An introduction

My name is Craig, and I am the sole proprietor of Table Mountain Bike Works. So, how did I get to this point? Well, I had a pretty normal childhood. I was raised in Southern Illinois in a traditional family. I went to college at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, where I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Industrial Design in 1990. I worked as an industrial designer for a manufacturer in Illinois (yes, you read that right - manufacturing in America!) after college. Two trips out West in the early 90's convinced me that I belonged in the American West. I moved to Colorado on Memorial Day, 1994. I've been here ever since. It is home to me.

I have had a lifelong love affair with bicycles. Unlike most of my peers, I didn't stop riding bikes as soon as I got my driver's license. You might have me pegged as a racer type, but you'd be wrong. In fact, I've never raced, with the exception of one forgettable performance in a "citizens' race" in Illinois in the early 90's. I just love the feeling of rolling along on two wheels. After moving to Colorado, I really got into mountain biking. I have ridden some of the finest trails all over the state, and I have sampled the riding in adjoining states as well. I still road ride, but mostly in the form of commuting. I really enjoyed riding my bike to work. That is, until I quit my job recently to start my own home-based business. I guess I could ride the 20 yards to the barn.  :)

So, what qualifications do I have to open a bike repair business? Well, for many years, I pretty much just rode my bikes, and rode 'em hard. But at some point a few years ago, I decided that I wanted to take a more active, independent role in maintaining my bicycles. To that end, I enrolled in some maintenance courses at a local bike shop in the evenings. The shop is Wheat Ridge Cyclery, a very well-known shop in the industry. I completed an intermediate mtb maintenance course there in 2010, and earlier this year I returned for their suspension maintenance course. Both courses taught by their service manager, Doug Bittle. Doug's a really nice guy, and he knows bikes. Thanks, Doug!

About the same time, I thought assembling a bike from parts that I selected would be a really great way to learn more about bikes and what makes them tick. With support from my wife, I plunged in. I decided to build myself a dedicated commuter bike. I wanted a versatile frame that would accept fenders, racks, wide tires, etc. Eventually, I discovered the Surly brand, and more specifically, their Cross-check frame. Billed as a cyclocross frame, it also makes for a nice commuter. Slowly but surely, I built the frame up into a complete bike. I even decided to take the plunge and build my own wheels. I bought a Park TS-2 truing stand to do the job right. It seemed like a huge investment at the time. Long story short, I built the bike up and, lo and behold, it held together quite nicely. It even shifted and braked well. It was a very empowering, encouraging experience.

I have since built up two mountain bikes in a similar fashion, wheels and all. And they too have held up very well. It takes a certain confidence to ride on Colorado's backcountry trails on a bike you've built up yourself. Especially when you're riding solo. At this point, I figured I was ready to build and maintain bikes for other people. But to really legitimize my qualifications, after I quit my job in May of this year I decided to go to "bike school," as my wife and I took to calling it. I got on the waiting list for both United Bicycle Institute and Barnett Bicycle Institute. Barnett called with an opening in their two-week Bicycle Repair and Overhaul class starting the last week of June. I jumped at the opportunity. Barnett does an incredible job. The class reinforced what I had already learned and much, much more. It was a rigorous course. And well worth the money I shelled out for it. In addition to what I learned, I took with me John Barnett's nearly 3,000 page DX manual of bike repair and maintenance. This is truly the Bible of bike repair. I've learned things in there about parts I personally own and ride that I didn't even learn from the manufacturer's owner's manual. This is truly John's life work. It is an amazing document.

Most recently, I have been busy building up my shop with professional quality tools. I'll talk about that in a future post. And I'll include photos, I promise.