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

Roasted Jay, Weds 10/27 7:30pm

Patty — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 01:18:00 +0000

Please join us Wednesday 10/27 at 7:30pm for a fun evening sending off one of our very first (and still most loyal) customers: Jay Blincoe, who is moving to Texas, for some strange reason yet to be fully understood. We will light up the trash burner, get a good stink going, and serve up some fine, marinated, slow roasted Jay along with some other, more digestible victuals, lubricants and libations.

Revelers are asked to arrive equipped with a ditty or a doozy, perhaps a floozie, or maybe a frisky ride flask, from which to pour a toast and send off our friend in fine style with just the right amount of bruising and blushing. True stories and false, honest observations and lies, damn lies, or heartfelt huzzahs are all welcome. Costumes optional.

The lounge will be equipped with an extra special IPA from Santa Cruz Ale Works courtesy of Jon and Nica, and Patty promises to serve up some good home cookin’.

Please RSVP to Patty at patty@passiontrailbikes.com so we know how much food and firewood we need.

The party is at the shop: Passion Trail Bikes,

415 Old County Road, Belmont, CA 94002 650-620-9798.

John on Makalu

PeterD — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 23:35:00 +0000

You may have noticed that head mechanic John is missing from the shop. No, he didn’t quit. He is just taking a little vacation to climb some little hill on the other side of the world called Makalu.

Outside of biking, John does have the love of climbing these little hills. Those who have been around Passion since the early days may remember a little slide show he gave on a hill he climbed before joining us. The picture to the right is actually of John at the top of the hill (can’t you tell?).

Makalu isn’t quite as high, but I have heard that it can be more challenging. Here’s wishing godspeed to John and his partners.

If you want to follow his progress, they have a fan page on Facebook called Team X Whisperers’ Excellent Adventure on Makalu.

Look for him when he returns in a month or two with some great stories (though he can be so quiet, you may have to pry them out of him).

We're hiring again, mechanic needed

Patty — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

We are seeking a mechanic for our high-end service department. This is a full time position in the best mountain bike focused shop in the Bay Area.

The ideal candidate is someone who:
• has extremely high standards for precision mechanical work
• turns a wrench with a nuanced hand
• values time and skill
• stays on track despite distractions
• is intelligent and wants to learn
• has excellent interpersonal skills
• is passionate about mountain biking and trails

We are looking for someone who either has experience working as a bicycle mechanic or who would like to transfer their skills from another industry and work in a bike shop.

Ideally you would be confident in your ability to take apart, troubleshoot, and reassemble bicycle components such as forks, shocks, suspension linkages, hydraulic brake systems, and drivetrains. You would also be experienced in facing frames, assembly, and all other typical duties of a bicycle mechanic. Although we prefer someone with experience working on mountain bikes, we are willing to train the right person. Most important is that you have really good problem solving skills, you have a good touch with a wrench, you can handle working in a demanding environment, and you can work with customers from all walks of life with respect and a high level of customer service. Sales experience is also helpful.

To apply, please send your resume to Charles at info@passiontrailbikes.com, and include a cover letter explaining why you are qualified and want to work at our shop. Please no in-person or phone inquiries.

We are hiring! Full Time Mountain Bike Customer Service and Merchandise Specialist

Patty — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:10:00 +0000

We are thriving! This important new position in our sales department offers an exceptional opportunity to help our business grow, if you are a motivated, self-directed, problem-solving person.

We need someone with a combination of bike knowledge, customer service, sales, visual design and merchandising, buying and inventory management, and leadership skills.

Details after the break

Bike knowledge: This position requires that you know a lot about mountain bikes. Some mechanical aptitude is required; you should have the ability to make fitting adjustments, minor tune-ups, assembly, etc. You should be adept in discussing both big-picture topics such as different riding styles and ride characteristics of different bikes, as well as the finer points of various mountain bike suspension types, pros and cons of various parts, accessories, equipment, and clothing etc.

Customer service, sales skills: You should be able to intelligently talk with avid mountain bike enthusiasts to determine their specific background, goals, needs, wants, budget. Your job will be helping people select and buy the right bike, the right gear. You will need to be able to manage the sales floor and work as a team leader with other sales and service department staff to satisfy customer service and sales needs.

Visual design, merchandising aptitude: This position also requires that you have excellent visual merchandising skills. You will be required to identify opportunities to improve our merchandising and execute amazing visual displays. You will create and manage improvements and maintenance to our sales floor plan, point-of-purchase fixtures, and signage.

Buying & inventory management: You would be helping us select new product to bring into the store, manage our current product inventory, and move stale inventory out by implementing markdowns and closeouts. Involves receiving, shipping, database management and report generation, and warrantee management duties. Some back office work will be a regular part of your day.

Leadership experience: Our sales staff are good people but we have blind spots and priorities that pull us away from areas where we could be improving. We are looking for someone who is experienced in leading project teams and in being a motivating influence on others. Sales management experience is a plus.

