In the "style" section of bicycling magazine this month the advice columnist says you can't have a bike bag period, if you truly want to be cool. If it doesn't fit in your jersey, you don't need it. Either he was kidding, he rides in a vacuum sealed clean room somewhere, or I am terminally dorky. There is NO way I could ride without a bag! Bags all look alike to me, unless you get into the lovely english canvas and leather bags, which would look very strange on a road bike unless it is itself a pretty english bike. Did your friend point out anything to go on? I will say that the bags that clip on with a plastic clip connection, rather than the velcro strapped bags, are much nicer looking and more functional. The velcro droops. I also have one with a zipper extender, so it is smaller when zipped and can expand when unzipped. But in general, you may just want to stand tall as a dorky yet functional and comfortable cyclist- if I corrected everything that got sneered at somewhere or another, I would be out $1000s of dollars, would not be being particularly true to my practical self...and would probably still look like a dork!