When the GearGate concept was presented to me a year ago by its founder, Matthew Bader, I was blown away. Tailgates are nearly untouched by the aftermarket and have only recently received OEM attention. Almost 2.5 million full-size trucks will be sold in the United States this year and the average American will spend $2,000 modifying their rig.
I sense the aftermarket for truck parts feels a lot like groundhog day – when is something genuinely new going to come along?
Products are recycled, repackaged, and rebranded. Materials are updated, refinements introduced, and prices increased but it’s the same-old-same-old.
A new company called Hoodworks is launching a unique replacement tailgate system. The GearGate is a fundamental departure from the tailgates we have become comfortable with over the last 70 years. Think of the GearGate as what might happen if Victorinox or Leatherman built tailgates. The first GearGate is the Cycling Comp, a functionally and visually distinctive system that makes life easier for recreational and competitive cyclists who drive full-size trucks.
