Aside from bicycles, of course, the main reason I choose to continue my futile search for fortune in the bicycle industry is because of the people I know and meet. There’s no shortage of extremely smart and passionate people who are insanely interesting, individualistic personalities. Sure it’s cool to be around famous athletes from time to time, but I much more deeply value the less publicly visible people that make the bicycle world go ’round. As such, I’ve decided to revive a special online series where we do a very brief standardized interview with some of these individuals: The Bicycle Industry Insider Profile Series. I want to share the stories of these people with the rest of the world through the Dirt Rag and Bicycle Times web sites. This week we have…

Name: Scott Gibson

Hometown: Hudson Ohio

Current location: New Paltz NY

What do you do for/with/to bicycles? I design bags for endurance cycling & bike packing at wingnutgear.com, also develop mobile renewable energy platforms for shelters and trailers. Currently working on creating a rst responder kit that includes an electric bike with a solar powered cargo trailer to navigate disaster areas in the rst 24 hours, establishing communcations, assessment resources, clean water, power etc…

What’s the best thing about your job? I am my own boss. working and meeting other like minded people in the industry who think we can make a dierence.

What’s the toughest part of your job? I am my own boss.

What was the path that led you to work with bicycles? While in design school I took a summer intern with Tim Paterek and built my own frame when raised chain stays were all the rage. After school I started my own design and production company and rode to work. I needed a better back pack.

What was your first bicycle? Motebecane 12 speed, circa 1978.

What bike do you currently ride the most? Ritchie swiss cross with the swept seat stays.

Where is your favorite place to ride? Anywhere with my family, preferably behind my wife.

What music goes through your head while you ride? (literally or guratively) deep rootsy reggae, Burning Spear dub style.

What are your interests aside from bicycles? sustainable living practices, nding new applications for emerging technologies.

If you weren’t working around bicycles, what do you think you’d be doing? I don’t understand the question. Probably teach art & design or go start a sustainable living/survival camp somewhere , with bikes.

Please share one of your favorite stories you’ve seen or been a part of while involved with the bicycle industry: Working with Pedros festival at their last two festivals to show case the Tour de France in a cow pasture from my solar powered Alpha Tent.

Who would you choose for the next subject for the Bicycle Industry Insider Prole Series? Matt Johnson

Why? He runs BioWheels in Asheville NC, they combine bikes with sustainable living practices and have proposed a community based initiative to overhaul asheville’s transportation infrastructure to include electric powered vehicles and bicycles.