Our Story
Kitli started with a simple problem: finding kids’ gear that actually holds up.
The best recommendations came from other parents: the ones who had already bought the wrong thing, found something better, and wanted to save someone else the trouble.
It happened in group chats and driveway conversations. Parents shared what broke, what lasted, and what they would buy again.
Kitli makes that knowledge easier to find.
Our reviews are grounded in real family use: kids playing, crashing, outgrowing, and handing gear down.
Parents don’t need more options. They need to know what actually works.
What We Believe
Kids need gear that holds up. Parents need to know what actually works. The best recommendations come from real use: families testing gear through everyday wear, bad weather, crashes, growth spurts, and hand-me-down cycles.
The People Behind Kitli
Who We Are
CO-FOUNDER
Meet Bobby Lea
Bobby Lea is a former professional cyclist who spent more than a decade racing internationally and representing the U.S. at three Olympic Games. After retiring from competition, he worked as a Gear Editor and in PR within the outdoor industry.
He now lives on a small farm in Pennsylvania with his two kids, who are happiest covered in mud, riding through the woods, or lapping the backyard pump track.
At Kitli, his gear testing looks like real life — family trail rides, canal-path adventures, and the occasional mountain bike race that ends with a well-earned beer.
CO-FOUNDER
Meet Mike Festa
Mike Festa has spent most of his life around bikes — racing mountain bikes at the pro level, running the Philadelphia Ciclismo cycling club, and continuing to compete in regional MTB and cyclocross races.
He lives in Devon, Pennsylvania, where he’s passing that love of riding on to his niece and nephew as they discover it for themselves.
At Kitli, he brings that same focus to gear — researching what’s worth it and helping surface the products that actually hold up.
CO-FOUNDER
Meet Shelby Lea
Shelby Lea is a mom of two and the household’s unofficial head of research and development — the one reading reviews, comparing specs, and pressure-testing every recommendation before anything gets bought.
Before kids, she competed at the highest levels of sport — first as a World Cup show jumper, then as an elite track cyclist.
She stepped away from mountain biking for a while, until her oldest pulled her back onto the trails. Now she’s trying to stay one step ahead of his skills.
At Kitli, she brings that same standard to gear — a bias toward precision, a healthy dose of skepticism, and a focus on what actually holds up in real family use.