About Us
Montlake Bicycle Shop and Kirkland Bicycle Shop have been serving the bicycling community for over 25 years.
Email Neil Wechsler at:
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Neil in front of Montlake Bicycle Shop in 1981. |
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I learned about the bicycle business in Urbana, Illinois. I was Paul Nicholson's first employee at his small bike shop in the 1970's. It was not a very conventional business. You could say Paul's Bike Shop was a throwback to a pre-corporate style of retail store, and at the same time he was definitely way ahead of his time. With just two of us working, and with both of us in graduate school, there were only so many customers that we could help each day. Therefore Paul established a rule: we were not to sell more than four bikes per week. Over twenty five years before bike fitting became the buzz word in bike stores nationwide, Paul wanted to make sure we had time to properly set up each Motobecane, Mercian and Austro-Daimler 10 speed that we sold. He insisted that the bike fit each customer to give them the most comfortable and efficient ride. In 1980, my wife Mary and I left Illinois and went on a bicycle camping trip from Scotland to Sicily, and then moved to Seattle to look for a spot to open our new bicycle store. Like Paul I started the store as small as could be, with no employees. Over the years Montlake Bicycle Shop has gradually grown to become a medium size store with an outstanding staff and a full spectrum of products and services. The equipment that we sell has changed enormously since the '70s, but the way my staff and I do business is not much different from how Paul and I operated. We do the very best job we can to see that each customer's bike suits their needs functionally, works properly and fits comfortably. More than anything we try to help you enjoy bike riding as much as we always have. - Neil Wechsler |
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Montlake Bicycle Shop Employees
Joe Hamilton Joe has been into cycling since the Stu Thompson BMX era. After a hiatus to work on his big brain in college, where he spent more time racing road, mountain, and cyclocross than studying, he returned to the bicycle industry to follow his passion. When not on a bike he spends his time with his wife and two dogs. |
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Gary TeGantvoort I started riding bikes at 4 years old and have loved the sport ever since. In 7th grade I followed a local bike shop manager for my "job shadow," an event where you follow someone through their work day in a profession you want to do. Many years later I now manage the best bike shop in Seattle. I raced BMX for many years and traveled the country going to national races. Then in 1997 I began working at Montlake Bicycle Shop. I soon started to ride mountain and road bikes. I have since pushed myself to do all types of cycling: BMX, mountain, road, trials, dirt jumping and bicycle polo. I currently can be found jumping at Greenlake, riding through the many mountain trails in the NW, dominating the polo court, commuting through Seattle, riding anywhere and time I can. I have held every position at MBS: grunt, bike builder, mechanic, sales, service manager, certified bike fitter and store manager. As a SICI certified bicycle fitter, I help people enjoy cycling more than ever thought possible. My goal as a fit specialist is to make the athlete more comfortable, more efficient, and ready to take on new cycling challenges. Through interviews, on bike adjustments and a little coaching I can get you the most out of every pedal stroke. There are few things more satisfying to me than getting someone to enjoy our sport more! |
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Ben Boyce I grew up in the Great Plains of Southern Michigan where the greatest challenges of a bike ride are headwinds and dog attacks. Riding bikes around Seattle certainly poses different challenges, but, nonetheless, I consider time spent pedaling in the Northwest as time well spent--especially during my daily commute. You can find me in the front of the shop from Sunday to Thursday keeping the rental department rolling smoothly and endorsing arm-warmers. Outside of the shop, I can be found mountain biking, single-speeding, road-biking, seattle bicycle polo-ing, rockclimbing, and taking advantage of sharrows. |
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Lauren Hilty
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Andrea Malek I'm pretty new to Seattle. I moved from Southeastern Michigan in 2009 and I'm loving the hills! When I'm not helping customers with rentals and test rides, I try to get lots of riding in. I love how accessible cycling is in the Northwest. In the near future, I'm planning to face my fears and do some mountain biking. |
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Patrick Monteith When I saw E.T. for the first time, I became completely inseparable from my bike. As a young boy in Texas, I rode my bmx everywhere. My friends and I organized grassroots bmx races and dirt jump competitions in the rural areas around Houston. From an early age, it was obvious that I loved riding bikes and challenging myself. This affinity has never dwindled. In more recent years, I found a hobby in restoring vintage road bikes. Now, I spend a good deal of my free time and energy focusing on road racing, track racing and cyclocross. For me, bicycles represent a solution and a great form of personal freedom. I'll ride my bike until I drop dead.
