Meet Dan (This Was His Idea)
Posted by Daniel Young on October 17, 2011 0 Comments
Hi, I'm Dan...
It's been a long process getting to the point where I can ink my first blog post for Kickstand. The path was a bit circuitous, but it was well worth the effort.
My background's in software and technology, a career in which I'm actively engaged. At work, we spend an inordinate amount of time sitting; at our desks, at a table, on chairs, stools, couches. We spend a lot of time not moving, which isn't good.
Many days I've been tied to my desk, looking for any break where I could cut out for an hour or so to get on my bike and ride. The problem was the time wasn't there. On the weekends, when I did have a chance to get out for a few hours, I felt slow and sluggish. This wasn't good.
Out of this frustration came the inspiration to combine a bike trainer and a desk; this is where Kickstand was born. After doing some research into how one can ride while they work, I found many options. There were desks built for treadmills, stand-up desks and flat boards that connect to bikes hooked to a trainer. None of these really address what I wanted: a desk that was substantial and could be used all day, every day.
Soon after I started exploring the idea, I met two cool gents, Lou and Grant. They make custom bike frames, specializing in polo bikes. We got to talking about the idea and it didn't take long for me to pull the trigger and have a prototype built with the help of Ezra and Freddy. That was in May 2011, and since then, I've been using my idea daily.
From that original prototype, we've evolved the design into what we think is an awesome desk. It's large, over-build and over-engineered. It's built to be used and designed to be appreciated, even by those that still haven't left their chairs.