Timbuk2 and Mission Cycling Club Awarded the 2014 Silver International Design Excellence Award

SAN FRANCISCO (July 1, 2014) – Timbuk2, a pioneer of made-in-America customization and industry leading designer of urban gear, and Mission Cycling Club, a San Francisco-based competitive cycling environment for non-racers (who enjoy eating and drinking well), has received a coveted International Design Excellence Award (IDEA) from the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). Timbuk2, designed in collaboration with Mission Cycling Club, earned a Silver Award in the Personal Accessories category for the Timbuk2 Mission Cycling Raider Pack, a compact and lightweight urban commuter backpack.

Started in 1980 by IDSA, IDEA is the premier international competition honoring design excellence in products, sustainability, interaction design, packaging, strategy, research and concepts. This year, a panel of 24 international design experts from design consultancies, corporations and universities judged nearly 2,000 entries this year, ultimately naming 27 Gold, 58 Silver and 91 Bronze IDEA winners. The jury evaluated entries on aspects of industrial design excellence including: innovation; benefits to the user and client; and sustainability as well as the design’s visual appeal.

“IDSA is the voice of the industrial design profession, and to receive a Silver Award amidst competition of this caliber is an enormous honor,” said Timbuk2 Director of Product and Design, Greg Bass. “Sleek, stylish and lightweight, the Raider Pack is amazing on and off the bike, and embodies the functionality and versatility synonymous with Timbuk2.”

Weighing less than a pound, the Raider Pack was named after Mission Cycling’s Tuesday and Thursday morning “raids” up to the to the top of the Marin Headlands before work. Cooked up over a post-ride breakfast at a San Francisco neighborhood café, Timbuk2 and Mission Cycling were sweaty, tired, and sick of carrying their street clothes in bulky backpacks built for hiking. Understanding the need for a small, lightweight commuter pack that could hold the day’s essentials without slowing down the pre-work ride, the Especial Raider Pack was born. 

“With hundreds of members, many of whom commute to work via bike, we needed a portable and convenient carrying solution for our everyday essentials,” said Kevin LaKritz, Co-founder, Mission Cycling. “The Raider Pack has been popular since its inception given its one-of-a-kind design and functionality. Dylan and I are thrilled to be recognized with the Silver Award from IDSA, and will continue to partner with Timbuk2 to deliver what cyclists need most.”

2014 IDEA winners will be honored at a ceremony and gala following the conclusion of the annual IDSA International Conference in Austin, TX in August 2014.

About Timbuk2
Timbuk2 is a San Francisco original, founded 25 years ago by bike messenger Rob Honeycutt in a garage in the city’s Mission District. Since its inception in 1989, Timbuk2 has designed quality bags, packs and accessories built to last a lifetime, evolving from the original bike messenger company to a pioneer of made-in-America customization and an industry leader in forward-thinking, sustainable manufacturing. The relentless drive to inspire urban mobility, enable individuality and promote responsibility has propelled Timbuk2 forward as it continues fusing passion and style to create durable, functional products informed by the company’s longstanding cycling roots and today’s vibrant city landscape. Timbuk2 products are sold at its retail stores in San Francisco, Seattle, Denver and Chicago, specialty retailers, and online at www.Timbuk2.com.

About Mission Cycling Club

Mission Cycling was created in 2008 in San Francisco by Dylan DiBona and Kevin LaKritz to address a huge gap in the world of cycling: a competitive cycling environment for non-racers (who enjoy eating and drinking well). For more information, visit http://missioncycling.org.