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Categories: Accessories, Outdoor Gear
Neighborhoods: Dogpatch, Potrero HillJoin our shopping extravaganza, 9am-3pm! We've invited the most creative & exciting new brands to kick off the season! See our slideshow
Announced 6 days agoMon-Fri. 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
These are high quality, good looking, very functional bags. I went into the store and received excellent service and a custom made commuter bag. You can pick out your fabric and lining from a wide array of samples and they'll assemble the bag for you on the spot.
The bags are on the pricey side, in the same range as a Timbuk2 for instance, but I think the quality and personalized style are worth it, plus its always great to support a local small business.
I got the commuter messenger bag, sized skinny. My laptop is to big for the 13" computer sleeve that comes with that so they let me buy the bag without the sleeve and save $20 bucks - I paid $120.
I got my lovely brand new Rickshaw commuter bag and Moleskine folio a couple weeks ago. Lisa's customer service was great and I got exactly the bag I wanted in a pattern that totally fits my personality. It's obvious everyone there loves their jobs, bags are built to order and they will work to customize it to fit your needs (and my desire for predominantly green, neutral color patterns). They have all the little features you would never think of, including magnet fasteners (because I cringe a little every time I hear Velcro). It's sturdy and has served me well in the last month for school, work and weekends at the beach.
However, that's not the story I want to tell you.
I would like to tell you all a story called "Stephanie is an Idiot" subtitled "Why my Anthropology textbook smells like curry but my computer, ipod, and cell phone still work and smell like...not curry"
Sounds like a fun story, right?
It starts out with me being stupid and putting my lunch (in apparently a less than reliable Tupperware container) in the main pocket of my Rickshaw bag instead of sequestering it elsewhere. I had a big container of Mulligatawny soup (chicken, apple, cream, curry, rice, delicious). Include me sprinting to class to turn in a paper, tossing my bag in the corner like I usually do and haphazardly removing my books and you get a big mess that has to sit and pool there until the end of class...
At the end of class I cleaned out my bag and thanks to the waterproof liner, only the main compartment was affected. No curry in the computer (because of it's waterproof sleeve), no curry on the Moleskine journal, no curry in the ipod or in the cell phone. After a good wipe down with some Lysol, my bag is not stained nor does it smell remotely like curry.
Granted, my Anthropology book with forever smell like curry, but at least nothing else has to.
So in conclusion to my random tangent, waterproof inside is awesome... However, having to buy a sub-par sandwich for lunch when you brought amazing soup from home is not...
OK, now that I've finally had a chance to see the bags in person and meet the owner I have to up the rating. We didn't leave with a bag just yet but at least we were able to find out how it all works. They will customize a bag to fit your needs. The only bad thing is that if you work a 9-5 job it's impossible to get down there to pick out your fabrics. They do make appointments but still...most people would feel bad wasting their time if they didn't want to buy the merch. Still, the owners here are super nice and they seem like a really cool company. Now, if I only had a few hundred laying around, I'd definitely purchase a bag. Maybe one of these days, for now I'll admire them from afar.
Oh yeah, an added bonus, Mark, the owner gave us a sneak preview of some personalized bags they were making for Whole Foods employees. Pretty sweet. They certainly make you feel welcome so when you buy a Rickshaw bag show it off with pride.
My boyfriend has been looking for a high quality laptop bag for awhile now. He came across this… Read more »
I have been trying to get in here forever but their hours just don't cooperate with anyone who has a job.
On a Friday I was able to rush out and sneak in just before closing time. I love that the store front and production area sit right next to one another.
The lady who was helping me walked me back showing me a ton of different styles and fabrics, explaining all of the intricacies of the material.
You can even bring in your own material or do a NikeID type of set up and pick from their fabrics where they will turn around and have your bag ready the same day (if you come in early morning).
I didn't even buy a bag....but I will in the near future. I love what they are doing here and the experience is great.
I love my Zero bag. It's the perfect thing I need for the kind of commuter traveling I do. And it was by no means expensive. My medium bag is $60. And none of the fabric used was wasted. GENIUS!
If any of you are skeptical about getting one (because it's not TB2 or Krome) well have no fear. These bags are stylish, durable, and totally well constructed for bikers and non bikers.
Their accessories are awesome too and you can totally find a lot of Rickshaw products at Sportsbasement.
Their shop/factory is so cool and Mark Dwight (founder and CEO) is hella cool. Check it out!!!
Definitely a San Francisco treat.
Part of living in Potrero Hill is that we don't get a lot of truly cool things that are truly unique and exemplify the history of the neighborhood - it is a formerly industrial area, after all, and yet many of the industrial properties languish or get demolished for condos. t's true that we have some good restaurants, but it isn't anything that can't be found elsewhere.
