PB Road Trip - Tour De California Part 1

Feb 7, 2012
by Julian Coffey  
It's winter in Vancouver, so the Pinkbike crew decided to take a much needed break from the Northwest and head South to California for a week. Of course we had an ulterior motive - drop in on as many bike industry honchos to see what gems we could dig up! Our road trip started when we landed in San Francisco Sunday afternoon...

Larock Levy and Karl non-stop workaholics 7 30 AM at the airport...
  7:30 am at gate 95 at the Vancouver airport - about 10 hours earlier than we usually start our day...

photo
  There's enough camera and video gear in this pile to run a shit hot biking website.

photo
  A quick stop at the San Jose airport early Monday morning to pick up our man in California RC. He was stoked to make it through security with only one cavity search.

photo
  Breakfast en route to the big red S in Morgan Hill - Main Street Bagels, best bagels in Silicon Valley!

photo
  The Specialized museum is steeped in mtb history, including the Palm's '97 NORBA DH bike and the original 21 window deluxe bus owner Mike Sinyard first sold parts out of.

photo
  Cunningham showing off as he reverse engineers the Specialized one button coffee machine.

photo
  Many thanks to Sam Benedict for the tour - post-NDA signing session.

photo
  BIg facility means internal road signs for visitors and even some employees.

photo
  One thing that was impossible to miss was the Specialized signature store.

photo
  Rumour has it that this particular Mini was tubbed, tuned and running some serious high test juice.

photo

photo
  Sam Hill gets his own room at Specialized HQ, complete with life size Koala, Boomer and Joey.

photo
  Tech editor Mike Levy sizes up the now infamous Stumppumper.

photo
  Clif Bar was kind enough to show us around their new digs - Bryan Cole at the helm.

photo
  Open concept with lots of natural light and bikes and bike art everywhere, including the aptly named Bike Comet.

photo
  Clif Bar takes sustainability to a new level. Their workspace is a renovated historic structure that runs predominantly on solar energy, features 380 sound-absorbing panels made from recycled blue jeans, and uses only reclaimed wood and natural materials.

photo
  Kali boss and composite guru Brad Waldron shows us a few key pieces from the 2012 line-up, including the new colours on the best selling Prana carbon full face.

photo
  Big ass pile-o-helmets - rejects or inspiration?

photo
  This was the first time anyone had seen an Italian-made leather covered 8-ball - for RC it was love at first sight.

photo
  Parting shots of another new full face offering from Kali showing the attention to detail these guys are quickly becoming known for.

More to come over the next 6 days...keep it locked!



Posted In:
Industry News


Author Info:
JulianCoffey avatar

Member since Aug 9, 2010
158 articles

33 Comments
  • 17 2
 You guys really know how to make me miss my home town, stuck for two years in germany freezing my goods off and you guys have to land so close to my old house


Kenny sad, but stoked on the good pics.
Quality articles at no cost, love this place tup Salute
  • 2 1
 I know! Stuck here for 6 years in Bulgaria freezing as well, and now I would do anything for a bagel. Frown
  • 3 0
 Bagels here suck so much.
Sure drinking age is a win, but not worth the stuck up women and pestering old man winter.

Got a new kid from bulgaria in my school now Razz
  • 7 0
 Soon you will see, those were the best 2 years of your live, with some of the best beer in the world!

Germany ftw! Razz
  • 5 0
 Lol yeah, started drinking here (in moderation and with legal ID so don't any of you mods get the wrong ideas). Clubs are great too!

hmm another one n a half to go Wink
Race some German DH, party it up and come back home with more world experience than my whole school (in cali) combined
  • 9 0
 I would LOVE to work at specialized HQ. What a dream job!
  • 7 0
 sounds like a great adventure ... have fun, eat mexican food
  • 11 8
 "The Specialized museum is steeped in mtb history, including the Palm's '97 NORBA DH bike" An American view on 'steeped in history' - 97!

Sorry for the neg - I'll skulk back to my 16th century cottage.. Frown
  • 2 0
 Were you expecting MTB history from the 16 century?
  • 3 0
 So I take it your 16th century cottage is part of steeped mtb history then?..
  • 1 0
 Maybe his cottage is the one Danny Macaskill used as a wall ride?

[Yeah, yeah, I know, he was in Scotland not Wales...]
  • 2 0
 I'm always trying to make an excuse to go back home to California, you guys at PB had an exceptionally good one! This got me stoked!
  • 3 0
 If you go through Santa Cruz visit the bike co-op. Non profit/at cost mountain bike shop.
  • 3 0
 The little shop on campus is awesome. Everyone there shreds mtn bikes and someone is always up for a safety break.
  • 3 0
 "There's enough camera and video gear in this pile to run a shit hot biking website."

A Gem.
  • 4 0
 Should have stopped off at The Hive and White Industries in Petaluma.
  • 2 0
 Those fullfaces are gorgeous! What a fun trip that must have been.
  • 1 0
 I love reading all about these road trips. Just hit up the specialized headquarters an hour away, so sweeeeet.
  • 1 0
 Where in San francisco is the specialized building? I want to visit it SO BAD!!!!!!!!
  • 1 0
 Specialized in in Morgan Hill, which is... I dunno, about an hour south of SF, depending on traffic.
  • 2 0
 Specialized made you sign an NDA - how fitting Smile
  • 1 0
 Haha, I love the road sign in the office, only problem is the arrows point the wrong directions
  • 1 0
 They can stop off at Lezyne and The Hive here then ride some steep terrain in SLO. Let me know I have a DH bike you can use!
  • 2 0
 so fun!
  • 2 0
 Specialized rocks!
  • 2 1
 Looks more like a P. Series bike than a "Now infamous Stumpjumper".
  • 1 0
 Its 'designed' around a p.3 frame
  • 1 0
 Saratoga Bagels is way better! Born and Bread!
  • 1 0
 any small business in the tour?
  • 2 2
 Great trip,but don't call it: Tour de California .
Who gives #%&@ about road bikes.
Do some local trail ridding!
  • 1 0
 ...Only one cavity search...but which cavity...?
  • 1 0
 "South California"? I always considered SLO the border of Nor and SoCal.
  • 1 1
 hit up One Ghost Industries this week:
503-568-9504 they are in SoCal now!







Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv56 0.050352
Mobile Version of Website