Get Outside

Dustin heads up marketing and technology for Allied Cycle Works. Allied builds BEAUTIFUL bikes for roadies and gravel riders, and they do it right here in the good ole' USA. It's pretty cool to be able to see your bike come together and even talk to the folks building it. Dustin and I share a surprisingly common background, with bikes, skateboards, and adventure as a central theme. We had a blast on this episode and we're already talking about a follow-up. Stop reading and start listening already ;-).

Ana is the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at Niche Snowboards. She is passionate, interesting and really pushing the boundaries of what is possible with eco friendly manufacturing at Niche. It turns out it's possible to make high performing products without causing a bunch of damage in your wake. We talked about snowboarding, going outside, learning new languages, saving the environment, hunting, vegetarians, women in sports and all kinds of random topics. This was a blast!

Ruben Torenbeek is the founder and designer of RAAW Mountain Bikes. RAAW has one bike on the market, the Madonna, and judging by the reviews, people are loving it. We talked about everything from how the company came to be to assembling and riding the very first bike.

We talk about where content's real power comes from; it's quality. It's a ruckus chat of marketing, rants, technical difficulties, and everything in between. Somehow, we then come full circle and end up discussing the merits of quality vs. quantity in content — think Zen and the Art of Motorcycle maintenance, but instead it's two crazy people, at least one of whom has never read that book.

Steve Mokan is the founder of Chasing Epic, a kick-ass adventure tour company that focuses on intermediate to advanced multi-day mountain biking trips. We had a lot of fun talking about Steve's business, riding bikes, our dogs, beer, and even the future of e-bikes.

Joe is the founder of Starling cycles, he's an aerospace engineer turned badass bike builder and because of that he brings some very interesting perspectives to modern bike making. Joe is not afraid to buck trends and take his own path, he builds his bikes from a performance first perspective and I sure hope I get to ride one soon!

Jason is one of the founders of High Society, an outdoor lifestyle brand based out of Colorado. They make skis, snowboards, SUP's and apparel in a self-proclaimed greedy fashion... they only make gear they would want to use themselves.

Bobby Acuna (Foes Racing) is the guy to talk to if you want to shred a Foes frame. Not only does he race their bikes, he also runs sales, marketing and customer service for the brand. Adam and Bobby discuss racing, bikes, family, basically, all the important stuff in life! The mountain biking world is changing fast and Foes is keeping their finger on the pulse.

Live events are where you make human connections with the people your brand relies on and there is nothing quite like experiencing badass products first hand... but what about after the event? How can you continue that human-centered connection once you have both left the area? How do you get more mileage out of the experience? Can you?

Kevin is one of the founders of Transition bikes. He's a passionate, fun, down to earth guy who truly loves this sport. Transition makes some of the baddest bikes on the planet and today we talk a bit about how that all comes together and what's happening in the mountain biking industry.

Social media is more important than ever. Not just as a means of reaching new people, but for setting your brand apart... Why then, in industries so hell-bent on individuality, does everyone look the same?

Chad Perrin heads up marketing for Spacecraft and Slash Snowboards. He's passionate about mountain biking and snowboarding and has been helping to shape the sports we love from the inside out for a long time.

We all know video is effective and an important part of your marketing efforts... but is all video good? Is it all created equal? Have standards changed?