Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicholas King.
Nicholas, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
In 2019, two things coincided that would inspire me to build Stealth Cyclewear. The first – I got big into cycling after not riding a bike for years. The second – I started a new job at a start-up (that has since IPO’d). Getting back on a bike made me realize how much I enjoyed it, and wanted to lean into it more. The second allowed me to see what it takes to build – and scale – a company.
Like many beginner cyclists, I was hesitant to buy bike-specific clothing, but one long ride without padded shorts made that decision a lot easier. Shocked at the prices of apparel, I turned to Amazon to purchase some items cheaply. As expected, this was a mistake: I ran into issues that other reviewers had when they purchased cheaply-made items from China or dropshipping companies – broken zippers, low-quality stitching, inconsistent sizing, etc. Even if the quality was decent, often the only options available were jerseys that featured bright neon colors, obnoxious patterns, or enough logos that you felt like you were in a NASCAR race. The only alternative was 5x the cost – and even those weren’t guaranteed to be sharp-looking kits.
After living in the cycling world, I saw there weren’t many (any?) good apparel options that featured three rather simple principles: a subtle design language, high-quality fit and finish, and reasonable prices. So I decided to try to change that. My day job had shown me you don’t need millions of dollars to get a company off the ground, as we still frequently operated a large business through nothing but Gmail and Google Sheets.
With my trusty sketchbook and computer, I started designing the types of simple, clean cycling jerseys and bibs that I wanted to see. After I had an idea of my designs, I started calling around to about a dozen of my favorite suppliers to request samples and ask about their design and manufacturing process. Most of these suppliers already worked with the big, expensive brands that I wanted to usurp, so I had a targeted list to focus on. After several meetings and samples reviewed, I was finally able to narrow in on a supplier that offered great quality at a fair price. They did an excellent job in bringing the designs to life. Now it’s my job to show our customers that our products embody those three key principles above: a clean, high-quality kit that won’t break the bank.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t know of too many start-ups that have had a smooth road, but I know mine has not been one of those. Understanding all of the necessary steps needed to get a site live and assembling the right team to build the infrastructure behind it has been a learning curve.
The biggest challenge is the one Stealth faces today – getting our items in front of the right eyeballs via targeted marketing. As a company, we know we offer great products at great prices, but how do we convey this to our audience and potential customers? What are our most effective channels for marketing? Running experiments and trying to answer these questions are where the bulk of our time is spent today.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Stealth Cyclewear?
Born in Austin, Texas, Stealth Cyclewear offers premium, no-nonsense cycling gear and apparel for those wanting – and willing – to put in the work. We focus on three simple principles:
1. A subtle design language
2. High quality fit and finish
3. Great prices
What we are doing at Stealth is not rocket science. We’re simply trying to offer those qualities in every piece we sell. Because why should you have to choose between low-quality, cheap apparel with obnoxious patterns and bright neon colors, or neutral kits that cost more than your bike?
Stealth exclusively uses high-quality, cutting-edge materials that are sourced from the best fabrics around the world. We partner with the same manufacturers and suppliers that provide the kits of multiple UCI World Tour teams and thousands of professional cyclists and triathletes. Given our love of cycling through the Texas Hill Country, we also donate 10% of all profits to the Texas Land Trust Council – a nonpartisan, nonprofit org to conserve natural areas, waterways, and agricultural land.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I think the cycling apparel industry is going to continue to grow. Cycling in general saw a boom from the pandemic as consumers purchased goods to be active and outdoors with friends. We’re continuing to see sustained growth, however, which is good news for the sport. Cycling equipment revenue grew by 15% in July 2021 vs. the previous year, and even greater if you factor in the last two years. This means Stealth has a great opportunity to provide high-quality apparel for a lot of new riders who may hesitate to drop hundreds of dollars on cycling kits. In the future, given the rise in popularity and growth in the cross and gravel-road bike sector, it will be important for Stealth to cater to markets beyond pure road cycling and offer even more versatile gear that works for multiple disciplines.
Pricing:
- 10% off all orders when you use the code TEXAS10 on our site.
Contact Info:
- Website: stealthcyclewear.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stealthcyclewear/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stealthcyclewear
Image Credits
Collin Findlay Photography