Well, Rickshaw is a truly cool place and a concept that brings out the heritage of the neighborhood in ways that few other businesses have. It's a functioning light-industrial business in the middle of a city where such businesses haven't had much success at staying open because of changing demographics.
I bought a Large Zero messenger bag a few weeks ago and haven't had any complaints with it. It was custom, made-to-order, right in their factory on 22nd St, with domestically sourced parts, or so their web site says. It's a high quality bag - a lot more lightweight than Chrome bags, but also fundamentally a lot simpler. Still, it's great for taking a case of beer to delores park or some groceries back from safeway in. Their more elaborate commuter messenger bags are really, really sharp - I just didn't need something like that, but if you are in the market for one, definitely give them a chance.
One problem that I did have with the retail presence was that the stated hours were only 10-5, M-F, which are rather restrictive when you work normal hours and commute each way. But, if you email them, you can get in as early as 9 or a bit after 5, which I found, for lack of a better word, awesome.
I have not yet bought a bag (saving up) but I visited Rickshaw for their grand opening party at the factory and had a great time. The founder/CEO was serving up some very good wine and beer with a gigantic smile on his face, and the factory was 100% open. Meaning my buddies and I could wander around and see pretty much everything. Awesome to see such a trusting and open company in SF.
My only complaint... I didn't win any prizes that night, including the beer bandoleer. They didn't even have one in the store. Apparently it is a very rare item given out only at special occasions. One of these days...
I recently picked up a messenger bag at Rickshaw, and I love it. This handsome bag is solidly put together, easily adjustable, has plenty of pockets without being cluttered, and is nicely space-efficient. I actually think that I am biking around town more just because I enjoy showing off my cool new bag, and I'm even beyond the honeymoon stage at this point.
The purchase experience was excellent--I stopped into the shop in Dogpatch and Ryan showed me around the facilty, let me view the bag sizes and styles, worked with me on some options and then before I knew it the bag was rolling off the line, made just for me. I thought I'd have to wait 4-6 weeks or something, but I was in and out within 30 minutes or so with a great new bag.
Bikers: if you're shopping around for a bag, I highly recommend you pedal on over to Rickshaw. Great to have a local business to support with such cool products.
I suggest bringing in a fabric or patch or something to customize your bag, I brought in an old Arsenal FC jersey I no longer wear because I gained weight and don't fit in it anymore, they cut out the badge, found matching colors in a variety of different fabrics, sewed the patch on, and now I literally am the only one on the planet with this messenger bag. Come on you gunners!!!
I did a good chunk of my holiday shopping at Rickshaw (also treated myself for a new rockin computer bag and small messenger bag) and everyone who got something was and still are ecstatic! Me, personally, i look forward to strappin my work bag on everyday because i know, there isn't another person out there with my same one. One of a kind place, service and people. Rickshaw Rules!!!
When I got this bag I had no idea who Rickshaw was. I'm completely won over, after having this bag since August, and even more won over by the laid back style that they have in running their business.
I got the bag as a gift, and didn't really care for the solid black bag, so I called, and they said to come down and swap it for something else. I envisioned a boutique filled with bags, but was greeted by an office. The resultant what the hell happened in my head, but I was taken into the factory, where I got to choose from a few dozen fabrics. The choices were all amazing, I opted for Black Currant.
Since then I've taken it on tons of trips, usually with my Pelican case for my equipment, and it fits perfectly over the handle. The pockets are well designed, and the bad is very well constructed. The magnets are an excellent touch, especially when I'm running with cameras in my bag.
Yes, they are expensive (at nearly $200), but they wear like steel, and it's hands down the most comfortable bag I've ever had.
Bag maker Timbuk2's former CEO and original founder have teamed up again to form a new company called Rickshaw Bagworks. The company was created a year after the CEO left the company so as to not violate the year-long no-compete clause. At first, I had a small issue with the name Rickshaw as it skewed towards the Asian (Chinese) culture. But in several interviews, they explain the origin of the name.
"Dwight took the brand name from a photojournalism book, "Chasing Rickshaws" by Lonely Planet, which showed rickshaws throughout Southeast Asia. The word Rickshaw is derived from three Japanese characters meaning "human powered vehicle."
"It's good fortune that we were able to find a name for the company that's connected with cycling and connected with the eco movement," Dwight said.
Rickshaw made their debut at Interbike in September, and from what I saw, I'm really liking the designs. Add eco-friendly materials and you may have a winner. I've been looking into buying a messenger bag so I can bike to work and of course you think about the big 3 bag makers: Chrome, Crumpler, and Timbuk2. But Rickshaw's bags have a more muted and earthy tone to them and the fabrics seem softer. I'm going to hold out to see what Rickshaw's price points are and see how they compare, as I love Crumpler but man their stuff is pricey.
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