Opening my own bike shop is the culmination of a dream more than 20 years in the making. I started riding mountain bikes in my early teenage years in my hometown of Saratoga Springs, NY. As a teenager, bikes were a way to explore, to test my courage, and to bond with my brother and friends. In addition to the experiential aspect – the sensations of the ride itself – I was endlessly fascinated by the technology and innovation. I would pore over brand catalogs and magazines, soaking up every review and spec and dreaming of owning a Klein Mantra or a GT LTS. Living across the street from Ben Serotta gave me the opportunity to regularly ogle the world’s most sought-after road bikes, even if I was too scared to ask questions or even say hi. I spent a couple of summers working at The Bike Shop before college and a career in the hospitality industry intervened. About seven years ago I decided to get back into the cycling industry.
I spent the past six years working at Palo Alto Bicycles, first as a salesperson, then as the Buyer and Sales Manager, and often worked in all three of those roles simultaneously. Palo Alto Bicycles launched Greg LeMond, Tom Ritchey, Clif Bar, Avocet and what is now the EF-Tibco-SVB Women’s Team and the shop holds a unique and mythical place in the cycling industry. From the early part of the initial interview process, I looked at it as getting a PhD in Bike Shop.
After meeting my partner at a cyclocross race in 2019, we decided to end the long-distance phase of our relationship after more than two years, which brought me to Sacramento. What I hope to bring to Sacramento is a bike shop whose value is predicated on knowing things others don’t, getting things others can’t and doing things that others don't know can be done. There are tons of places to get mediocre products, mediocre service and the same staid answers. There are some places that offer great service, but don’t have any cool stuff. There are some places with enthusiastic sales people who don’t have the depth and breadth of knowledge to assist a serious recreational cyclist with pointed questions about high-end products. I pride myself on knowing more, caring more and doing more and I’ve invested a lot of time and money in creating this opportunity for myself and for Sacramento’s cycling community. Please reach out or stop by to check out what I hope is a very special space and experience.