Passion Trail Bikes, Belmont, CA - specialists in quality bike service and custom-built mountain bikes: Category Bikes

Ibis Mojo SL-R

Charles — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:37:00 +0000

These guys are just now starting to trickle in. We’re really excited to see them, but perhaps not as much as the three riders that have had theirs on order now for months. This one will be here only for a day or two, but we do hope to have a couple of demo SL-R’s in a few months. Those will stick around long enough for you to catch a ride or two on one.

Also, Ibis will be bringing a fleet of carbon wonderfulness to our Passion Demo Event here on March 17 and 18.

Demo Day Saturday March 19th

Patty — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:20:00 +0000

We are having a Demo Day on Saturday March 19th, so come on down! Santa Cruz is bringing their truck with a whole host of bikes to try! We are also having some bikes from Knolly, Banshee, and Pivot, as well as our inhouse Test Bikes from Specialized and Ibis. See the table below for blank cells, which tell you which bikes are available to test ride when (if there is a letter in a cell, that is the initial of the person who has it reserved.)

Test rides are free, however you will need to bring a driver’s license and credit card and sign a waiver.

We will also be having food and beverages, and reps from Fox and Endura clothing on hand.

To make a reservation, either call us at 650-620-9798 or email info@passiontrailbikes.com with the following details:
Bike Model:
Bike Size:
Ride Time:
Pedals:
Rider’s Name:
Rider’s Cell Phone Number:
Rider’s email address:

Email reservations will be taken in the order received, and there may be a slight lag before we get the table updated.

The Passion Build

PeterD — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 21:22:00 +0000

It is interesting to watch different customers come in when they are shopping for a new bike. Some obviously just “get it” about Passion and what we are offering, and other haven’t picked up on it yet. As a marketer, I’ve had trouble figuring out how to help people who don’t “get it” to understand what we are really offering.

The problem is a bike has a standard retail price, often listed right on a manufacturer’s web sites. If a bike is a commodity, then going to the discounter that offers that bike at 20% off is better for the customer than paying full retail as you would at Passion.

But Passion doesn’t believe bikes are commodities. The parts may be the same whether you buy the bike from us or a discounter, but the final product is not.

If you want to have some fun, ask the other bike shops you go to how long they spend assembling the average full suspension mountain bike. I think you will hear numbers all over the place. For a big box store, the answer will be in how many bikes an assembler can build in an hour.

Yes, Passion gets the same bikes that are 90% assembled by the manufacturer. But that is where the similarity ends. Rather than just finish the last 10% of the build as many shops do, we instead tear the bike apart and re-assemble. In doing so, we do the added steps like facing where the head set, bottom bracket (see pic to left of faced bottom bracket), and the brakes mounts on the frame, making sure the wheels are correctly tensioned, and greasing every point of metal to metal contact. Doing these little steps up front will pay many performance and reliability dividends later on.

And people generally don’t walk into Passion and leave with a bike. It frequently requires three or more visits to Passion to get a new bike, instead of a more “grab and run” approach at some other stores. Where discounters will sell the bike and then offer discounts at a later time for stem swaps and other modifications to make the bike fit you, we do it a bit differently.

First we work with the customer to figure out the exact mix of parts that is right before we start to build it. Then we build it half way (example being the blue Ibis in the picture to the right) and bring the customer back for a first fitting – this way we can get all the sizing and parts just right. Only when it is fully assembled can the customer take the bike. I know this can drive people batty with anticipation as they wait for their new bike, but only doing this makes sure that the everything from cables length to seat height to stem length is set perfectly right from the first ride. Actually, with a discounter, it is more likely it will never be made perfect for you, but instead you’ll make do wit it as is.

And all this takes time. The answer for Passion on how long it takes to assemble a full suspension bike is over 8 hours, which doesn’t include the fitting time.

“Get it” now?

ps 1 – want to see more photos of bikes being built? Check out bikedoula.com. Charles doesn’t think of Passion as a bike shop, but as a bike doula – read the description to understand the difference.

ps 2 – if you do ask other shops how long they take to assemble a bike, post your findings in the comments here

Santa Cruz Nomad Carbon

Charles — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:14:00 +0000

Service customer and frequent bike buyer Nigel Ray sent us a few notes about a good ride he had last week:

“I took my first ride on the Santa Cruz Nomad Carbon today and was very impressed. Some of you may know I have had a lot of bikes over the years, keeping two or three good mountain bikes in the stable, and buying a new one maybe once per year. Some I felt immediately at one with (‘03 S-works Enduro), some take a few weeks to settle into that sweet spot (Ibis Mojo), and some just never get there (Ellsworth Moment). My ride on the Nomad today, definitely placed it in the former category.

