I received my first mountain bike as a means of transportation for my upcoming move to attend my first year of college at UC Santa Cruz. Upon moving into my dorm room on campus I quickly learned that I had a world class network of trails twenty feet from my front door.
This was clearly an amazing stroke of luck and over the next four years I explored the amazing riding as my bike obsession began to grow steadily.
I started working at the student run bicycle cooperative on campus and began to learn how to work on bikes. The summer after my first year I got a job at a local bike shop as well, so for the next three years I had two mechanic positions at the same time. I couldn't get enough!
The shop I worked for was owned by a wonderful husband and wife team who took me in and taught me a great deal about bikes, hard work, and life in general.
Since then I have been on my own journey of bike riding, wrenching, and framebuilding. After moving back to my hometown, the only thing that made sense was to open a bike shop, and that is the genesis of Revel Cycles.
1. rev.el, verb: to take intense pleasure or satisfaction.... + bikes = Awesome.