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Carolyn Eaton I like green clothes..
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Victor Baumstark |
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Reid Parker I entered the bicycle industry in 2006 essentially on a whim. I had been commuting by bicycle for a couple of years prior and decided I wanted to work on and around bicycles. After attending classes at the United Bicycle Institute of Ashland Oregon for mechanic work, wheel building and suspension maintenance I became employed at Montlake and haven't strayed since. My area of cycling expertise revolves around car ownership avoidance. I have a great appreciation for all cycling technology but certainly favor those things that are functional, durable, and well made with less emphasis on weight savings. |
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Josef Bellucci As far back as is valuable to remember, bicycles have been central to most things I have done and continue to do. Cycling is as frequently the subject of what I am doing as it is the means by which I accomplish what I do. Everything from commuting to work or band practice, racing on the weekends or riding with friends to San Fransisco or through another country. Whether I am conscious of it or not sometimes, cycling occupies much of my life in a variety of ways. So now I work in the bicycle industry. I have for about five years now. I have been a wrench in shops, taught bicycle education to youth and peers and have been a League of American Cyclists Certified Instructor. Now, living in Seattle, you can find me in the shop at Montlake...probably stuttering, usually smiling and always happy to share whatever bicycle knowledge I can. I also represent 95% of the MBS Punk Community.
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Alexia Fischer I've been riding bikes since I could remember and became an avid cyclist when I moved to Seattle for college. Bicycling was my only method of transportation so I learned a lot from working on my bikes and my friend's bikes. I enjoy the mechanical aspect of bikes as well as sharing my passion about bicycling with others. I enjoy road biking, bike camping, touring, and mountain trail riding.
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Soren O'Malley |
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Evan George I have been working in bike shops in the Seattle area for four years now. I like to do all types of riding, road, mountain, everything. I love to play bike polo! We can be found under the highway scoring goals as many as five days a week..
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Rob Van Wyk Then and now, I am thankful for the break given to me as a very green but enthusiastic bicyclist. Starting at the Bellevue Montlake Bicycle Shop was a great opportunity to learn. Having been an avid mountain biker and bicycle tourer I brought some practical experience but have most enjoyed investing time in the technical and mechanical aspects of bicycles. Twelve years later I have made the rounds of MBS locations, five in total. Now in the Seattle store as a Monday through Friday Service Tech I may be my happiest. Being able to provide a commuter with a safe and reliable ride or a mountain biker with a refreshed suspension system is satisfying. I do believe this quality and service oriented view is shared by my co-workers and am certain it is one of the reasons I have stayed with Montlake Bicycle Shops. |
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Jason Goodman For more than a century now, the garden gnome has colonized Germany's gardens and windowsills. It's a symbol of German diligence and order, but also part of a comic and dark underworld. |
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Kirkland Bicycle Shop Employees
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Josh Harris I have been working in bike shops since 1995. I moved to Seattle in 1997 and came to work for Neil at the Montlake Bike Shop. I own and ride all kinds of bikes but mountain biking is my true love. On weekends I can be found riding at Galbraith in Bellingham, the north shore of Vancouver and Whistler. Over the years I have worked in the shop, on the sales floor and now mostly in the office. In my current position as buyer and general manager, I am responsible for keeping the stores supplied with great merchandise and educating the staff on the products that we carry. It is my job to make sure that the managers and staff have the information and resources to do a great job for you. I am in the Seattle store every weekday and am always interested in your input on what we can do to make sure we stay your favorite bike shop. |
Alex Fagan
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Aaron Grant I learned how to ride a bike at seven years old and have been riding some kind of bicycle ever since. When I was a kid, it was the only way that I could get far enough away from my house to feel like I was free. As I got older, it became my way to get to school, the store or a friend's house. After riding from my home in Kirkland to school in Bellevue for a couple of quarters, I decided to try and get hired somewhere where I could learn more about bicycles, the repair, history, culture and future. I was hired at the Kirkland store in the summer of 2007 and have become even more of an enthusiast/advocate than I already was. I currently am addicted to my sweet blue Motobecane that I got for free and converted to a fixed gear. It sleeps in my room with me. I believe that bikes can save the world. |
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Kyle Nordby I've been mountain biking for about seven years now. My favorite riding spots are North Bend and the Whistler Bike Park. Some of my other pastimes include wakeboarding, skiing, and building/flying radio controlled planes. I have been working at the bike shop since September 2007 and enjoy spending time around people who also love bikes. |
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