Rock Bottom

The Rock Bottom name started as a simple clever pun. We wanted to start Brutal Engineering without investors pushing for deadlines and profit. To do that we needed to start at Rock Bottom. Coincidentally the first prototype bash guards were designed to mount on threaded bottom brackets and protect against rocks. Rock Bottom protection.

The name soon grew to hold a deeper meaning. In 2013 Brutal Engineering owner, Joe, started to lose his limitless energy. He began feeling dizzy all the time and passing out when lifting weights. Gradually his condition got so bad that he could no longer ride his bike. That didn’t stop him from trying to push himself though. One day he blacked out in the transition of a jump and ran chest first into a tree at over 20 mph. He separated his sternum entirely and suffered a severe concussion. Thankfully doctors began to listen after that event and he received an external heart monitor. One night Joe felt what seemed like some sort of heart event while wearing the monitor. Shortly after his Cardiologist called and said he had to be driven to the ER or he would send an ambulance. At the ER Joe learned he had 30 seconds of Ventricular Tachycardia. His heart had convulsed at over 300 beats a minute, but blood wasn’t’ flowing. Joe learned normally people don’t recover after just 6 seconds, but because he kept forcing himself to exercise he survived.

Joe was scheduled for surgery and now has an implanted heart monitor. VTAC was the key to seeing the top doctors at John’s Hopkins. He was scheduled for a tilt table test. They strap you to a table, let you rest, tilt you up and monitory your body’s response. When they repeated the test on Joe with adrenaline he went into VTAC again and blacked out. When he came to the doctor told him that VTAC meant he was clinically dead for the second time. He was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and Neurally Mediated Hypotension (NMH). Both of those conditions are really just symptoms of a deeper problem so he got more tests.

Soon Joe’s condition worsened. He was losing his balance walking, passing out from simple body movements, and couldn’t think straight enough to work on CAD. He couldn’t ride his bike on flat ground. That was the real rock bottom.

Bloodwork revealed an extremely high concentration of antibodies that are known for attacking nerves and muscle. A nerve biopsy revealed he has severe neuropathy. Joe was diagnosed with undifferentiated connective tissue disease and is working through different treatments which have been helping. He has regained his energy, he is nearing previous strength, and best of all the team riders have  taken the Rock Bottom to the top of the podium.