EP1: Finding Rad - Karl Allen-Muncey
When Life Explodes, Twist the Throttle
Spoiler: it wasn't a Pinterest epiphany under a waterfall. Karl's life detonated mid-COVID - work dried up, a breakup landed hard, and the track he'd been sprinting on for two decades just ended. No fireworks. No soft-focus montage. Just a guy in Ontario staring at the pieces and deciding which ones were still worth carrying.
What he picked up first: a motorcycle. What followed: a full send into authenticity, analog joy, and the kind of adventure that scares mom but saves your brain.
Ontario's crown land: miles of quiet where you can recalibrate
Disruption Isn't Just for Startups
In business, we love to chant "opportunity in disruption." In life, we usually duct tape the leaks and call it fine. Karl did the opposite. When everything got loud and ugly, he hunted the good like it was paying a bounty. Think red car theory, but with hope. See it more, find it more.
Step one was savage honesty: What's actually important?
Step two was choosing a vehicle - literally - to chase it.
Less stuff, more adventure
Analog Over Algorithm
Karl spent 20-plus years building tech and the targeting engines that chase us around the internet like a needy seagull. Then he pulled the plug. He ditched the smartwatch, fixed old electronics, read real books with actual pages, and traded phantom notifications for throttle and wind. The man swapped dashboards for dirt.
The brain loves it. Time outside. Making things with your hands. Long rides where your thoughts show up uninvited and you have to make peace with them or try to outrun them. Pro tip: you can't. That's therapy with scenery.
Solo Camps and Bear Math
Ontario's crown land became the dojo - miles of quiet where you can pitch a tent, hear your heartbeat, and recalibrate. "Bears are an issue" is how Karl says stay humble and pack smart. Solo camping will make you inventory your fears, your snacks, and your priorities in that order.
He started using the bike for more than commutes. Camping, reading by headlamp, paying attention. Less drinking, less TV, more sky. The flywheel spun. Momentum, but the good kind.
Adventure note: Whatever your wheels - moto, MTB, trail runners, cargo e-bike with two sugar rockets on the back - you're allowed to feel like a kid again.
Karl Allen-Muncey hitting the open road
Community Finds You When You're Busy Being You
Irony called. Karl learned to ride to get away from people, and found his people. When you show up for something you love, conversation skips specs and heads straight to life. The bike was the password. The humans were the treasure.
He started sharing the mental health side of riding, and it resonated. Dopamine, cortisol, neuroplasticity - all the brain candy metrics, sure. But mostly: I feel better. That's a movement we can get behind.
Tools For Not Spiraling (Even When You Are)
- Hunt the wins. If you pay attention to good moments like you're getting fifty bucks a pop, they multiply. If you marinate in the doom, same deal.
- Set tiny goals. If stability got smoked, cool. Build a sandbag wall of micro wins.
- Get uncomfortably present. Long rides. Long walks. Long reads. The brain will try to bail. Invite it back.
- Be selfish on purpose. Self-defense first. Then share from overflow, not fumes.
- Let the pieces stay on the floor until you know which to keep. You don't owe anyone speed.
Why This Matters to Us (And Maybe You)
At Hibear, we design multifunctional gear that fuels connection - with yourself, your crew, and the wild places that rewire your insides. Karl's story is exactly the kind of "adventure for all" energy we live for. Less stuff, more living. Fewer tabs open, more miles under your skin.
Yes, the All-Day Adventure Flask is a Swiss Army beast that makes pour-over at dawn and cocktails by campfire without packing a kitchen. The point isn't the features - it's the freedom they buy you. Pack less. Do more. Share more.
Also, the cap is a one-ounce jigger. We're not saying, we're just saying.
A 3-Step Unplugged Challenge
Karl-Tested, Trail-Approved
- Trade a screen for a skill tonight. Fix something, sketch something, tune a derailleur, sharpen a knife - anything your thumbs can't scroll.
- Dawn patrol one ritual this week. Pour-over from the tailgate, tea on a windy overlook, cold brew that hits before the emails. Yes, our flask makes all three without a bottle brush or a meltdown.
- Plan one solo micro-adventure. Two hours or two days. Crown land, BLM, city park bench - your call. Bring fewer excuses and one good layer.
Lines From the Road We Can't Shake
Amen and pass the headwind.
Field Recipe: Dawn Patrol Wake & Shake (Trail Version)
- Grind: Fill the steel filter halfway with fresh coffee
- Cold water: Top the flask, chill 10-12 hours (truck fridge or creek)
- Swap: Pull the filter, twist in the thermal core to keep it frosty
- Sweeten (optional): Honey, a dusting of cinnamon, a splash of oat milk
- Shake: Leave the strainer in for micro-foam
- Share: Pop the silicone sleeve off - the built-in mug turns one cup into two
- Pro move: Save the cap's one-ounce shot for precision pours or tiny victory sips.
Find Karl on the Road
Want to follow Karl's adventures, get maintenance tips, or just see what throttle therapy looks like in real time? Connect with him here:
Instagram: @zenmotorcyclemaintenance
LinkedIn: Karl Allen-Muncey
Facebook: Zen Motorcycle Maintenance
The Big Why
There's a lot of noise right now. Some of it engineered to keep you angry, scrolling, or buying stuff you'll forget in a week. We can't fix the world with a blog post, but we can practice connection. To place, to people, to our own scruffy values. Build from there.
Pick one piece of your life to rebuild with intention. A trail. A habit. A conversation that needed starting. When the brain gets loud, twist the throttle on something real.
See you out there. First light coffee, last light cheers.
Pack less. Do more. Go Hibear
