The year was 2014 and we were in Las Vegas. The industry had this trade show called Interbike that had been on it’s deathbed for years but we were there, mostly because my partner in crime, Kirk Morrison, likes playing craps and I like the bright lights and the night life in the city. We had just began development of [Avian’s now sister brand] Speedco Velox Carbon, but I told him we needed a parts line to go along with it, and he agreed. At the time, and still now 6 years later, there wasn’t a fork on the market that we felt matched well with our frame, so that was first on the agenda for the new brand. We’ve both got deep roots in the sport, he started in the 80’s and me in the 90’s and both our paths as racers took us separate directions, him into the retail side of the sport and me into product development. I started in 2008 working at a corporate bike company where I learned the ropes, but knew I wasn’t so keen on being confined to those four walls and I quickly realized the people around me didn’t have the same passion for riding as I did. In my career as a racer, I always worked and trained hard but I appreciated self expression and wanted my vibe to be more about style on the bike rather than just being a robot with a sprint. That’s the same vibe I envision for this brand and the supporters that put our parts on their bikes. It’s why our team consists of guys like Corben Sharrah, Brooke Crain, Jeff Upshaw, Walker Finch, and the Speedco boyz - sure they’re all fast but their flow and their vibe is what really sets them apart. Welcome to Avian, Triumph awaits.

-DB44/
@dbetcher44