Timbuk2 had a self-described “bike parking problem.” When your company is the leading manufacturer of bicycle messenger bags, and your customers and employees are fanatical bikers, having 20 bikes leaning against each other in the corporate headquarters entrance isn’t something you want to ignore. In true San Francisco spirit, the bikes cluttering the entrance were an eclectic bunch–short bikes, tall bikes, thin tires, fat tires, heavy cruisers and light fixies.

We quickly decided on vertical, wall-mounted racks, allowing the greatest number of bikes to be racked at once. I suggested an industrial, bare-steel look to match the interior. They requested a wall guard to prevent wet and dirty tires from marring the walls.   A few days later, I presented two design concepts, and we moved forward with the simple Popsicle-stick design in the photos. I made the hook extra-wide and thick for those classic California cruisers, and the wall guard extra-long for those tall, fixed-gear bikes. I also incorporated the company’s iconic logo into the rack design.   A few weeks after installation, I stopped by to snap some photos and an employee asked if he could help me. I told him who I was. “Wow, thanks!” he said. “The racks are awesome. It’s so much better over here now.”