figure I could probably learn something about that in school.
DP: So about your bag, is there anything that you would never leave home without?
LW: Yeah, my wallet and cell phone are big and my toothbrush as well.
DP: Do you stay away from home a lot?
LW: Yeah, when I’m working a lot I’ll be out from 9 ‘til 7 sometimes, working 2 jobs. I bring my toothbrush because I’m a massage therapist and people like good hygiene.
DP: Where do you do massage therapy?
LW: In NW at a spa called Dragon Tree.
DP: Do you live in NW then?
LW: I live in NE so I bike across the river a lot.
DP: Is that a daily thing you do? Or do you also bus or take a car?
LW: I do have a car; I don’t use it very often though. It runs on vegetable oil, which is nice for when I do drive. Mostly I’m trucking on my bike; I end up riding a lot of miles every day, like 8 or 10. I’m always on my bike, rain or shine, and the waterproof bag is what I use.
DP: Do you have another bag as well or is this just the one?
LW: Yeah this is just the one; my girlfriend has the other that makes up the pair- we split it up. I like to use a bag within my bag to separate things though.
DP: What about the size of the bag, is it enough space for you?
LW: Yeah, if anything it’s too much. I’d say it is rare that I ever fill it up. What I would really like is to have a basket on the front of my bike and have a little waterproof bag there, cause I usually just have a few things, maybe a little snack, you know.
DP: Does having the Panniers on the side of the bike throw your balance at all?
LW: No it doesn’t throw your balance off as much as you would think. Only if you put like a hundred pounds on one side would you really notice.
DP: It must be nice not riding with stuff on your back.
LW: Yeah, that’s what it is for me. I’m a message therapist and I’m pretty aware of my body and also singing is about body awareness for me, so any time I have a bag on my back or shoulder, one or both for an extended period of time, I notice how it effects me.
DP: So when you go out at night then and your not working, would you be taking this bag with you?
LW: I would ideally go light, like pockets or maybe a light shoulder bag… Small, like that big [motions with hands to a size of about 4x8 inches]. It’s ideal, especially with summer night riding and you want to be free and light. I’m a lightweight backpacker also, so when I go out I carry a pack that’s 10 pounds or less, which is super ultra light for how most people backpack. I tend to focus that same kind of energy when I’m going around the city. Going light and minimal, just reminding myself that I can depend on less than I think is possible.
DP: How do you feel about bag culture in Portland?
LW: I’ve noticed that bag culture is one of aesthetic and style, which is not something I tend to subscribe to. In particular what I look for in a bag is ease of use, efficiency, and waterproofing. I don’t tend to do the whole shoulder bag because those tend to be tailored to a particular aesthetic, which is not too important to me.
DP: So do you think people wear bags unnecessarily?
LW: I just see people with ridiculously huge bags on, ya know, fixie bikes. It’s like, you can’t possibly need everything that’s in the bag and it’s obviously a burden to carry so much stuff. But I do see the bag culture as making it accessible and stylish to be on your bike, which is awesome. So anything that does that I would say is positive, I would just take it a step further and say forget the aesthetic and the style and use a bag because it’s useful, but what ever gets people on their bikes is awesome.
To check out Loren’s music visit him at…
www.myspace.com/lorenwheeler.com
