Blaq Design LTD

Here's a little bit about the guys over at Blaq. They were really nice people and got right back to us the same day about sponsoring the race, and will be making a costume bag for the overall winner. go check out their gear.

blaq design ltd is based out of Kent, Ohio and we started sometime in 2007. There are 4 of us, Jeremy Neal, Paul Johnson, Jon Neal, and Aaron Painter, and a few others, like our photographer Chris Barnes. We met because we all rode bikes and had an interest in forming a company. We all share a green outlook and see sustainable manufacturing as the way to go. With the exception of a few early frames and bars (made by Solid Bikes in CA), everything has been handmade in-house.

Not long after starting we hit on the idea of making a few messenger bags. Paul prototyped the original late in '07. It took about 20 bags of trying different materials and designs before we had something that looked presentable and another 20 bags before they really started looking good. Since the bags started coming together we decided to invest in new machines and materials. We currently have 5 messenger bag sizes, 2 hip pouches, top tube pads, laptop sleeves, wallets, t-shirts, and we are basically done with backpacks. The line is constantly evolving as we introduce new stuff and make design changes (we count on feedback from customers).

Almost every bag we have done lately has had some sort of custom screen printed artwork. Paul has been steadily improving his skills and has been making some really impressive multiple color designs (check the new update on the site today). We have been trying to grow the business, which means we have been doing a bunch of custom stuff for next to no charge to get noticed (Doom bags for example). Our bags are a little cheaper or have more features for the same price as anything else out there. We hope that once you actually see one and compare them that you decide to pick one up.

The other side of the business is our frame company, Gonzo Bikes. We currently offer a BMX frame and bars, which are sold on the blaq site. We plan to offer a full line of components and frames with custom powder coating / anodizing, and softgoods, but all our efforts for now are concentrated on blaq. Once things start to stabilize we will shift some time back to Gonzo.

The biggest things were working on right now are backpacks, and a major update to the site. Jon does the web development and he's working on switching to a better javascript framework, and creating a custom product builder. In a month or so you will be able to go the site and choose every detail your bag down to the thread color. I was stitching up the newest backpack proto last night and it should be the last before they appear also. We try to keep the site updated with the latest stuff we make because everything has been continually improving and we want to show the evolution.