I have been riding a Santa Cruz Blur LT carbon with a 150 mm Fox Float 32 fork over the last several months and I have found it a light (~26 pounds), well-mannered trail bike. There are a lot of positive things to be said about the BLTc, and if I had a complaint about it that would be that, when climbing, the pedaling force tends to negate the suspension suppleness, resulting in sub-optimal rear wheel traction. In the early years of mountain biking, when all we had were hardtails, climbing required a certain finesse, as you needed to apply power intermittently depending on available traction. Plush, full suspension rigs have largely done away with this skill, allowing riders to just sit and spin, regardless of the rocks and roots that the rear wheel is tracking over. The BLTc climbs well, but requires that the rider exert a degree of finesse as the rear wheel tends to skip over rocks and roots during hard pedaling, rather than track through them. The BLTc also has a low bottom bracked, which results in frequent pedal strikes and the need for extra oomph during log-overs.

The Nomad carbon has the typical geometry for a 6” bike, in that the angles are slack, the front wheel is well out in front, and you sit more over the rear wheel. At 29 pounds, this bike is light for bike with 6.5” of travel, thanks to a mostly XTR build, some sweet carbon RaceFace cranks, and a light wheelset.

Color is Matte Black, which looks cool both clean and with a coating of dust (photos were shot without cleaning the bike after a dusty UC ride). Overall color motif is black and gold with silver accents—I typically like my bikes to be tastefully stealth, but this color scheme, while not exactly “pimp daddy,” matches the pin striping on the frame. I don’t know if it is the rigidity of the frame or the light wheelset, handbuilt by Charles on King hubs, but the Nomad is a very lively pedaling bike.

It pedals much more like a 26 pound bike than a 6-inch, 29 pound bike. It also lacks the aforementioned climbing traction problem, as it seems to track through rock gardens and sketchy traction sections without hesitation. In fact, Bill and I dropped Mailboxes and climbed Fence Line and I cleaned the steep, loose, rocky climb at the bottom of Fence Line on the first try. The BLTc descends well, but the Nomad just rails the same downhills. The Nomad is burly and well mannered, but has that BMX-bike feel that just makes you want to jump things and push the edge of the envelope. It also has a higher BB, which means fewer pedal strikes and easier log-overs, and unlike a lot of 6” bikes which tend to sacrifice agility for strait line stability, the Nomad changes direction easily, carving up the downhills. On the first ride, the 36 Float 160 and the rear shock were plush and well tuned, using more than 97% of available travel with no adjustments needed! Drivetrain was butter smooth. All in all, I would put the Nomad in the top 10% of bikes that I have ridden over the years….”

Thank you Nigel. You can find more pictures of Nigel’s Nomad at Bikes 2010 and other Passion builds at the Bike Doula site

Passion Demo Days Oct 3 & 4

Patty — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:19:00 +0000

We are having our Fall Demo Days on October 3 & 4, with plenty of bikes to test ride at Waterdog Park. FREE!

Check out the list of bikes and make a reservation here: http://spreadsheets.google.com

Some of the bikes that are available include the Santa Cruz Tall Boy 29er, and their long travel V-10 and Driver 8, the Specialized Demo 8, and the new fabulous Stumpjumpers and Enduros, the Ibis Mojos, and Giant is bringing a HUGE truck full of bikes including the Glory and Faith, plus many Trances and Reigns. And MORE. Please see the list here!

ALSO WE WILL HAVE ROAD BIKES! Giant is bringing their TCR, Avail, and Defy Advanced road bikes, and Specialized is bringing their Tarmac, Amira, and Roubaix, including a couple models with the new electronic Dura Ace shifting sytem.

A sea of test bikes from Specialized occupied half our driveway at the Spring Demo Days

Demo Days photos

PeterD — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 03:15:00 +0000

Just a quick update. Demo Days was awesome – about 100 demo bikes available for rides 3 times each day. Weather was excellent, and Waterdog was mostly dry (though had a few muddy spots). Lots of happy riders. We have uploaded a bunch of photos from the demo days to Flickr.

