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Petaluma, Calif., May 3rd, 2005 — CamelBak Products, LLC announced today that the company has received Bicycling magazine's 2005 Editors' Choice award for CamelBak's BlowFish hydration pack, recognizing the system as the most outstanding product in its category. Editor-in-chief Steve Madden and product test director Mark Riedy honored the company and the product at Bicycling's industry-wide party at the Sea Otter Classic on April 15, 2005.
"We are extremely pleased and honored to receive this esteemed award from Bicycling." Explains Woody Scal, CamelBak's Executive Vice President. "The BlowFish is one of our customers' favorites and is a best seller in our bike line. This pack is so strong with cyclists because of its unique versatility and its flexibility as a three-season pack. We will be proud to display the Bicycling 2005 Editors' Choice logo on our packaging and in our marketing materials."
With its expandable pocket open, the BlowFish has 781 cubic inches of storage that can be used to carry layers and lunch, and with the pocket zipped down, it becomes an incredibly stable and low profile system at 482 cubic inches. No matter how much cargo space you may need, the BlowFish carries 100 oz of water to keep you hydrated and energized for a full day of cycling. The BlowFish features CamelBak's unique Air Director Back Panel™ with Air Mesh harness to enhance ventilation. The pack also includes the Slider SternumStrap™ and a removable waistbelt so you can adjust the pack to fit you comfortably as your load or terrain changes. The BlowFish retails for $90.00.
"The products we named as Editors' Choice finalists represent the best bikes and gear on the market today," says Riedy. "All of them are outstanding choices, and being named a winner among these peers is a well-earned distinction."
Bicycling's editorial staff started to work on the awards in the fall of 2004 by defining product categories based on key buying segments in the cycling marketplace. Each editor was assigned several product categories to research and compare all products available, and the editorial team collaboratively decided on the three finalists that represented the best offerings in each category. In March 2005, 13 testers reviewed all finalists' products head-to-head during five days of exhaustive testing in Santa Barbara, California, to determine the Editors' Choice winners. Products were evaluated on performance, ease of use, durability, price and value versus competitors. Only production-run gear was considered; prototypes or pre-production models were not eligible for an award.
Madden calls the awards a leadership program in the cycling industry that Bicycling is uniquely qualified to execute. "An Editors' Choice award from Bicycling is the most esteemed critical acclaim that any bike or piece of cycling gear can earn. Our readers know how demanding we are of everything we test, and they trust our recommendations. Shared experience in our team testing approach lets us deliver reliable advice that our readers use to upgrade and identify the gear that'll perform best for them."
Gear coverage has always been at the heart of Bicycling, and the magazine's testing team delivers comprehensive reviews that are useful to the different profiles of cyclists that Bicycling reaches. "We've evolved to remain the most reliable source of buying advice for our readers," Riedy says. "We've made many upgrades to our Editors' Choice categories this year in recognition of a changing marketplace with more and more great options, regardless of the kind of bike or gear you're looking for."
Bicycling publisher Chris Lambiase points to the awards as an example of the magazine's mission to grow the sport of cycling. "Bicycling subscribers are the opinion leaders who drive the cycling market. They'll spend nearly $1 billion on cycling products in the next 2 years and will influence countless purchases by their peers. If hearing that a product has been honored with an Editors' Choice award drives cyclists to buy the gear that will help them get out and ride more often, we've succeeded."
Winning companies and finalists in each category are eligible to include the Editors' Choice logo in the marketing of their brands – in print advertising, catalogs, websites, product hang-tags and retail displays – to build awareness for the award among cycling consumers.
A feature article in the June 2005 issue of Bicycling magazine, on-sale May 3, profiles all Editors' Choice finalists and winning products.
About CamelBak®
Every CamelBak® system benefits from the fact that CamelBak is strictly a hydration company. For the company, hydration systems are not an add-on category or some sort of offshoot: it's what they do. That single-minded approach focuses all of the company's research and R&D in one direction and has a great deal to do with their market position. CamelBak is continually evaluating consumer needs to refine and deliver new innovations. Beyond the original benefits of CamelBak's first hydration systems, new innovations and features have made today's products perform better and easier to use. Consumers prefer CamelBak Hydration Systems for the following reasons:
CamelBak OMEGA™ Reservoir
- EASY TO FILL
- Patented OMEGA™ opening makes it easy to fill with water
- EASY TO CLEAN
- Reach inside for an easy clean
- HYDROGUARD™ Anti-Microbial Technology
- Eliminates up to 99.99% of bacteria and fungus
- EASY TO DRINK
- Preferred by customers, the Big Bite™ Valve lets you easily drink on the go – just bite & sip!
- TASTE-FREE
- The PureFlow™ delivery tube's taste-free liner keeps water tasting fresh
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