Founder’s story

Sometimes in life, the further you ‘progress’, the further you move away from the reason you started it all in the first place. Working for global businesses was rewarding. It provided us with great opportunities and all the associated ‘benefits’. But over time, it was clear to us that something had changed. Something was missing.

Purpose was the driving force behind why we chose our paths. A belief that we can help influence positive change. As we moved further ‘up the ladder’, it was clear that purpose had been overpowered, and to an extent, replaced by profit and growth. We weren’t naive. We were fully aware and also proud of what we achieved. We just didn’t like the feeling it left us with.

So instead of getting on our bikes to escape, we explored the possibility of our bikes bringing back our sense of purpose. 

Learning from our corporate experiences, we knew that long-term thinking investors are rare. Investors want quick returns, and often, quick returns challenge a brand’s values. It was clear that if we wanted to be a values-driven brand, we would need to self-fund, self-govern and collaborate with like-minded souls.

It takes time to build something that has real value. Value is more than profit, and not all aspects of value can be measured by numbers. The world is in need, right now, of brands that champion a more ‘responsible’ approach to profit and growth.   

For us, our bikes and the experience of riding them bring us close to nature. We are acutely aware and ‘tuned in’ to its beauty and the importance of protecting the irreplaceable. If we ride it, we must respect and protect it. In the same way that surfers connect with the sea and the ocean, we feel a deep connection to the land.

Bikes are amazing tools. Beyond the simple function of getting you from A to B, they offer solutions for life’s challenges. That was no more apparent than when Daphne was involved in a life-changing car accident. The accident left her with severe chronic pain. Over time, it was clear that high-strength pain medication was not a long-term solution for her.

Instead, she looked for other coping mechanisms. Simply put, her bike became a core pain management tool. The physical and psychological benefits of riding have allowed her to cope when others have struggled. During her journey of discovery, she met many people who also use their bikes as a coping mechanism, a motivator for change, and as a self-empowerment tool.

The realisation that the bike is not always about winning a race, but instead helping people win their race, further strengthens our sense of purpose. We want to use TICCC as a platform to encourage self-empowerment and positive living. 

Purpose propels us forward. Creativity enables us to express our purpose. We pride ourselves on being a creativity-led brand. When creativity is allowed to lead, it provides essential fuel for great ideas, and great ideas change things.

A creative-led approach doesn’t look for solutions down the ‘usual roads’. It doesn’t look for ideas from others taking a similar journey. You need to be different, sound different, and look different if you want to make a difference. Making a difference is why we are in business.  

There’s no point in telling a great story if you can’t support it with a great product.

For us, a great product meets the needs of the athlete and is developed and made responsibly. Where every aspect of it: materials, construction, who makes it, from what, and where it is made, is carefully considered. A great product lasts. No shortcuts, especially if it means a product’s life expectancy is cut short. A great product is versatile, allowing you to do more with less.

We are here because we want to make great products.

We want to contribute to an equal and inclusive society. Back in 2015, we were very aware of the division between men and women in the cycling sector. The perception of gender in the sport was outdated.

We had a role to play in helping bring about change. Performance is genderless. If you want to break down barriers of inequality, you must first start by treating everyone the same — as equals. We like to think our gender-neutral approach to making performance apparel helps ‘close the gap’.

Daphne/ Andrew Monk
Founders
TICCC