About TCG

John grew up in rural Ohio, and like any good jeans-boy, learned to drive on a tractor.  Wheels started earlier than that though, with bicycles, mini-bikes, and all other sorts of things that moved.  Childhood included a love of slot cars, building models, Hot Wheels, and whatever seemed like it looked cool and could possibly go fast.  

John's career has taken him on several journeys that included a bunch of years as a IT consultant which included Dot-Com time, and travel throughout the U.S. and Canada.  As demanding as work always was (and still is), there were always cars--  Looking at, thinking about, browsing ads about cars in L.A. and San Francisco, NYC, Paris, wherever. 

John now has a very, very small stable of things he likes, including a vintage BMW, old Honda motorcycles, and a toe in the water with the SCCA.  He also has a sidekick that helps him with wrenches and smaller, hard-to-reach places.  For John, cars as a passion and data as a profession are essentially the bases of The Common Gear. 

Hella H4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff has been in and around the car hobby and various enthusiast circles since childhood, stemming from early exposure to off-lease German sedans his father bought for work and routine visits to Lime Rock Park. European marques still dominate his garage to this day, with a 1987 BMW 325is he's owned for 12 years and a 1986 Mercedes-Benz 190E Cosworth he rescued from a junkyard as cornerstones to an evolving fleet. 

Starting out as a newspaper reporter, Jeff has been a storyteller since he could put pen to paper. His career includes multiple public relations agency stops as well as internal corporate communications roles. He has also moonlighted as a contributor to a variety of automotive websites and uses his background in journalism to create content that captures what it means to be an enthusiast in a rapidly-evolving hobby. 

The Common Gear combines his love of content creation and vehicle documentation, along with a fervent belief that robust records management leads to a more rewarding ownership experience. 

Jeff Bio photo