In honor of National Bike Month, SLUG interviewed some of our favorite local bike mechanics to give us the scoop on their respective shops, and inspire you to pull out your own set of wheels and join them on the road. Read on for interviews with Jace Burbidge of the Bicycle Collective, Mark Polichette of Sport Chalet, Chris Ginzton of Cyclesmith and Lindsey Howard of Saturday Cycles.

Wrenching It Out: Local Bike Mechanics

By
May 3, 2012

Bike / BMX

Mark Polichette
Sport Chalet
sportchalet.com

SLUG: Tell me how you got into bicycles.
Polichette: Aside from riding bikes all over my hometown as a kid, I bought my first real bike several years ago.  It didn’t take long for me to realize that the bike wasn’t just a cheaper mode of transportation, but easy to maintain, delightful and helped me stay more fit.
 
SLUG: What’s different about Sport Chalet?
Polichette: Sport Chalet is a larger company that sells a wide range products and services. Because Sport Chalet prides itself on carrying higher-end product, we get customers who may still feel uncomfortable going into a local bike shop, but want something that will last longer and perform better than a $50 Wal-Mart special.
 
SLUG: Best kind of bike to work on?
Polichette: Custom-built alternative bike.  Starting with raw materials, it’s a lot like painting with a blank canvas.  When building a tall bike, I get to decide how it’s going to ride, how it’s going to look, and determine how I want it all to come together. Finding frames and materials, then putting them together is just as fun as riding it around after completing it.
 
SLUG: How did you get into freak bikes?
Polichette: One of the first Critical Mass rides I ever went to … [Kemmer Evans] was riding on a goofy home-built creation, and I just had to have one, too.  My first freak bike build was a shopping cart trailer that had huge 27” wheels, so I could throw a cooler in it for group rides.  It had a serious case of speed-wobbles, but it was a lot of fun to ride around with.  It all took off from there, and I started building “things” that I wanted to ride.
  
SLUG: What do you think of the Salt Lake bicycle community?
Polichette: I love it.  The Salt Lake bike community welcomed me with open arms years ago as a “novice-know-nothing.”  I’ve since become great friends with riders of all skill levels, but also riders from all levels of society, from jobless hippies to doctors. It’s a group of various people who all love to ride bikes.