Demo Days bike roster and availability has been updated

Patty — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 05:05:00 +0000

Just a quick note to let you know that if you are interested in test riding one of our demo bikes this weekend, we have updated the list of bikes and the days and times they are reserved. If you would like to do a test ride, please check the list and follow the instructions at the bottom of that page for making a reservation. We’d love to see you!

Our 3rd Anniversary Party and Bike Demo Days March 7 & 8

Patty — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 23:24:00 +0000

Whoop! Not only is daylight saving time right around the corner, and the grass is green with wonderful spring rains, but… cow bell please…

We did it! We survived our first three years in business and are still here despite all the dire news about the economy. Well, there might have been a tiny little nose wheelie back there in October, but we kept our eyes on where we want to go, and put the rubber side smack back DOWN. Nothing like a shot of adrenalin to make you a little sharper! Our spirit is strong, our customers inspiring, our future bright. Help us celebrate! Come join the party as we release the brakes to roll out for the start of year number four for Passion Trail bikes!

Come join our 3rd anniversary party on Saturday and Sunday March 7 & 8.

Expect a festive atmosphere with delicious refreshments, fresh new cycling fashions, a sale on select items, and nearly 100 new bikes available for FREE extended test rides!

We will have Specialized here with their Test Ride trailer and Designs for Women crew. We will have demo bikes from Giant, Maverick, Ibis and Santa Cruz.

Most amazing will be the huge selection of fabulous Specialized road bikes to test ride. Yes it’s true we started out focusing on mountain bikes, but we also ride pavement and are psyched to be able to offer awesome road bikes from that bastion of innovation in Morgan Hill. Here’s your chance to test ride a crazy fast 2009 Tarmac SL2, or a dynamite Roubaix or Ruby or Tri-Cross.

Test ride a SRAM equipped S-Works Ruby!

See below for a list of bikes we will have for demo rides, and info on how to reserve your spot.

To test ride a bike, we highly recommend making a reservation as soon as possible. For some models, the reservation list will fill up almost immediately. Scroll down to see our list of bikes. Send us an email at info@passiontrailbikes.com and tell us which bike and size you would like to test ride, which day, and what time.

Ride times for Saturday AND Sunday are 9:00AM, 11:00AM, and 1:00pm. Test rides will be 1.5 hours long so you can get a really good feel for the bikes. There will also be a possibility for one or two rides at 1:00 that will go for more than 1.5 hours.

All test rides are free, however you must sign a waiver, have a photo id and a major credit card. Parents must be present to sign waivers for minors to test ride. Bring your bike clothes, helmet, and shoes and pedals (we do have a few Shimano pedals and platform pedals around to lend out, but not enough for everyone).

Riders check in to pick up their reserved test bike and get directed to a ride leader

Crazy selection of high-end Specialized bikes to test ride

Ibis and Maverick were favorites last year. Limited availability this time, so reserve your ride ASAP

