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.
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.
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
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…
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.
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.
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.
We have completed our second day riding in the Nelson area, both in town, as well as from the Baldface Lodge 4000 feet above town. While we originally found Canada a smaller place than originally stated (metric conversion conspiracy. Every thing in Canada is about 1/3 closer than it sounds), we have found the 4000 foot drop into town is at least 5000 feet, and a “full day” of riding can be had by noon.
Our group started with 14 eager campers, and a 45 minute push from the Lodge up to Cherry Tops, because the aforementioned 4000 feet evidently wasn’t, by local standards, enough. Our guide today was some available local named Mike, and we followed him to the best of our ability down High Man to Swamp Donkey. The best of our ability turned out to be better than the ability of at least six of the riders in our group, and they got on a truck at mid mountain. Four were never seen again.
Today we learned that Rodney Johnson lost his life to pancreatic cancer, and we are feeling just a profound sense of sadness. Rodney was a good man. The kind of quiet and unassuming guy some people might ignore as being a bit too dorky; not nearly hip or “in” enough. But if you ever got the chance to get to know Rodney, you would silently shrink, and feel like such an idiot for judging a book by its cover.
Rodney Johnson
Rodney was a quiet, gentle, man. A giant in deed if not power output or outward appearance. A completely modest person, he never talked much about his contributions to our sport, but there can be no denying that he was the right guy in the right place at the right time. Several times.
Had another women-only ride and party last week. About 25 women came for the ride (and a few more for the festivities only). All cooking, drink-making, etc. was performed by men (especially, master chef Jay).
Address: 415 Old County Rd, Belmont Phone: 650-620-9798
Our name says it – we are passionate about bikes and trails. We are all dedicated mountain bikers, and our knowledge of local trails can't be beat. Our mechanics are the best in the business, and we take customer service very seriously. We are committed to making your bike run perfectly. We guarantee great rides.
