SL: What’s been the steepest learning curve thus far?

Ben: The business side of things... money.

Nathan: I’d say that for sure.

Ben: We both have a ton of experience making things, marketing things and making them look nice. That is what we both do for a living. What we don’t do is come up with strategic plans for successful businesses. We struggle to keep costs down and keep them within what we’re comfortable with as far as manufacturing and quality and design.

SL: Sure, it also seems that most people have no idea how much bikes actually cost.

Nathan: Oh, they have no clue. People don’t know how much a t-shirt costs, either. We are at a point where we’ve established a market value for things, but its based on bullshit. It’s based on pumping a ton of stuff out from countries that will do whatever it takes to get the contracts. Not because it’s the best thing to do for us, the environment, or the material. Manufacturing things in America, even just a t-shirt, is hugely different than producing a shirt in China.

Ben: Or a potato for that matter. Why should food be so cheap? It’s one of the most important things you can buy.

Nathan: What’s interesting is that when we started this, and then with the conversation that is going on now - globally and politically - all of a sudden this is the dialogue. All of sudden we’re collectively realizing we’ve been living so far beyond our means. We’re borrowing from everything to get cheap shit. The last 10 or 15 years has convinced us things are cheaper than they really are. That is the market pretending, and not reality.

Ben: We know our stuff is expensive but is made to last. And yes it cost a lot to make it.

Nathan: It is not disposable. That’s the other part of the conversation. You talk about H&M and the Gap, and others pumping out cheap stuff, it’s all disposable. It doesn’t last. When you’ve got stuff made with quality material and by hand, it’s produced with the intention of lasting a lifetime. Wouldn’t it be great to pass this bike down to the next generation? My dad still rides the same bike he bought 25 years ago. It’s amazing, and totally taken for granted.

Ben: That’s ultimately what we are trying to do, and I’m not sure how that comes across…