Bike Gear Database is my baby. I designed and coded the site from scratch, with love. We've grown to host over twenty writers from around the world, who have contributed nearly 200 original articles. Originally, the site wasn't developed as a content-only venture—it started as a tool to archive bicycle geometry data and allow users to compare bikes across brands and genres. I wrote a bunch of Python code that scraped vendors' websites, normalized the data, and built dynamic pages for each bike, creating an archive meant to last forever, used by mechanics and hobbyists alike. At its zenith, we catalogued about 7,000 bikes.
Part of the site’s initial idea was to write bikepacking gear-related reviews to generate traffic and build awareness for the database. After penning my first review—please don’t go find it (ha)—it became apparent that original content was far more valuable to search engines and readers than the geometry data. After a tough call, I deleted the database to focus on writing. Gradually, people began paying attention, and riders from around the world started asking if they could contribute. A team was born, and we’ve never looked back.
Admittedly, when I started the website, I was naive. I was entering a niche space, full of its own stars and characters, with little knowledge of the cycling publishing world. Today, the site continues to be a favorite among brands and readers alike. Being the incumbent is fun, and I love watching it grow.
Visit the site here.
Bike Gear Database is a community effort and I can't take all the credit. In fact, I have a bunch of amazing people helping me at all times on it.
