Meet Justin: Born and raised on the east side of Garden Grove, Justin discovered cycling through a neighbor’s encouragement during a tough time in his life. With a background in aviation and a lifestyle that was heading in the wrong direction, he decided to make a change. No stranger to the local hard group rides in Orange County, Justin pushed himself to endure, aiming to improve each week by learning from seasoned riders in the community. Today, he channels his passion into his brand, Nano Worx, designing cycling components that are both stylish and functional. Whether riding with his community or developing new products, Justin remains grateful for the transformative journey that cycling has brought him on.

1) Tell us about yourself. What’s your background and how did you get into cycling?

I was born and raised in Southern California, on the east side of Garden Grove. I have an aviation background in both fixed-wing and rotorcraft (helicopter).

I was not on the best path in life after graduating high school. I was living the bar life every night, and going into work hungover was part of my normal routine. When shopping, I had to choose between real food and alcohol, which I more often than not chose the latter. I was scraping to pay rent on my apartment and was living completely month to month.

I didn't grow up in a tough or bad family by any stretch, but my father is strong on accountability, so I had to deal with this on my own, as this lifestyle was my decision.

A neighbor of mine, Nathan Bystedt, was riding his old Trek bike to work every day. He sat me down at one point and just said, “You’re throwing your life away. Try doing something active like cycling.”

I finally paid down my credit card bill enough to buy a bike I couldn't really afford, and just went for it.

This sport has done a lot for me, both personally and professionally. I met my wife, Priscilla, while cycling and changed my career to be in the industry.

2) What does “endure” mean to you personally, and how does it reflect in your cycling journey?

Great question! This is actually the continuation of my story! Cycling is a hard sport… especially when you don’t have natural talent and you’re in terrible shape.

My first ride was with my neighbor, Nate, and my roommate at the time, Jacob, from our apartment complex on Memphis Ave in Huntington Beach down to the pier and back, which was around 3 miles.

I was exhausted. I remember that bleeding lung feeling being there the entire time, even for such a short ride. I hated it, but what I disliked more was how it felt to be so much slower and out of shape compared to the others I was riding with. This really made me think about the harm my lifestyle was doing to my body and how I needed to stay consistent to turn it around.

I worked in Long Beach and began participating at Eldo. I would get dropped 2-3 laps in from the beginners, but kept making it a little further each week. Similarly, on group rides, I would get dropped early but stayed consistent and tried to make it a little further each week.

Endurance and progression are important to me, both in my hobbies and my professional life.

3) What challenges have you faced in your cycling career, and how have you overcome them?

I would say the biggest challenge for me was learning the race, group ride, or general pack dynamics. I was so new and so late to the sport that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I didn't understand how to conserve energy, how to paceline, how to pull through properly, or how to do… really anything.

There wasn't a known clinic for me in the beginning, so I asked around and got led to the Food Park group ride on Saturday. That was an eye-opening experience, but showing up consistently and looking up to better riders was very helpful.

4) What role does community play in your cycling experience, and how has it influenced you?

Community is everything. If you are a rider in OC, you likely know the weekday or weekend rides and the riders on them. The rides can be very fun, challenging, and competitive, but we are all teammates in the end, and making it home safe is important.

I learned so much from local legends like Michael Johnson, Mike Faello, Jamie Palonetti, Richard Meeker, Steven Strickler, Todd Schooler, and many others.

Some guys were really tough on me during these rides. I had to take a humble stance and realize that they simply knew more than I did. Without reading too far into the delivery of the message, I would use what they were saying to make improvements where I could, and I asked a lot of questions when I could.

5) Tell us about Nano Worx and what made you start it.

I was building up a new bike, a very lightweight Specialized Aethos, and I was looking the bike over to see where I could save more weight. I got to the computer mount and thought… “Why is this thing such a brick! Surely you could design and print a lightweight option that was plenty strong.”

So that's where it started, and since that time we’ve moved into Aero computer mounts and other accessories.

6) How do you incorporate your personal style or fashion into your cycling gear?

I want to make components that I would ride personally. That means the product has to look good and be functional.

When it comes to fashion or kit, I'm thankful that my wife has a great eye for these things and keeps me well dressed and my kicks white. 🙂