I've been around cars my whole life. My family had them, I learned about them, I built them. Then I got a motorcycle and it was something different. You're not just driving — you're in it. Every turn, every shift, every mile of road is physical. You feel everything.
And when I came home from rides like that, there was nowhere to put it. Not really. Instagram swallowed it. Discord turned it into chatter. The forums were from 2008. There was no place that felt like it belonged to people like me — people who drive because they have to, not to post about it.
I started Between Gears because I wanted that place. A community that keeps track of the things that actually matter. Your car. Your routes. Your people. The moments that only you understand when you're in them.
The patch system started as a personal thing. I wanted something physical that tracked where I'd been and what I'd done. Not a trophy. Not a badge. Just a record you could hold — and wear.
The jacket came from the same idea. Something you earn into. Something that looks better the more you use it.