Timbuk2
Urban messenger bags, San Francisco heritage since 1989
Acquired by Exemplis (LA office furniture maker) in 2019. Historic SF factory closed, production moved to Mexico. Quality in freefall. specialist forums les passionnés unanimous.
Philosophy
A bike messenger who sewed bags in San Francisco. The factory is dead, so is the quality. An office chair maker now owns the name. Pre-2019 Timbuk2s are still solid - the new ones, specialist forums says 'garbage.'
History
Rob Honeycutt was a bike messenger in San Francisco. In 1989, he bought a sewing machine and made his first messenger bag in his Mission District garage. The brand was initially called "Scumbags" - he renamed it Timbuk2 Designs in 1990, inspired by the band Timbuk3. The swirl logo mimics a bike wheel's rotation.
Fascinated by Toyota's "just in time" model, Honeycutt developed a pattern suited to custom orders. Three color panels to choose from, velcro closure, made-to-measure. The Custom concept exploded: every bag hand-sewn at the San Francisco factory. Total customization became the brand's DNA.
The SF factory grew. In 2014, the San Francisco Business Times ranked Timbuk2 the second largest manufacturer in the city. Stores in Hayes Valley (2006), then NYC, Chicago, Denver, LA, Toronto. Collaborations with Blue Bottle Coffee (2014), New Balance (2016). The brand was everywhere in America's urban cycling landscape.
But capital moves faster than bikes. Sold to a VC firm in 2005, then to PE group TB2 Investors in 2006. In August 2019, Exemplis acquired it - an LA office furniture manufacturer. Industrial logic was immediate: close the historic SF factory, move production to Mexico for custom, China, Vietnam and Indonesia for the rest.
Prices stayed. Quality collapsed. On specialist forums, enthusiasts is unanimous: "garbage," "time to put the final nail in the coffin." Zippers break, seams fail, fabric noticeably thinner. enthusiasts notes no new models in years - same recycled designs without improvement. les passionnés confirms: quality trajectory has been in freefall for 15 years, with brutal acceleration post-2019.
Pre-2015 Timbuk2s are still legendary - some lasting 20+ years among enthusiasts. That's precisely what makes the decline so visible: people compare with what they had.
Iconic Products
Classic Messenger
The original SF messenger bag. Three customizable color panels, velcro closure. The bag that defined the genre. Pre-2019 examples still hold up - new ones don't.
Authority Laptop Backpack
Commuter backpack with laptop compartment. Represents the post-acquisition mass-market shift. The product that symbolizes what Timbuk2 became.