Thornhill Bike is launching with a presale of the Kitloader 70, a semi-rigid, collapsible mountain bike gear bag made with adjustable dividers and premium materials in Asheville, North Carolina. Read on for a closer look at all of the Kitloader 70’s organizational details and to learn more about founder James Leath’s obsessive quest to craft products that will keep his (and your) rides more dialed.
The Kitloader 70 is a semi-rigid, modular gear locker that features strategic ventilation areas, designed specifically for mountain bikers. The (re)movable dividers allow for tailored organization that can be set up based on user preferences. This unique storage solution holds its form, even when empty and can pack flat for travel. This 70-liter bag stores up to a week’s worth of kits, your helmet, shoes and everything else you need to get out for a ride; whether it’s your weekly Tuesday ride or an epic multi-day trip.
Kitloader 70 Quick Hits
- Semi-rigid, collapsible tub floor design, with fiberglass enforced rim
- Features: (Re)movable dividers, exterior pockets, adjustable handles, and organizational details galore
- Waterproof ballistics cordura nylon, US-sourced sailcloth and antimicrobial coated mesh
- 70-liter volume
- Dimensions: Base: 10 x 24″, Lid: 11.5 x 27″, Height: 14”
- Handmade in Asheville NC
- Presale Founder’s Bag: $375
The Story of the Thornhill Kitloader 70: A New Approach to an Old Problem:
It’s a familiar scene… you just showed up for that last-minute ride and it turns out you’re missing some critical bit of kit. If you’re lucky, there’s enough time to ‘run back to the house’, wasting fuel and precious ride time. The alternative is that you completely miss out on that ride you were so desperate to go on. Most of us folks in the sport are busy people, sneaking in a ride between meetings, at lunch or while the kids are napping. With all of life’s distractions, it’s easy to see how a grab-and-go option for your riding kit would free your mind up and ensure you’re able to make the most out of your rides.
James Leath, an industrial designer by trade, is someone who tries to live by the age-old adage from MC ‘Suga Free: “If you stay ready, You ain’t got to get ready.” Seeing as he’s a self-proclaimed ‘gear junkie’, a ‘total bag nerd’ and someone ‘obsessed with systematic organization’, he decided to find a way to mitigate these types of gear snafus that we’re all too familiar with.
While the manifestation of this quest won’t make you a better rider—and it’ll cost you some cold hard cash—Leath proves that the peace of mind and sense of preparedness really do help set the tone for a good day out. When unboxing the Kitloader, you’ll immediately notice the lightweight feel, premium materials and structured panels. Setting up a Kitloader 70 is relatively painless and allows the user to tailor the compartments to fit their specific gear. It has enough room to accommodate three to four days worth of riding gear, along with some extra tools and gadgets to tinker with bike setup. Heads up though: simply loading up one bag and your bicycle might feel a little too easy if you’re not always used to being this dialed.
OK, let’s take a step back. Before we dive into what makes the Kitloader a unique and useful product, it’s important to give you a little context on James.
James’ love for all things two wheeled was cemented back in his college days, commuting to class, racing for the club cycling team at Appalachian State and working for a local bike shop while pursuing a degree in Industrial Design, which he received in 2011. Over the next decade, James racked up an impressive resume including being a design instructor for his alma mater, working on futuristic medical devices, along with designing recreational outdoor gear for brands such as Misty Mountain Threadworks, Tufa Climbing, and Triple Aught Design. James admits he never intended to learn how to sew per se, but finds the soft goods design process to be very satisfying in its own way. He says it includes more of a ‘sculptural’ element and a relatively quick iteration process compared to some of his other work over the years.
In 2021, James founded ‘Leath Design’ as a way to offer his design services to a wider audience than just working full time for a single brand. This endeavor was born out of a two bedroom apartment in West Asheville. During the initial launch of his product design consultancy, he was able to make use of every square inch of their living space; playing a whimsical version of closet Tetris to keep all the outdoor gear easily accessible and, of course, all the materials necessary to keep the industrial sewing machines setup in the living room humming. There were rolls of fabric peeking out from under the beds and sofa, and even a closet completely dedicated to webbing and zippers.
It was during this somewhat hectic time that James started prototyping the initial bags that would eventually become the Kitloader 70.
James said the prototyping phase lasted for longer than he would like to admit and at times bordered on the obsessive. James spent weeks (more like months) scrutinizing every facet of the riding experience. He coined the term “ride cycles” to describe the complete journey of a cyclist and their gear. Each ride cycle is a little different depending on location and weather but follows the same fundamental steps: from loading up your bike and fresh gear, to getting all kitted up and going for a ride, to transporting everything home, to cleaning and sorting all your gear, to finally being ready to load up and head out to do it all over again. James set out to create a system that could not only serve as a home base for his riding gear but could also take most of the thinking and organization out of the ride cycle. He explains that his fundamental goal here is to be able to provide a way for folks to really maximize their time on the bike and to be better prepared for the unexpected.
The result is something James likes to refer to as “a love letter to cycling.” Like any good love letter, the Kitloader 70 is a mountain bike gear bag that embraces all aspects of the sport. The intentional material choices work with the sport we love so much. The bottom of the bag has a ‘tub floor,’ crafted out of a waterproof ballistics cordura nylon which is highly abrasion resistant and is produced with minimal stitching so the bag can sit in the mud if needed. The antimicrobial, coated mesh used throughout the bag (to allow it to breathe in strategic places) is the same stuff found on outdoor patio furniture – which provides durable ventilation areas that won’t absorb moisture or funky smells.
The Kitloader balances structure and flexibility: the semi-rigid design gives it the feel of a case, but at the weight of a duffel, a remarkable feat that makes a big difference when it’s loaded up with gear. In order to achieve the semi-rigid structure, James used blow molded polyethylene sheets in the dividers as well as the top and the bottom of the bag. The panels have a nice balance of weight to rigidity and can be replaced if you accidentally drive over your Kitloader 70.
The exterior shape is provided by fiberglass rods that add structure to the rim of the bag. These rods will deflect but not deform, so the bag will go back to its original shape once deloaded. These are also replaceable – see a trend here? Finally, the ‘laminate’ fabrics used throughout the bag are sourced from USA sailcloth manufacturers and ensure every surface is both durable and easy to clean – which is crucial when putting dirty shoes inside of the bag
Homegrown and Handmade
Instead of going the Kickster route or taking out a big loan, James decided to raise the funds to make the bags via a presale. The presale, like the bag, is unique. The Founder’s Edition Kitloader 70 (which is still available until they sell out) is a special colorway that will never be sold again. The bag also comes with access to the Founder’s Club via a special patch and the original order number. The goal of the Founder’s Club is to make the initial 50 people who support Thornhill feel like they’re professional athletes with an R&D team behind them.
James realized that one of the major frustrations in the mountain bike space is the crazy decisions that are made with no regards for the rider – think headset cable routing. He wants to change that by creating an active feedback loop between the community and Thornhill, think of it a bit like a direct phone line to your favorite brands where they actively listen to your needs and create bags that are better for you, instead of creating new “standards” that only serve to make more money.
Stay Ready, Go Ride
The Thornhill Kitloader 70 mountain bike gear bag won’t make you a better rider and frankly you don’t need it to have fun on your bike. That said, it will enrich your riding experience by bringing a degree of dialed to your riding routine that will help you spend more time riding which is what we’re all here for anyway, right?
See more at Thornhill.bike.
