The Story Behind LodeStar
From Blue IKEA Bags to Better Space
Every product begins with a moment of friction, a small frustration that over time becomes impossible to ignore. For Stashed Products, that moment was never just about bikes. It was everything that comes with them. The layers, the shoes, the helmets, the tools, the everyday kit that makes riding possible but rarely has a proper place to live when you get home.
For years, the solution looked the same for most riders. Wet kit draped over bannisters, shoes left by the door, or everything simply thrown into a bag and pushed to the side. More often than not, it was the same blue IKEA bag, filled with damp layers and muddy gear, tucked away in a corner of the garage or hallway. It was practical in the moment, but it was never a real solution. Kit stayed wet longer than it should, things got lost, and the simple act of getting ready for the next ride became more effort than it needed to be.
It was a familiar problem, and one that founder Elliot Tanner kept coming back to. After years of building better ways to store bikes, it became increasingly clear that the space around the bike had been overlooked. The bike itself could be perfectly stored, but everything else still felt temporary, improvised, and often chaotic. The question wasn’t just where to put things, but how to make that space work better. How to create a setup that didn’t just hide kit away, but made it easier to use, easier to maintain, and easier to return to, day after day.
That shift in thinking marked the beginning of LodeStar. The idea wasn’t to create another hook or another rail, but to rethink how storage could support real routines. Instead of designing for ideal scenarios, the focus moved towards what actually happens. Coming back from a ride tired, wet, and muddy, looking for the simplest possible place to put everything. The system needed to work in that moment, without thought or effort, and still hold up over time.
Turning that idea into reality meant stepping into the world of research and development, where concept quickly meets constraint. Working alongside Elliot, Pete from R&D played a central role in shaping what LodeStar would become. Early prototypes explored different ways of mounting, hanging, and organising kit, but the real challenge was never just about holding weight. It was about usability, adaptability, and the feeling of using the product every day. Each iteration brought new insights, from how attachments should sit on a rail to how easily they could be moved, repositioned, and reconfigured as needs changed.
A key part of the process was observing real behaviour rather than designing for perfect organisation. Most systems assume that everything will be put away carefully and consistently, but real life is rarely that neat. LodeStar had to work when you are in a rush, when your kit is wet, or when you just want to get inside quickly. That meant reducing friction at every stage, from installation through to daily use, ensuring that hanging your kit felt instinctive rather than deliberate. Attachments needed to be strong, but also easy to use. Layouts needed to be flexible, but still feel considered. The system had to adapt to the user, rather than expecting the user to adapt to it.
As development progressed, it became clear that LodeStar was not a single product but a platform. Rails and boards created the foundation, while a growing range of attachments allowed riders to build a setup that worked for their space and their routine. Some would choose ready made kits for simplicity, while others would build their own configurations piece by piece. The intention was never to prescribe a single way of using the system, but to offer the tools to create something personal, something that could evolve over time as riding habits, kit, and spaces changed.
Durability remained central throughout the process, not as a feature but as an expectation. Every component needed to stand up to daily use, to carry real weight, and to perform in environments that are rarely clean or controlled. Materials were chosen for longevity, mounting systems were tested for strength, and details were refined to ensure that the system would not just work on day one, but continue to work for years. It was not about creating something temporary, but something that becomes part of your space, something you rely on without thinking.
What started with a simple frustration, a pile of damp kit and a blue IKEA bag, gradually became something more considered. LodeStar is about creating clarity where there was once clutter, about making everyday routines easier, and about recognising that the things around your bike deserve the same level of attention as the bike itself. It is a system designed not just to store, but to support, to simplify, and to bring a sense of order to the moments before and after every ride.
In many ways, LodeStar reflects a broader shift in how we think about space. Not as something static, but as something that should work for us, adapt to us, and evolve with us. By bringing together thoughtful design, practical engineering, and a deep understanding of real use, it offers a way to move beyond temporary solutions and towards something more permanent, more considered, and ultimately more useful.
And it all began with a bag in the corner, quietly highlighting that there had to be a better way.
