
WELCOME TO RULE THE ROAD™
This is a little long, but stick with me...
Remember back to when you were a kid, when you used to stare at that poster of your dream machine on your wall and picture how awesome it would be to have one. The places you would go, the things you would do. You couldn't wait till you were old enough to get out on the open road.
Fast forward to now and of course you grew up, but that passion never wavered. You still feel it every time you hear the roar of an engine firing up, a loud exhaust rumbling by, or even when you get a faint whiff of burning rubber in the air. It makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up.
I know it certainly does for me. But I think the thing I love most about this culture that we're all so passionate about is the camaraderie. Getting to know other people who are just as into it as we are, and that feeling of being part of an awesome community. That's really what it's all about.
We may not fit in with mainstream society, but that's ok. We don't need to. We do things our own way. And that's what makes us different.
So you may be wondering: Where did Rule The Road come from and what is it all about? Well, just like you, I stared at that poster on my wall as a kid and grew up wanting to create, wrench on, build, race, and customize cars and motorcycles, so that's just what I did.
As far back as I can remember, I was always tinkering with things. Trying to make them better, faster, and custom.
What really started me down the path to where I am now was when years ago I wanted to customize my Harley but couldn't find a specific part I was looking for. I went through every catalog I could find and nobody made anything cool for what I was looking to do, so I decided to just make it myself.
After creating a bunch of custom parts for that bike, people started asking me where I got them. When I told them that I made them, they asked me if I could make some for them too, so I did.
Eventually, I had lots of people asking me for parts, help with customizing their bikes, and ideas for how they could make their own bikes stand out from the crowd so I decided to go all in on the idea and open my own custom shop.
It was great. I got to do what I loved doing every day and was able to help people bring their vision into reality. Just like the posters we all stared at as kids.
And that's when the unthinkable happened. I started to feel unusually rundown at the end of each day. Tasks that were normally simple started becoming more difficult. I couldn't put my finger on what was going on, but I knew something wasn't right.
So after a few trips to the doctor, I was given the news that nobody wants to hear - "You have cancer, stage 4, and we have to operate right away." I thought to myself: What? How can that be? There's no history of it in my family. And yet I had to deal with the facts, that I would be out of commission for a while.
Thankfully, several successful surgeries later, I was on the mend. But knowing that I would be out of commission for a while during recovery, I knew I had to look for other ways to be creative and keep myself busy, so I started dabbling in designing some clothing since I had always been interested in the apparel industry. It kept my mind occupied during my recovery and I developed a knack and a real enjoyment for it.
I had always felt that our culture was under-represented. Sure there are lots of lame designs slapped on t-shirts out there (you know the ones I mean) that you see at every car or bike show that are all basically the same, but they have no feeling or passion behind them. What I wanted to bring to our community was something different. Something that represents us and our culture with some style.
So that's when the Rule The Road brand was born with the goal to provide unique apparel with cool designs to our amazing community. Stuff that represents what we're all about - good times, going fast, wrenching and having fun with your buddies, and paving our own path in this world.
That's why you may be surprised at what you find here at Rule The Road. You'll find button down shirts with unique designs you won't see anywhere else, you'll find custom made hoodies, and even bermuda shorts. You'll also find comfy womens leggings, cropped tops, and tank tops. I've worked hard to make sure that there's really something for everyone here.
I wanted you to have something you could feel at home wearing anywhere, from hanging out with your buddies at a backyard BBQ, to a night out on the town, to rippin' through the twisties on a country road, or just hanging out at your local car show.
So there you go, that's how I ended up where I am now, and I'm super thankful that I get to design cool stuff for you that represents the culture that we're so proud to be a part of.
So welcome to the family. And thanks for coming along on this journey with me.
And we're always looking for feedback and design suggestions from you. We want to create what you're looking for and what you feel represents you, so feel free to send me an email and give me some design inspiration. Hit me up at: whatsup@ruletheroad.com
- Al Talpins
Rule The Road