A great perk of working at TPC is being exposed first hand to almost every bike brand on the market. While mostly a luxury, this can occasionally be a curse. With so many choices, how do we avoid analysis paralysis? Some of us do better than others. We all have a different strategy to approach the constant stream of drool-worthy rides rolling through our CPO process. Because of this, some of our homes begin to look like a small bike shop - we're either weak to temptation or simply really love bikes.
It made me curious, with all these bikes to choose from, what are some of our staff's current favorites, and why? Read on to learn what the crew is currently loving:
Ibis DV9 - Gregory, Head of Tech
In Greg's own words:
My Ibis DV9 is my favorite bike... I love to ride my DV9 on Green Mountain because going uphill it's a rocket ship (I mean I am still slow, but it is fast for me) and going down hill is a blast, requiring constant engagement both physically and mentally (I have to pick my line and absorb the rocks with my legs).
More about the bike:
This Ibis DV9 hardtail in the "muddy waters" colorway is tastefully specced with Shimano XT components and an eye catching Fox Factory Kashima fork. The DV9 is a sneaky hardtail. With 120mm of front travel and a 66.5° head tube angle, the DV9 is plenty fast, but happy to aid on technical descents.
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Trek Domane SLR 9 - Jon, CEO
In Jon's own words:
My favorite bike is my 2019 Trek Domane SLR7. Nothing too fancy, but it gets me where I want to go, and I'm hooked on the carbon wheels and SRAM electronic shifting. Plus the upright geometry is key for managing neck pain (ok, so I'm old).
p.s. this is not exactly my proudest moment. I swear I ride bikes a lot.
More about the bike:
Trek, and the Trek Domane specifically, is one of our best selling bikes in any category. The original model launched in 2013 with heavy influence from then Trek Factory rider Fabian Cancellara. The goal of the bike is to provide comfort over long, potentially bumpy rides, but still maintain a high performance feel. This is achieved through a more upright geometry, longer wheelbase, larger tire clearance, and most notably Trek's proprietary IsoSpeed elastomer. Given its success over the last 12 years, we'd say mission accomplished.
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1 of 1 Caletti Road - JP, COO
In JP's own words:
There is only one bike in the world like mine, which gives me so much appreciate and pride every time I ride it. It also makes damn good wall-art in my record room when not being ridden.
More about the bike:
Read more about JP's one-of-a-kind Caletti here.
Can't get enough of JP's Caletti? Here's more:
Watch the inspiration and creation of this NAHBS "Best Finish - Paint" winner.
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With quite a collection of boutique and vintage bikes, JP had a hard time picking just one. A few other standouts in his current collection include a Stinner road bike, Allied ABLE special edition gravel bike, Breadwinner touring gravel bike, Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8, Specialized Creo SL, Speedvagen Urban Racer, and a Vintage Mercian. But, when challenged to narrow down his favorites this one-of-a-kind Caletti Road took the win. A few other honorable mentions for JP include:
his Vintage Mercian
his Speedvagen Urban Racer
(feat: Tom Brady - TPC's unofficial Shop Dog/Security Guard)
and his Stinner Road Bike
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Mosaic GT-2 - Justin, CRO
In Justin's own words:
My favorite bike is my Mosaic GT-2 titanium gravel bike, which I've had for two years now. It's my go to bike for commuting to work and the quick weekend rides when I have time to escape family duties. The fit is perfect and the ride quality of titanium is spectacular. It's built up with Force AXS and ENVE cockpit/wheels, but I would love to upgrade to the new Red shifters/brakes as I love the feel and stopping power of Red E1.
More about the bike:
What makes this bike extra special? Mosaic is a local Boulder brand founded by Aaron Barcheck, a TPC alumni. Aaron is the taller guy to Justin's left. Also in this photo is Krysten Koehn, who painted Justin's one-of-a-kind bike.
Behind them is The Coffee Ride. A Boulder Coffee Roaster founded by Josh Crane - also TPC Alumni. To this day, our staff is caffeinated by his delicious brew.
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Learn more about the Coffee Ride
Yeti SB160 X01 - Kyle, Purchasing Manager
In Kyle's own words:
It's a great bike for everything outside of XC racing, the "Switch Infinity" bikes pedal really well for their travel, so it does great up in high country trails and on the local trails here and can handle some park days. -It's a C-series frame w/ the X01 mechanical build. I added a Reserve HD30 / DT 350 wheelset since they're near invincible, and swapped in an Industry Nine 31.8 30mm stem & Renthal Riser Fatbar cut to 750mm as the headtube is pretty short on these and I'm between the Small and Medium. I've had this bike since Oct 2023. So, a year and a half now and it's done great.
More about the bike:
Yeti is one of our most popular mountain bike brands. Their focus on bikes that like to go fast, attention to detail, and their HQ being in the Front Range (Golden, CO) make them an easy brand to fall in love with.
