After a brief hiatus, Joey Ernst, the co-owner of Bedrock Bags, has re-launched the brand under a new name: Freewheel Mission Gear. Learn the story behind the brand’s new chapter and what we can expect from Freewheel Mission Gear moving forward here…

Photos by Joey Ernst

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone at this point that small businesses everywhere are struggling. Aside from the newly introduced tariffs, which have wreaked havoc on the cycling industry, nearly all other aspects of running a business are becoming more expensive, and we’ve seen several instances of companies shutting down or finding creative ways to continue operations.

What’s more, it feels like mid-sized businesses with a few employees are often the hardest hit. What started as a one-person bag-making business now has substantial expenses and costs, so the “outdoor industry recession,” as Joey puts it below, can be catastrophic. Bedrock Bags was one of those mid-sized businesses, which might explain why we haven’t shared much from them recently.

However, in an exciting turn of events, co-owner Joey Ernst has taken full control of Bedrock and rebranded as Freewheel Mission Gear, moving all operations to southern Indiana. We’ve always been impressed with Bedrock’s designs and craftsmanship. They are responsible for some unique offerings in the bikepacking world, including one of the first dropper post seat packs, lightweight panniers, and more. We’re thrilled to hear Joey will continue the legacy. Find an update from him below:

Introducing Freewheel Mission Gear

Words by Joey Ernst

Friends and customers, Joey Ernst here – early bikepacking advocate, founder of trailblazing bikepacking shop Velorution Cycles, and longtime co-owner of Bedrock Bags. During this outdoor industry recession, with beloved brands seemingly going bankrupt every other week, I’ll tell you straight: it’s been rough. Early this year, Bedrock was in bad shape. I wasn’t ready to give up, so I became the sole owner of Bedrock and our vehicle brand, Nightfall Overland. I immediately made some big decisions.

First, we left Colorado. We moved to the wooded hill country of (gasp!) southern Indiana, a very friendly place with fewer expenses. Second, we recommitted strongly to our made-in-the-USA mission and began refining existing products and working on new ones. Third, we consolidated products from our bicycle and vehicle brands under one new brand: Freewheel Mission Gear. I wanted a name broad enough to cover anything I might want to build, in any outdoor category!

Bikepacking and bicycle gear will always be a focus of ours. I’ve been in the industry since 1997, and I’m not done yet! But we’ll be adding more categories and products as I build the business again. I’d love to have you along for the ride. For details, to see the gear, or to contact me, check out our brand new website.

To start, Freewheel Mission Gear has orders open for custom framebags, the Delta Handlebar Bag, and SL Panniers. They also have some great deals on old Bedrock-branded gear, and their lineup of cargo van window shades is now available for purchase. Any products that are made-to-order have a 1-2 week lead time. If you need some new gear, go show Joey some love!

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