Who is Parc? How We Started a Cycling Brand
Introduction: Who We Are & Why We Exist
Hey! This is Sam, the creator of Parc. If you’re new to Parc, thanks for checking us out! Parc is more than just a logo—it’s a solution for cyclists. We exist to help riders stay organized, reduce stress, and spend more time on the bike. But how did it all begin? Here’s the behind-the-scenes story of how we started a cycling brand from scratch.
The Moment That Sparked the Idea
For years, I hauled my cycling gear all over for races, group rides, and training. I tried everything to stay organized—backpacks, duffle bags, plastic bins, even reusable shopping bags. Yet, every time I needed my gear, whether it be a race weekend or just a quick after work ride, I found myself searching for gloves, socks, my Garmin, my hand pump or my nutrition. If I had gone by car, my backseat would turn into a chaotic mess, and I knew there had to be a better way.
There wasn't so much a final straw as much as there was just the constant dread of a messy car to clean out or gear to go look for. I like organization and efficiency and my gear situation was driving me nuts. That’s when I knew I needed a dedicated, well-designed cycling gear bag. The problem wasn’t just mine—every cyclist I knew dealt with the same frustration. But when I searched for a cycling-specific solution, I came up empty-handed.
From Sketch to Reality: Designing The Bag
In 2018, after six months of thinking about this problem, I finally sketched out my first design for The Bag. I literally bought the black and white composition book with grid paper and a ruler and started drawing. It couldn't be just a generic duffle—it needed compartments, organization, and features that catered specifically to cyclists. We have so much gear in every size. But I had no experience designing bags, so I turned to the Internet to find an expert.
I connected with a designer who had worked with major outdoor brands through a freelancer finding service that most people have heard of. With his guidance, we refined the design, picked out the right finishes and fabrics and worked through multiple samples. Our goal was to create something that solved every cyclist’s storage challenges, both at home and on the road and ultimately gave cyclists more time to ride. After a few iterations, The Bag was born.
Building a Brand from Scratch
Parc, as a brand, was never really the focus. I was just trying to make a great single product. But as The Bag took shape, I realized it needed an identity—something that represented a community of cyclists who prioritize time on the bike over the hassle of packing and searching for gear. The idea of a brand made sense, and I figured, would just be necessary to sell The Bag. Do you know any products without a brand name? I don't.
Creating the brand was its own journey—lots of time spent naming it, thinking about what we stand for, and making sure it was something other cyclists could resonate with. Parc is not about gear; it’s about making cycling simpler, more fun, and stress-free.
Getting the logo and wordmark created was easy. I hired a great designer in Austin who's also in the cycling scene and he brought my ideas to life. When you're starting any business, the website, the name, the logo and the colors are easy. Creating a real business behind all that is very hard!
Launching on Kickstarter
We launched the Bag on Kickstarter in early 2021. Leading up to the launch, we built an email list of over 4000 interested people. Most of them were acquired via paid ads on Meta. Check out our other Blog Post on how to run a successful Kickstarter campaign.
On the day we launched, we hit our Kickstarter funding goal in 3 hours. We went on to raise over $26k during our 30 day campaign. The months leading up to and during the campaign were a whirlwind. Lots of late nights, and a crash course in online advertising.
We managed to get a couple good media articles and reviews along the way, but mostly, our money was raised due to ads. You run X number of ads, some % of those people join the email list, some smaller percent actually give you money.
What’s Next for Parc?
Right now, The Bag is still our sole focus. But that doesn’t mean we’re stopping here. We’re constantly gathering feedback, seeing how riders use it, and potentially planning new versions. Future products could include updated versions of The Bag, travel accessories, or even cycling apparel—whatever cyclists truly need and can't find elsewhere. We're truly uninterested in just branding random cycling products.
Our philosophy is simple: we won’t release a product unless it’s something people can’t wait to tell their friends about.
Lessons from Starting a Cycling Brand
For those interested in business or launching their own brand, here are a few things/lessons I’ve learned:
1. Be ready to delegate
It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking you need to do everything. When there's too much to do, you need to hire people. It's not your job to be great at everything, and it's still 100% your business and your success if you hire people to do the work for you. Invest your time and your money in the right places, based on their expected return.
2. Figure out which customer has money
Make sure you are targeting the audience that can afford your product. Cycling has two stereotypes that are pretty accurate in a lot of cases. 1) The rich dentist. $10K bike, $500 kit. That guy has disposable income and likes nice cycling gear. 2)The aspiring pro racer Cat1-3. Takes cycling very seriously but is pinching pennies and hoping a sponsor will send some free water bottles. You don't want to be counting on those folks to buy. We didn't know exactly who our true audience was at first. It's not persona 2.
3. Education is hard
The Bag is a totally unique product. There is objectively no other cycling product like it. No other product can claim the use cases that The Bag can. This is great! But, also, hard. When you have the first car in a world of horses, you have to sell the category, not just the product. People want to categorize it in their mind quickly. Educating customers on something they've never seen is harded than saying "it's a horse, but faster."
4. Get thick skin and don't take anything personally
Mean comments on ads, people saying your product sucks when they haven't tried it, people saying they chose a competitor or that you're overpriced - it's all going to happen. Find a way to deal.
5. It's a marketing game.
Making a new product is so fun. Most people who have business ideas are excited about a product or service, and all the details. But, once that product or service exists, your work becomes almost entirely focused on selling and marketing. Don't get into ecomm if you don't love the marketing. You'll spend 2% of your time thinking about product design and 98% of your time thinking about marketng.
Conclusion: Join Our Journey
Parc is a small business, but it’s built with so much passion. We believe in making products that genuinely improve a cyclist’s experience. If you’re part of the cycling community and want to follow our journey, we’d love to connect!
Follow us on Instagram (@rideparc) for behind-the-scenes updates and product news. Thanks for being part of our story!