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Rodeo Labs Flaanimal 5.0 - Aaron, Facilities Manager
In Aaron's own words:
When I'm not riding my Specialized Enduro, I'm on my Rodeo Labs Flaanimal 5.0. I love it for the combo steel and carbon frame, clearance for 2"+ tires, endless mounts for racks and bags, and its beautiful custom paint job. I enjoy riding it on mellow single track or any dirt/b-roads I can find! It's also great to rip around town or on a bike path. It has a full Campy Ekar drivetrain and a Ritchey WCS cockpit and seatpost. I've had it since 2023, and the only change I plan to make in the future is to an AXS XPLR groupset.
More about the bike:
Rodeo Labs is yet another local brand headquartered just down the road in Lakewood CO. Seems we may have a soft spot for local CO brands?
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Santa Cruz Stigmata - Adam, E-Commerce Merchandiser
In Adam's own words:
My 2022 Santa Cruz Stigmata CC is spec'd with a SRAM XX1/Force AXS mullet setup and Reynolds ATR carbon wheels. It's my gravel bike that does it all. Hangs on for faster group road rides and feels confident when exploring bumpier, loose gravel trails in the front range. Given my ride style, the versatility of the Stigmata caused my road bike to simply be a dust collector, so I made some space and sold it to TPC - the Stigmata's geometry is such a perfect balance of comfort, stability, and speed. Another thing to love is the lack of proprietary parts. Everything on this bike is easy to swap, source, and service.
If I could change anything about this bike, it'd be the drivetrain. My personal taste and for what I use this bike for (road and gravel), I'd love for it to be a 2x and ideally Shimano GRX Di2 because the hood ergonomics are incredible. Don't hate me, 1x die-hards. Lastly, there's the color.... hands down the best paint job I've owned.
More about the bike:
Santa Cruz has been a longtime leader in the mountain bike space and is one of our quickest selling brands. The Stigmata is their only drop bar bike and they don't seem to need another option. The ruggedness of the Stigmata fits their off-road ethos, but with a pair of slick 35's installed, it shouldn't be underestimated on the road. It's certainly proven its potential for speed while being piloted by the one and only Keegan Swenson to countless jaw-dropping course records and wins.
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and his Evil Following
In Adam's own words:
My 2021 Evil Following has stayed in my fleet much longer than expected. This bike is still entirely stock with GX mechanical, Industry Nine Enduro S (hydra hubs) aluminum wheels, and RockShox Ultimate suspension. It has a deceiving 120/130mm travel that feels insanely capable on every trail I've thrown it at. If I'm not riding a line, it's not the bike holding me back, it's my own skills.
More about the bike:
A boutique brand out of Bellingham WA, Evil has a distinct frame design easily identified from a distance. The "Delta System" (Dave's Extra Legitimate Travel Apparatus) suspension platform was designed by the infamous suspension engineer, Dave Weagle, whose mark has left a massive impact on the evolution of full-suspension mountain bikes. I can tell you after thousands of miles on the Evil Following - there's some sort of VooDoo magic behind how this bike delivers both amazing climbing and descending.
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ENVE Melee - Jay, CMO
In Jay's own words:
The Build: Enve Melee with Full Enve kit including SES Wheels, Shimano Dura Ace Di2, Ceramic Speed BB, Favero Power Meter Pedals. Why? I want to look like I'm fast even when I'm not. My only regret is I should've swapped the white ENVE wheel decals instead of keeping the black ones on. I ride the Melee on the smooth Vermont roads along Lake Champlain. I may be guilty of using the bike path too.
More about the bike:
ENVE's deep-end dive into making their own frames has been success from the start. The 3 production models (Melee, MOG, Fray) are all favorites at TPC and typically come and go from the site quite quickly. To no ones surprise, the brand that has delivered premium carbon components for decades didn't miss when it came to building one of the most high performing carbon frames in the industry. While not a Colorado brand like many of the other TPC favorites, ENVE isn't far away calling Ogden Utah home.
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Factor Lando Frankenstein Bike - TPC HQ Lunch Runner
About the bike:
A must to include is this one-of-a-kind Factor Lando. It's an example of our tech teams playful experimenting. It should be noted, a bike built like this will never show up on our site, as a high level mixture of terror and confusion is paired with every pedal stroke. This bike is setup as a single speed, brake-less cruiser. Duey bars deliver a unique cockpit interaction only appropriate for a bike such as this. Most notably, though, is the first of its kinda "mullet" wheel setup. A 700x28mm in the rear and 27.5" x 2.8" up front. Yet to be done lab testing may prove superior stability and traction up front with close to non-existent rolling resistance in the back. The next Rule of Three dominator? Possibly! Or, this groundbreaking concoction may choose to live the simple life as a staff bike for quick trips to pick up lunch for the crew.
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