The best products today are the ones that come out of necessity. Made by someone who said "ya know, things would be easier if this existed," and then turned that idea into a reality for themselves and others.
That's Greg McPheeters' story. A Santa Cruz surfer, Greg was simply looking for a better surf rack for his bike. That led him to a quick release rack design, and because it would be costly to create, he decided to start a business to recoup the costs.
Now, more than a decade later, he's done much more than recoup costs. He's started a movement in lineups in Santa Cruz and around the world that has made it easier to get to the beach with a surfboard in tow.
We chatted with Greg about his quick release rack design, how the company has evolved from surf racks to many other accessories for surfers and watermen alike, and what he calls his "guiding principle" for business. — Cash Lambert
Moved By Bikes' surf racks can handle any and all surfboards. Photo courtesy Moved by Bikes
ASM: What was the moment in 2012 when you decided to start Moved by Bikes?
Greg McPheeters: You’ve probably heard me say that when I started Moved By Bikes, I really just wanted a better surf rack for my bike, but I guess that doesn’t explain why I had to start a business.
When I came up with a quick release rack design with a single push button that was strong enough to support any surfboard, I knew I had to make it, but it required investing thousands of dollars in production tooling to make the design a reality.
Moved by Bikes quick release rack design. Photo courtesy Moved by Bikes
It’s pretty hard to justify that sort of expense to make a surf rack just for yourself, so I figured I’d start a business and see if I could sell enough to make up for the tooling costs.
Tens of thousands of surf racks later, those startup costs have definitely been covered!
What do you love most about the Santa Cruz surf scene? Do you think the surf culture there influenced Moved by Bikes?
Santa Cruz is a special place to live and surf. You can find a wave to ride pretty much every day of the year, and there’s something for all levels of surfers to enjoy.
Obviously the local longboarding culture had a big impact on us, since the longboard racks were our original product.
A ton of people who live in Santa Cruz are only a short bike ride away from their local break, and in the summer when the waves are smaller, the bigger boards come out in force.
Compared to driving to the beach in heavy summer traffic and hunting for a parking spot, the whole experience is just so much better if you can drop your board into your bike racks and cruise down to the beach.
So I think all of those factors have had a big impact on us from the beginning.
With many other bike surfboard racks on the market today, what makes your bike racks different?
There are other surf racks on the market, but none of them match our features and adaptability.
Nobody else has our patented quick release bar system, which allows you to pop the bars in when you need them, and pop them out when you don’t.
I can’t imagine not having this feature—now your everyday around town or commuter bike can also be your surf bike—you don’t have to dedicate one to just surfing! You can also pop in our Dog Runner accessory when you’re taking your dog out instead of your board.
Most importantly, we have unmatched stability with our frame mounting options. If you want to carry a heavy longboard or a performance SUP, there’s just nothing else on the market that is really designed for this.
Oh, and I should probably mention the adaptability of our racks: you can configure our hardware in a dizzying variety of ways to fit your bicycle, e-bike, or scooter just the way you want it.
And if you need a few minor parts to support your custom project, we offer spare parts for our kits on our website, MovedByBikes.com.
Talk to us about the dog runner!
The Dog Runner started as an accidental discovery after we tied our dogs to our surf racks one day for an adventure across town. It worked so well that we turned it into a product!
An accessory you need: Moved by Bikes' dog runner. Photo courtesy Moved by Bikes
The Dog Runner uses a seat post mounted bar design and a spring-loaded leash. It’s super simple to use and gives you a much safer way to get around town with your dog.
Keep your hands on the handlebars and prevent your dog from running in front of your tires!
Oh, and of course it uses the same mounts as the surf racks so that makes it super convenient and versatile.
Talk to us about products for SUPs and kayaks. Why branch out into these other verticals?
I still remember the first time someone sent us a photo from the North Shore of Oahu to show how they were using our Longboard Rack to carry their giant 12-foot yellow SUP.
And they weren’t alone—what started as a trickle became a steady stream of images that kept coming from different customers.
So we got serious about testing this concept and launched our SUP Lower Bars as an upgrade option to help with the bigger boards, including support for inflatables.
But for boards heavier than 25 pounds, you need something even bigger, so we broke into the bike trailer market with a serious SUP and kayak hauling rig.
It’s amazing what you can carry with this thing, and with all the e-bikes on the market now, you can effortlessly tow it to the water and practically forget it is behind you. When you need to go big, this trailer definitely has you covered.
From surfboards to kayaks, Moved by Bikes has you covered. Photo courtesy Moved by Bikes
My favorite thing about the SUP Trailer has been seeing it get picked up by surf schools.
They can replace a full-size van with a bike and a trailer, and a single instructor can meet their students at the surf spot with all of their boards and wetsuits in tow.
It eliminates the gas costs and parking hassle of the big vans, plus it’s better for the planet. We love being a part of this new trend!
What’s been the most challenging aspect of running the business, and what was the solution to this challenge?
There are so many challenges to running a bicycle accessories business, it’s hard to pick one! I think our biggest challenge is staying ahead of demand, since there is a relatively long production lead time. We have so many rad ideas for accessories to help you do more with your bicycle, and we can't do it all at once!
That said, keep an eye out for some new stuff we’re working on...
What’s the future of Moved by Bikes?
We want to make sure we continue to offer an industry-leading product at a great value to our customers.
We can see the future of our surf racks going in a lot of directions.
For instance, we talk to people all the time who are using our racks to transport their skis and snowboards, and to people who live nowhere near the beach but are using them to surf their local river wave. It’s super cool to see all the different sports people are using our racks to access by bike.
Lately, we are spending a lot of time on foil boards, and even e-foils!
Not only does Moved By Bikes help you with surfboards, kayaks, and paddleboards — they have racks for foils, too! Photo courtesy Moved by Bikes
Foil boards have been around for a while, but it still feels like the sport is early in its evolution. We’re leaning into it as more and more of our customers are using our racks for their foils.
Where do you find inspiration?
In the early stages of the business, I remember my friend Brooke telling me that she had given up on biking to surf because she felt like she couldn’t manage the weight of the longboard on her bike.
I convinced her to give it another go with our Longboard Rack and she came back beyond stoked about how we had reopened this possibility for her.
The best part—it got her surfing more!
We get endless satisfaction out of helping people pursue the sports they love in a more convenient and sustainable way.
Moved By Bikes' surfboard racks fit any and all bikes, including your standard beach cruiser as seen here. Photo courtesy Moved by Bikes
What’s your advice to others who are looking to start a business in the surfing/ outdoors industry?
Starting a business is a ton of work, but it’s very gratifying and opens a lot of doors.
One thing that has worked for us is that we make the products we actually want to use ourselves, and that’s been a great guiding principle. And we really do use our own products, daily.
If you are passionate about what you are doing and believe in what you are selling, you’ll enjoy the work and find a way to succeed. And don’t forget to have some fun along the way!
Dreams are like surf—they’re always worth chasing.
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