HandleBar Mustache0

Recently, I was given the great opportunity to have an interview with Erik and J from HandleBar Mustache.  On twitter, they are known as @hbstache.  PedalHouston had been introduced to them by Lynn of Voices of Survivors.  These guys are also strong supporters of cancer-based charities.  One thing for sure is that they appreciate quality and it is not only represented in their designs but in their materials as well.  It is great to see biking influenced designs so it’s time to jump on it!

Check the interview after the jump…

PedalHouston: What exactly does the phrase “Handlebar Mustache” mean to you guys?
J: I’m not exactly sure what it means right now but eventually we hope it stands for a high quality cycling t-shirt brand offering fresh and fashion forward apparel to those who love bikes.   When we were banging around ideas we wanted a name that fit our style and humor. Erik was very proud of this one off tee he had made that said, “Why do you have a Mustache?” The name came from the old school “mustache” bars you see on old track bikes and are seeing again on some vintage road bikes and fixies.  In general, Erik has always been fascinated by mustaches, so it worked out.

PH: Who are the guys behind HandleBar Mustache?
Erik: I guess I’m the “fashion” guy of the tandem whereas J is the “cycling” guy.  I’m into bikes, surfing, travel, music and all things vintage.  J is an avid cyclist and major fan of Pro Cycling. He’s been on tour multiple times and is always in the know about the happenings in the Pro Peloton.  He lives and breathes cycling and probably knows more about the sport than any pro cyclist I’ve ever met.

PH: Where are you guys based?
E: Venice, CA.

PH: When did this all start?
J: We were both slaving away for “the man” climbing the corporate ladder at a nice pace but knew we wanted total control and freedom of a company.  I called Erik in November of ‘08 and told him we were starting a company together and to start conceptualizing ideas.  Two weeks later we had decided on a cycling inspired t-shirt line and filed for an LLC.  Our website launched in October of ‘09.

PH: What inspired you guys to start this and how did it all begin?
J: We both started working in the retail fashion industry at a young age.  I think we’d both always dreamed of having our own business and when we met in ‘03 we had an instant connection and mutual respect on a business level.  At that point, subconsciously I think we both knew we’d eventually be business partners. We didn’t want to do a main line fashion brand because too much of our passion and energy was in cycling.  I’ve been riding for many years, and when Erik got into riding we had even more in common. We were both tired of not having anything in our closet that was hip but embodied the sport we love. One thing is for sure, neither of us will ever wear another cardboard feeling “century ride” tee printed on a Hanes blank.

PH: How can people get their hands on your merchandise?
E: They can get them on www.hbstache.com or at a few high-end bike shops like Sports Garage in Boulder, CO, Cynergy in Santa Monica, CA and Bici Sport in Petaluma, CA.  We’re looking to grow our retail business but only want to be in shops that embody our look and style, which is definitely not mainstream.  You won’t see us in Dicks Sports or REI.  If your local shop would fit us shoot us an email, we’d love to hear about them.

PH: Do you support any good causes?
J: We both agreed from day one if we couldn’t give back right away we wouldn’t do the line. Cancer has taken many of our friends and family and we really wanted to start there by giving back to cancer-based charities. We currently give $1 for every online order to Lance Armstrong Foundation and $3 from every FUCANCER tee to them.  We sponsored a race for Voices of Survivors last year in Houston, and have more things in the works with Lynn.  We have a tee with Garmin Rider Steven Cossa with money going to charity. When the earthquake hit in Haiti we felt compelled to do something, so we gave $10 from our FUCANCER jersey to Doctors Without Borders and $5 to Livestrong.

PH: What kind of bikes do you guys ride?
J: I ride BMC and Trek and Erik is a Felt man.

PH: Any future plans for the company that you would like to share?
E: Based on the interest in our FUCANCER kits we would like to do more active apparel.  We want to continue to partner with charities and make t-shirts that mean something, whether it’s supporting a cause close to your heart or the sport you love…not just something that will sell.

PH: Do you have anything else that you would like people of PedalHouston to know?
E: We both love Texas.  Haha, and we want to offer your readers a 25% discount on our site. Type in the promo code: “PedalH”.  Also, we love to hear feedback and suggestions on our product so if any of your readers has any let us know at erik@hbstache.com.