			Sat	Sat	Sat	Sun	Sun	Sun
	Reservations updated as of 3/5 6:00PM		3/7	3/7	3/7	3/8	3/8	3/8
			9AM	11A	1P	9AM	11A	1P
Manufacturer	Bike	Size
Specialized	Epic S-Works	Small	R		R		R	R
Specialized	Epic S-Works	Medium	R	R	R		R
Specialized	Epic S-Works	Large	R	R			R	R
Specialized	Epic S-Works	Large	R	R
Specialized	Era Marathon 2008	Small						R
Specialized	Era Marathon 2008	Medium						R
Specialized	Era Marathon 2008	Large
Specialized	Safire S-Works	Small					R
Specialized	Safire S-Works	Small
Specialized	Safire S-Works	Small
Specialized	Safire S-Works	Medium			R
Specialized	Safire S-Works	Medium
Specialized	Safire Expert	Medium				R
Specialized	Safire Expert Carbon	Medium
Specialized	Safire Expert Carbon	Large						R
Specialized	Myka Pro	Medium
Specialized	Stumpjumper S-Works	Med		R
Specialized	Stumpjumper S-Works	Med		R	R	R	R	R
Specialized	Stumpjumper S-Works	Large		R	R	R	R	R
Specialized	Stumpjumper S-Works	Large			R
Specialized	Stumpjumper Pro	Small		R
Specialized	Stumpjumper Pro	Medium		R		R
Specialized	Stumpjumper Pro	Large	R
Specialized	Stumpjumper Pro	Large
Specialized	Stumpjumper Pro	X-Large			R
Specialized	Stumpjumper Elite	Medium		R			R
Specialized	Stumpjumper Elite	Large				R
Specialized	Stumpjumper 29r	Medium	R
Specialized	Stumpjumper 29r	Large		R
Specialized	Stumpjumper FSR Expert 29r	Medium	R			R	R	R
Specialized	Stumpjumper FSR Expert 29r	Large	R			R	R
Specialized	Stumpjumper FSR Expert 29r	X-Large		R		R
Specialized	Enduro S-Works	Medium	R	R	R			R
Specialized	Enduro S-Works	Large	R	R	R	R	R
Specialized	Enduro S-Works	X-Large
Specialized	Enduro Expert	Medium	R	R	R	R		R
Specialized	Enduro Expert	Large				R	R
Specialized	Enduro Expert	X-Large		R
Specialized	Pitch Pro	Small	R	R
Specialized	Pitch Pro	Medium
Specialized	Pitch Pro	Large					R
Specialized	SX Trail Two	Medium		R	R		R
Specialized	Demo 7 Two	Medium		R
Specialized	Demo 8	Large				R	R

			Sat	Sat	Sat	Sun	Sun	Sun
			3/7	3/7	3/7	3/8	3/8	3/8
			9AM	11A	1P	9AM	11A	1P
Specialized	S-Works Tri Cross	56
Specialized	Tarmac SL2	52
Specialized	Tarmac SL2	54		R				R
Specialized	Tarmac SL2	56	R		R	R
Specialized	Tarmac SL2	58			R	R		R
Specialized	Tarmac SL Pro	52
Specialized	Tarmac SL Expert	52
Specialized	Tarmac SL Expert	56			R		R
Specialized	Roubaix SL 2	52	R				R
Specialized	Roubaix SL Pro	54			R
Specialized	Roubaix SL Pro	56					R
Specialized	Roubaix SL Pro	56		R		R	R
Specialized	Roubaix SL Pro	58		R				R
Specialized	Roubaix SL Pro	61			R
Specialized	Ruby S-Works SRAM	48						R
Specialized	Ruby S-Works Dura Ace	54						R
Specialized	Ruby S-Works SRAM	56
Specialized	Ruby Pro	44
Specialized	Ruby Pro	48		R
Specialized	Ruby Pro	51		R				R
Specialized	Ruby Pro	51		R
Specialized	Ruby Pro	54		R
Specialized	Ruby Pro	54
Specialized	Ruby Pro	56
Specialized	Ruby Expert	51
Specialized	Ruby Expert	54
Specialized	Dolce Comp	44

			Sat	Sat	Sat	Sun	Sun	Sun
			3/7	3/7	3/7	3/8	3/8	3/8
			9AM	11A	1P	9AM	11A	1P
Giant	Anthem	Medium					R
Giant	Anthem	Large		R
Giant	Trance X 1	Medium	R	R	R		R	R
Giant	Trance X 1	Large	R	R			R
Giant	Trance X1	X-Large
Giant	Reign X	Small
Giant	Reign X 0	Med	R	R	R		R
Giant	Reign X 1	Large
Giant	Reign 1 08	Large		R	R
Giant	Reign 1 09	Large
Giant	Reign 1 09	X-Large

IBIS	Mojo Classic	Small					R	R
IBIS	Mojo Classic	Small		R		R	R	R
IBIS	Mojo Classic	Medium	R	R	R	R	R	R
IBIS	Mojo Classic	Large	R	R	R	R	R	R

Maverick	Durance Fox Float 32	Small
Maverick	Durance DUC 32	Medium					R	R
Maverick	Durance Fox Float 32	Medium					R
Maverick	Durance Fox Float 32	Large	R			R
Maverick	Durance Fox Float 32	Large	R			R		R
Maverick	Durance Fox Float 32	X-large						R
Maverick	ML-8 RS Pike	Small				R
Maverick	ML-8 Fox Float 36	Medium
Maverick	ML-8 Fox Float 36	Medium				R
Maverick	ML-8 DUC 32	Large
Maverick	ML-8 RS Lyric	Large
Maverick	ML-8 Fox Float 36	X-large

