A few weeks ago we made time to chat with local podcast hero and all round great guy Gareth who started the MTB TRIBE Podcast just a few years ago.Gareth comes from a place very fond to our hearts here at Fustle, and knows all about the rugged and beautiful landscape that has so heavily infleunced the products and brand that we have today.Sit back, relax, and enjoy Episode 144 with Alastair and Julie.Visit the MTB-Tribe website hereMTB TRIBE Podcast - Episode 144On episode #144 we are chatting with Alistair and Julie Beckett about designing and building their new bike brand called Fustle, how the idea came about, why they decided to go the gravel direction, the advantages of having a gravel bike in your garage and why the Fustle ride is that little bit different from other brands out there (in a good way!). This is not Alistairs first time designing and building a bike brand. Anumber of years ago he set up his own company calledRedburn Design, pulling on his experience with being involved in the industry and designing the Nukeproof bikes.He has also helped design the Forbidden and Privateerbrands,so when I heard that Alistair was designing his own brand and that he was going down the gravel bike route, I had to get him and Julie back on the show and find out what it was all about.Find Out:How Alistair helped design the Forbidden and PrivateerbikesOther projects his company Redburn Designare involved withWhere the idea to start his own bike brand came fromWhy Alistair and Julie decided to design a gravel bikeWhy a gravel bike is easier to design that a full suspension mountain bikeThe challenges that come with designing a gravel bikeWhy Fustle has got mountain bike design elements and how this makes it strongerWhat type of trails the Fustle is designed forHow the production process worksWhy Alistair and Julie decided to go down the Build It Your Way route and why this makes it better for the customerThe different ways you can purchase your FustleWhy Alistair and Julie aredetermined to make customer care and feedback a top priorityWhat future projects are planned for FustleHow you can purchase and follow FustleAlistair and Julie have been planning and working on their own brand for a few years and it has changed a number of times fromtheir first conceived idea, but this is how things work in the fast moving bike industry and nobody knows that better than Alistair and Julie. But it was their own personal circumstances that changed their design ideas andpushed them down the gravel bike route. They moved house over Christmas to be closer to the trails, they had their second child and time was at a premium. So the days of driving an hour to your favourite mountain bike trails and taking up half your day was just no longer possible, but riding the gravel roads closer to home was. Alistair loves bikes, all bikes, so whenhe was looking for something to fill this gravel gap hecouldnt really find the type of gravel bike he wanted, so as a bike designer he took the bike by the bars and designed his own, Fustle was born.What frustrated Alistair the most was the fact that you couldnt build the bikewith the components you wanted, loved and trusted, so Alistair decided that his would have to be a top priority for Fustle, you could purchase a frame and fork set up, choose from a number of different component options (the best that worked with the bike), make your decision on what suited you and what you would prefer. Now, this is a massive decision and a huge undertakingfor a new business. You have to deal with more brand partners, you have to have more components on offer and available, which means carrying more stock.You cant have completed bikes built at the factory and shipped directly to the customer, you have to have the bikes builtat home after you know what the customer wants.This adds a huge number of steps that Alistair and Julie have to organise and manage,all addingto costs. Not to mention that you will have towork closely with the customer (emails, phone calls etc..), but this is how Alistair and Julie wanted it. They wanted this interaction with the customer, they wanted to know what components customers would most like to have on their bike and they wanted that all important feedback that only a paying customer can provide. And this is the beauty of runningyour own company and doing it this way, a way that the large brands struggle with. You can build and supply the customer with what they want and what they want to spend their hard earned money on. All this feedback is invaluable for future builds, future projects and the future expansion of the brand.Alistair has added an awesome facility on their website where you can design and build your own ride, by simply adding the available components to the frame and fork, they call it Build It Your Way, and that is exactly what happens, you decide whatyou want on your bike and Fustle build it for you. Its very simply and easy to use, and to be honest I think it is something a lot of the brands wished they could do.So whether you're not sure about the whole gravel thing or you are looking for that do it all ride, tune in and hearthe story ofFustle and how it may just be the ride you have been looking for.Thanks for being here. Enjoy the ride!