Other: We have a lot of other needs. What skills do you have?

Compensation based on qualifications and experience; benefits include health insurance, paid vacation, and other perks. Start date is ASAP.

To apply for this position, please send your resume as an attachment to info@passiontrailbikes.com; include a cover letter summarizing your qualifications and reason for applying. Please, no phone calls or in-person inquiries.

October Demo Followup

Charles — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:03:00 +0000

Whew! We just had a fantastic weekend running our third Fall demo event at the shop. We had major league participation from Giant, Specialized, and Santa Cruz for the first time, and were also able to round out this fleet with bikes from Maverick and Ibis, allowing us to send out over 200 separate test rides over the two days. I want to thank everyone that participated, from those that came to tempt themselves by looking at new hardware, to the benevolent bunch that volunteered to help us keep things running smoothly, to those that just left a little extra in the til or the tip jar before the end of the day. We have been getting a lot of positive strokes and good feedback since Sunday, and it would not have been as good without everyone’s help.

I still want to hear what bikes you liked, what you liked about them, what you didn’t see or get to try, and what surprised you. Add a comment to this thread, or shoot something out to info@PassionTrailBikes.com. Santa Cruz left some bikes here for a couple extra days, so I was able to get a long ride in on a Blur LT Carbon yesterday. Look for a more thorough ride report on that one from me soon.

We ran special pricing on all bikes this past weekend, special orders and stock bikes included, and sold a few bikes and frames in the process. If you are regretting not taking advantage of that and getting one for yourself, let me, Berry, or Pancho know and we will do what we can for you.

I am updating Passion’s Flickr page tonight, and a few images from the weekend are already posted here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51326343@N00/sets/72157622385579697/

Female Friday! August 28th, 6pm

Patty — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:57:00 +0000

Patty hands out maps to Waterdog Park for the start of the Female Friday rides

On July 24th we enjoyed some great riding in grinning groups of girls on Female Friday. After savoring lots of fun swoopy singletrack, along with a wee bit of coaching for the novices, we returned to the lounge for a gourmet meal prepared by David and Marianne Milburn and managed to fill our bellies and our smiles. Lots of socializing and girl bonding with a bit of show and tell of our amazing collection of bruised bodies! Only mountain bikers really understand this, and it’s so fun to gather and give each other the support that makes us all feel right at home in this wonderful community.

Save the date! Put August 28th in your calendar for the next Female Friday. Rides will probably launch sometime around 6pm. This month food will be catered by the amazing chef Chris Aquino who has planned a fabulous menu with Spanish dishes to delight your tastebuds! Please RSVP if you think you can make this event so we can get a headcount for our shopping expedition by sending Patty an email at patty@passiontrailbikes.com.

Marianne and David Milburn working on the finishing touches to a tasty meal

BC videos

PeterD — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:10:00 +0000

Here is something to keep you going while the cold and rain is outside…

A group of our customers were up in BC this past summer. One of them (Brian) edited up some videos of their trip. Here are two videos for your viewing pleasure…

Mt. Fromme

Mt. Seymour

What form!?!

PeterD — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:34:00 +0000

Berry has an interesting method for doing some stream crossings, though I am not sure how to describe it. This shot was from Thursday’s Appetite Seminar ride in Marin.

How would you describe it?

build up your appetite for turkey?

PeterD — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:57:00 +0000

No surprise – the shop will be closed on Thursday.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t build up your appetite by going for a ride. And if you want company, there are annual rides, including Los Gatos’ Turkey Day Ride and Fairfax’s Appetite Seminar.

There are not official rides, as there isn’t a ride leader, official departure time, or anything like that. Just mass gatherings where people go to a designated start area and ride a designated route. Routes are pretty easy to find – just follow the mass of people.

There is a bull pen in the town of Fairfax where a few kegs of donated beer are available for your enjoyment after the ride (though it often runs out early, so plan to be there before 11 or so to make sure you get some). And Los Gatos’ tradition has come to include a picnic at the top (so watch for people towing roasted pigs, kegs, etc.) to the top.

I think you may find Charles in Los Gatos, and Berry up in Fairfax…

2 years ago, Charles wrote up a bit about the history of the Appetite Seminar and his experience on the ride and posted it here.

Female Friday! Sept. 12th 5:45pm

Patty — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:36:00 +0000

Back by popular demand! Last month we had about 45 women descend en mass upon the shop for some great riding, gabbing, and consuming of food and drink!

We will be doing it again this Friday, Sept 12th, with rides launching around 5:45pm. Ladies only!

After sunset we will return for food, prepped for our pleasure by guys who will give up an evening just for the fun of feeding a whole flock o’ female mountain bikers!

Tell your girlfriends!

Check comments below for details on the menu and other fun stuff.

Pictures from last month are up here on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/51326343@N00/sets/72157607077317100/detail/