Hill Climbers
Hill Climbers
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Hill Climbers Turns Into Real Life, Increases Headcount 100% with Sam Huntington & Franco Martins
A few months ago I introduced a Hill Climbers ride in Austin for folks to connect with each other over some soft pedaling, in addition to some hard pedaling. All of a sudden, our little Hill Climbers brand that had a digital presence, had a REAL WORLD presence! Crazy, I know. This brand extension is just as thrilling to me as shipping new episodes and he best part is providing an IRL platform for new friendships and business connections. I dive into how this IRL initiative dictated a new path for Hill Climbers, one that includes live audience podcast tapings, happy hours and of course, continued weekly Thursday morning group rides.
But that's not all. My buddy and guest on this bonus episode, Franco Martins, has come on board to co-produce the show, a THRILLING development for this humble brand. Franco is wildly overqualified for the job, coming off three years 3D printing housing communities (you read correctly) with ICON, Austin's buzziest unicorn. Tune in to meet the new guy, and survey blueprints of what the future holds for Hill Climbers.
Переглядів: 8

Відео

The Warp & Weft of American Kit Making with Eliel Cycling's Ryan Cady
Переглядів 462 місяці тому
Starting an American kit company in a sea of established competitors may seem like a daunting undertaking to some. Ryan Cady, however, became a bike shop owner at nineteen years old during college, raced bikes full time and then ran a sock company before he stepped up to the plate. Cady gravitates toward detail-oriented challenges and he met his match after launching Eliel Cycling in 2014. This...
Will Bryant Channels Hill Country Rides to Inspire Canvases, Murals and Brand Collabs
Переглядів 652 місяці тому
One of my lasting impressions of Will Bryant, the Austin-based artist and brand collaborator, is from a photo shoot in which he’s modeling his own Endo Customs collab with a few other models. The colors and patterns are true to Will’s artwork - colorful, outrageous and fun - think PeeWee’s Playhouse (more on that in the show). The other models mostly conjure the blase, indifferent blue steel ev...
Why Andew Vontz, cofounder of The Better Lab, is the Keyser Söze of Sleep
Переглядів 143 місяці тому
The Better Lab addresses a fascinating topic that is on the minds of most everyone on a weekly basis in this stressful world: sleep. In a sea of gadgets that track various bio metrics there are few products that have gained notoriety guiding users in incremental improvements on the key to life: sleep. Ex Strava executive Andrew Vontz and his cofounders have dug deep into research on not just sl...
BREAKFAST CLUB REDUX: Grant & Jordie dish on the Babes Ride, Paid Membership Tier, App & Surprises!
Переглядів 1284 місяці тому
The Austin meetup that started in 2020 with 4 friends who mostly wanted to eat breakfast, has uncovered a need in this sport to encourage newcomers with a warm welcome and a bit of structure. The proof is in the monthly attendance, which has reached 800 riders of all skill levels, as well as the thriving online community and expansion to other cities. What outwardly appears to be lightning in a...
Bikes & Banjo Hangouts: Zwift Insider Eric Schlange Struck a Chord Creating Niche Online Communities
Переглядів 1455 місяців тому
Eric Schlange is one of the most well known Zwift riders on the platform, and he comes to the notoriety honestly. When Eric started Zwifting in 2015, the engineer and web master immediately identified a need for a Zwift knowledge base to address the nuances of riding in the brave new virtual world. Exponential traffic growth led to an official Zwift sponsorship, cementing Zwift Insider's credib...
Cancer, Addiction and a Missing Fibula Couldn't Keep Mike from Finding Good (including Triathalon)
Переглядів 197 місяців тому
Mikey Thompson is hard to miss in Austin’s endurance community because he’s everywhere at once as a core member of the Breakfast Club cycling group and longtime High Five events associate, which organizes Austin’s major endurance events. You’ll immediately notice Mikey’s bubbly personality and the sparkle in his eye, which is partially due to his battle with pediatric cancer and then with addic...
"Tolleywood" Episode 6_Pt 2_featuring Driveway Series Race Director, Chris Tolley
Переглядів 4848 місяців тому
If you’re racing bikes in Austin, TX, welcome to Tolleywood. The timing of this episode could not be more opportune given the slate of projects Chris Tolley has planned for 2024, and what I love most about this race promoter, is that he understands the value of branding, not just for individual races but for the sport of cycling on the whole. Chris’s background is firmly entrenched in BMX ridin...
"Tolleywood" Episode 6_Pt 1_featuring Driveway Series Race Director, Chris Tolley
Переглядів 8009 місяців тому
If you’re racing bikes in Austin, TX, welcome to Tolleywood. The timing of this episode could not be more opportune given the slate of projects Chris Tolley has planned for 2024, and what I love most about this race promoter, is that he understands the value of branding, not just for individual races but for the sport of cycling on the whole. Chris’s background is firmly entrenched in BMX ridin...
Hill Climbers_Episode 5 Pt 2_featuring The Meteor cofounder Doug Zell
Переглядів 11310 місяців тому
Interview Part 2/2 takes all the context that we collected in Part 1 - Doug's upbringing in a creative household, brief flirtation with a serious cycling career, and epic journey pioneering the craft coffee industry - and gets to the good part. That is, how Doug rediscovered bikes after a decades long hiatus and hatched a brand that blends his flare for hospitality into a cyclist's haunt. The M...
Hill Climbers_Episode 5 Pt 1_featuring The Meteor cofounder Doug Zell
Переглядів 9210 місяців тому
Doug Zell is the cofounder of various businesses including Intelligentsia Coffee, Allied Cyle Works, and of course, The Meteor, where you can find him fastidiously attending to the smallest details of the cafe, bike shop and wine bar. What unfolds in part 1 of our 2 part interview, is a story about racing bikes in the midwest in the 80s, pioneering the modern coffee industry in the 90’s and dis...
Hill Climbers_Episode 3_KRT cofounder Curran J. Swint
Переглядів 19Рік тому
What started in 2017 with casual Sunday rides from a Philadelphia neighborhood barbershop has become an internationally recognized cycling club and brand called, KRT, short for Kings Rule Together. As co-founder, Curran J. Swint, emphasizes, the club makes waves because it chronicles the lifestyles of chronically under-represented riders. The fresh content and positive energy reflected by KRT/Q...
Hill Climbers_Episode 1_Breakfast Club Cofounders Grant Rogers and Jake Ritter
Переглядів 52Рік тому
Four friends at different stages of life bond over triathalon and bikes, and share a real passion for bringing people together. They’re NOT hardcore roadies and so identify a gap in the Austin cycling community-accessible rides that welcome veterans and newcomers equally. The point and message is not just to bury yourself in a workout then go home (the norm), but to enjoy being outside on two w...
Hill Climbers_Episode 2_Ucardia Cofounder and CEO Nick Weber
Переглядів 14Рік тому
Nick Weber fell in love with Texas crit racing as a young man and his extraordinary commitment to training made him a contender in the competitive and dangerous arena. This dedication pushed Nick's heart over the limit while making a dig during a practice race-at 22 years old, Nick suffered Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD), which is a tear in the heart's arterial wall. This life-al...