The Pacific Northwest Cycling Association was founded in 1940 by a group of racing cyclists and University of Washington students who had purchased some of the new "lightweight" English bicycles imported to Seattle prior to World War II. The increased popularity of recreational cycling dovetailed with the growing youth hostel movement in the Puget Sound area and British Columbia area, providing inexpensive overnight accommodations for these young adventurers. By 1941, PNCA was the third largest bike club in the U.S. and the Northwest representative for American Youth Hostels, with members taking excursions - biking, hiking, canoeing, and on trains - throughout Washington State and into British Columbia.

This cloth patch has the text "P.N.C.A. Seattle" stitched in blue, and the PNCA bicycle logo, with the red letters "PNCA" cleverly comprising the body of the bicycle.