This is part two of a three-part series exploring bicycling and its role in the Golden area. Part one is available here. Part three, describing the many ways to get out and go on two wheels, will appear next week.
It is quite possible for a bicycle to be designed, built, purchased, tuned up, torn apart, rebuilt and finally donated to the needy all within Golden city limits.
Bicycling is a way of life for many in the city, but it can also be a living. Among those for whom bicycling is a business career is Adam “Bo” Boe, manager of the Golden Bike Shop.
“It’s great we’re to the point where Golden can support five bike shops,” Boe said.
Golden also boasts Pedal Pushers Cyclery, Big Ring Cycles, Peak Cycles and Rise Above Cycles, all supported by the weekend warriors, and local riders of the city. Boe said each shop has a little niche in which they excel, ensuring room in the market for all five to survive, and also ensuring a huge variety of bikes and gear for sale to residents.
Bicycles are also made in Golden, including some of the most innovative on the market today. Yeti Cycles, makers of some of the fastest, most high-tech and expensive mountain bikes made today, has its headquarters in south Golden.
“Any product we make has been tested, tuned and refined on the trails around Golden,” Yeti President Chris Conroy told the Transcript late last year in an interview.
In fact, the Yeti office shuts down for an hour every day just so staff can go for a group ride.
Just around the corner from Yeti is Spot Brand Bicycles, which proclaims that all its bicycles are “Braincrafted in Golden, Colorado.” The boutique brand specializes in belt-drive bikes, perfect for single-speed mountain bikes (though geared models are available too), as well as stylish commuter/road models with interior gearing.
“We love it here,” Spot President Andrew Lumpkin said. “We love the lifestyle that our employees get to enjoy. We test bikes on the trails and on the roads, and we have both those options right out the door.”
Lumpkin, whose father founded Avid Brakes in Lakewood, said the family always wanted to move closer to the mountains for better access to trails. When the family sold Avid and bought Spot, it was a foregone conclusion that they would keep the company in Golden.
On a much smaller scale is native Coloradoan Richard Gangl, who handcrafts road and race bikes in his Golden workshop. With custom-fit geometry and personalized paint jobs, Gangl’s bikes take time to build. He currently has a 10-month wait list for new bike construction, according to his website.
Last year city of Golden Ward 3 Councilman Bob Vermeulen, seeing the concentration of cycling businesses in the region, and being a rider himself, organized an industry dinner. He said that every time he handed out an invite, he heard about someone else to add to the list.
“I knew about the retailers, I knew about the manufacturers, but I didn’t know about everything else,” including charities, and even a cycling-centric law firm, Vermeulen said.
The “Cyclist Law Firm,” led by Megan Hottman, opened up its Golden office in August last year. She said Golden just happened to be where she wanted to live and opening up the firm close to home made sense.
“I kind of consider this a cycling mecca, which was one of the reasons we moved here,” Hottman said.
Hottman, a professional racer with 10 years competitive experience, said a nice 60-mile morning ride along the classic Lariat Loop helps make her day. And most days include working on personal-injury cases involving cycling accidents, something Hottman said she has special insight into.
The Hottman Law Firm does more than just work on cycling cases. The office also sponsors a racing team and offers spinning classes in the winter months.
“It’s open to the public; classes are only $5. Bring a bike, and we’ll provide the (stationary riding) trainers.
Other cycling-related ventures can be spotted across the city. There is Victory Circle Graphix in north Golden, which helps make the graphics and decals for competitive cycling teams. There’s Steve Stevens and his basement museum of the classic, old-fashioned “big-wheel” bicycles.
There are also at least two bicycle-centric charities in town. The Golden Optimists Club helps repair and refurbish old bicycles and then ships them off to impoverished communities around the world, providing free, reliable transportation. Also in the city, and with a similar mission, is the World Bicycle Relief grassroots development office.
Vermeulen said the concentration of cycling-centric businesses is a result of Golden’s geographic luck in being so close to high-quality road cycling and mountain bike opportunities.
“It all helps, together with everything else Golden has to offer, to make it a desirable place,” Vermeulen said. “Looking to the future, I just see more of it.”