Santa Cruz	Blur LT Medium	Medium	R	R	R	R	R	R
Santa Cruz	Blur XC	Small	R	R	R		R	R
Santa Cruz	Chameleon SS	Large	R
Santa Cruz	Nomad	Large	R	R	R	R	R	R

Turner	5 spot Four Bar	Medium			R	R	R	R
			Sat	Sat	Sat	Sun	Sun	Sun
			3/7	3/7	3/7	3/8	3/8	3/8
			9AM	11A	1P	9AM	11A	1P

To test ride a bike, we highly recommend making a reservation as soon as possible. For some models, the reservation list will fill up almost immediately. Scroll up to review our list of bikes. Send us an email at info@passiontrailbikes.com and tell us which bike and size you would like to test ride, which day, and what time.

More details (more bikes!) on Oct 5 Demo Day!!!

Patty — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 05:29:00 +0000

Hey great news! After Charles got back from Interbike we started getting the calls and emails: “Hey, thanks for stopping by the booth and checking out our ‘09 product; here’s our pdf catalog… how about an order…. anything else we can do for you?”

Demo Bikes at Passion, May, 2008

You know, that can be pretty effective when it comes from manufacturers whose product we love. . . . so . . . We now have demo bikes coming from IBIS and Maverick too, to go along with the fleet of Specialized rides! AND, some Santa Cruz and Giant bikes in limited models and sizes. Awesome! Test rides on the trail are FREE this Sunday, come on down!

Remember to make a reservation—send Daniel a note at daniel@passiontrailbikes.com or phone him at 650-620-9798 and let him know what size bike you ride, what time you want to ride, and which make and model you’d like to try, what size (sm, med, lg, xl) and time, 9am, 11am, 1pm.

Specialized Demo 8, Demo 7, SX Trail
Specialized Enduro, Pitch
Specialized Stumpjumper, Safire WSD
Specialized Stumpy 29er
Specialized Epic, Epic Marathon
Specialized GLOBE
Maverick Durance and ML8
IBIS Mojo
Santa Cruz Blur XC, Blur LT, and Chameleon SS
Giant Reign X, Trance X

2009 Specialized Test Fleet @ Passion Trail Bikes & Waterdog Park

Patty — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 03:21:00 +0000

You can be the first kid on your block to test ride brand new 2009 Specialized Bikes at our Demo Day at Passion Trail Bikes and Waterdog Park for FREE on Sunday October 5th!!!

We are psyched! We nabbed the first chance for non-industry riders on the West Coast to test ride bikes immediately after Interbike!! Come on down and test ride a bike from the 2009 Specialized line. We will set you up with a bike dialed in for your riding style, and you can take it out and get it good and dirty on the trails. Give it a good shake down, and let us and our Specialized Rep know what you think. They love it when we tell them exactly what our customers think about their latest stuff.

Specialized is sending the trailer up from Morgan Hill with a whole fleet of the newly re-designed Epic and SX Trail models as well as Stumpjumper, Enduro, Pitch, Stumpy 29er and Safire bikes. We will have them all available for a dirty demo ride. There will be rides launching from the shop at 9, 11 and 1 o’clock through the singletrack at Waterdog Park as well as big bike rides through the dirt jumps and drop-ins at Carlmont. We will have ride leaders for you so you can get a good lead on a test route through the park, and our usual test ride fee is waived for this special event (normally $75 per day).

Of course, we are going to have a party and celebration while we are at it, how could we not? Looks like more of this awesome warm Indian Summer weather, so Patty will be setting out a wonderful spread of grilled goods and side dishes for the test riders to compare notes over a nice plate of munchies. Come ride, hang out and moisten your sunburn with a frosty one!

We will also be having a sale on select merchandise. Stay tuned for details!

Note the DATE/DAY correction from our first notice! It’s Sunday October 5th

If you are looking to get into a new bike in ’09 or even just want to see the new technology come and give a new 2009 top-of-the-line Specialized mountain bike a spin!

Test rides are available now but we highly recommend you make a reservation today! We expect the slots to fill up so don’t rely on chance for day-of availability. All bike reservations can be made by sending Daniel an email at daniel@passiontrailbikes.com or by calling the shop at 650-620-9798 to let him know what size bike you ride, which model you want to test and at what time.