For those not familiar with the THC build: click here
Posted January 28, 2005

Our Mission
When you walk into Trail Head, you don't find a bunch of goofballs who just happen to work at a bike shop. We are passionate when it comes to riding and full pro when it comes to helping you enjoy your cycling experience.

Trail Head Core Values & Beliefs
1. We insist on giving our best effort in everything we undertake. Furthermore, we see a difference between "good mistakes" (imperfect results despite our best efforts) and "bad mistakes" (bad results because of sloppiness or lack of effort).

2. We believe there is no such thing as a good price on a bad bike or bike product.

3. In all our dealings, we strive to be friendly and courteous.

4. We make commitments with care and then endeavor always to live up to them. In all things, we try to do what we say we're going to do.

5. Work is an important part of our lives: It should be fun. Being good business people does not mean being stuffy and boring.

6. We love to compete, and we believe that competition brings out the best in us.

7. We recognize that life is a limited time offer for which there is no dress rehearsal.

8. We believe that the world would be a better place if everyone, just once in their life, raced mountain bikes.

9. We believe all of us should join and support IMBA; that working with them is our best hope for keeping trails open. Further, we believe that participating in trail work makes all of us better riders.

10. We know it's been a great ride when afterward we can still hear the whisper of our tires on the trail. One of the best things about bikes is that they (and BOB trailers) allow us to venture far away from our normal lives (and sometimes stay even further out).

And last, but not least ...

Ride Hard: Take Chances!

We promise ...
... to sell you quality bikes, pro-built, at a fair price. We'll provide quality parts, upgrades, clothing and accessories that do what they're designed to do: Make you and your bike perform better and make your rides more enjoyable and fulfilling. That's our shop ethic and our passion.

Our people make the difference
We believe a bike shop is driven by its workshop and not the sales floor, that the WORKSHOP is the heart and soul of the shop.

If we provide the highest quality service, advice, products and information, we believe Trail Head will thrive and survive. Our first eight years have validated this belief. We stopped advertising after our first year and we've grown exponentially every year since. We have our customers to thank for our growth and success.

Our mechanics are the best at what they do, and they get better every year as bicycle technology continues to evolve, and suspension and brake systems overpower the weak minds of most mechanics. Can't find anyone to do quality service or upgrades on your fork? Rear suspension need attention? How about your hydraulic brakes? Come by and meet our mechanics. They are experts, they speak to you in plain English (and Hayes and Marzocchi and Race Face and Chris King and MRP), and they won't attempt to bury you in esoterica. Plus, they're proud of what they do and how they do it. They ride, race and wrench full suspension full time. Wrenching bikes is their only job. They live it! It's who they are.

We work by appointment so your ride isn't brooding upstairs, waiting for its time in the stand. Most of our customers drop their bike off after their ride and pick it up the following evening. We usually finish when we promise. We make commitments with care and then endeavor always to live up to them.

You can always depend on thoughtful, technically accurate answers to your questions. If we don't have the answer, we'll find it for you. We spend your money with great care, and our recommendations, repairs, upgrades and custom builds are based on passionate riding and racing experience -- in the saddle (over the bars?) -- in our constant commitment to know more/better/lighter/stronger/faster.

Treat yourself to a Pro Build
At Trail Head, we believe BUILD is everything.

We're all about how we build bikes. About building 'em to a Pro Spec. About building your bike like we build our bikes. Next time you're in a bike shop, ask 'em how many bikes they build in an hour. We're guessing you'll hear anywhere from two to four bikes (or, God forbid, even more). We know -- we've worked in bike shops for years.

Figure it out: If you're a bicycle assembler, the faster you build the bikes, the more money you make -- yes? That's why the industry standard for bikes thrown together by assemblers is two to three an hour. At Trail Head, we offer close to 100 years of experience wrenching bikes. We don't hire bicycle assemblers. Only experienced mechanics build our bikes, and our minimum build time for our least expensive bike is two and a half hours. Our mid-range bikes run closer to four hours, and the high-end stuff can easily run eight hours -- sometimes into day two.

That's how long it takes to build to our spec. Why would we build bikes so meticulously? Commitment to the highest standard. Desire to be the best at what we do. To give you our best. And because the bikes deserve it. This Core Value drives the way we build each and every bike we display and sell.

We don't allow short cuts. No TV antenna-length housings or cables that don't lead fair. We don't torque threaded members until they're thoroughly lubed or anti-siezed, as appropriate, and properly aligned. We drop forks and lobe headsets. We pull cranks, lube and re-torque chainring bolts, remove bottom brackets, chase and face imperfect shells, slather on some anti-seize then resinstall. We remove tires and tubes so we can true and dish wheels (when's the last time you even saw a dishing tool?). Spokes are full-on tensioned so the wheels are balanced and have integrity. Of course we talc the tire casings before remounting so they don't stick to your tubes. Our BUILD CHECKLIST goes on and on. It goes up to 114 individual build-steps, in fact. Yes, it takes longer to build bikes the way we do. But we're not willing to sacrifice our build-ethic for profit margin.

It's your ass out there: Which build would you choose?

Only the best
We believe there is no such thing as a good price on a bad bike or bike product. The parts and accessories you purchase here are products we know and ride and endorse. We stock more high-end than most shops so we have it when you need it. We bring in what works, what our riders need and what we can recommend without reservation -- and only those products. We work really hard to give our customers good advice on best solutions to their repairs, upgrades and custom builds.

We are a friendly, knowledgeable staff that loves to ride and doesn't have an attitude.

If this sounds like the shop you've been looking for, we look forward to greeting you at Trail Head!