Joy Ride Bicycles started out as a single owner local bike shop and has evolved through the years like a snowball, rolling more and more people into the sometimes stressful, often time consuming, world of selling bikes. In its current iteration there are six owners with a commitment to promoting cycling in the community and providing opportunities for cyclists to meet like minded enthusiasts, from haven’t ridden a bike in 35 years to winning a stage in the Tour De France. The owners and employees share a passion for anything two wheeled. From road racing, commuting, bike packing, gravel riding, mountain biking, enduro racing, endurance events, bmx tricking…. One or most of us have done it all. Read on, and Welcome to Joy Ride Bicycles!
DERIK ARCHIBALD
AKA Boss
|
Between bike fits, custom wheel builds, and counseling his customers on their needs, Derik is truly a cycling savant (think the cycling equivalent to Rainman). Born in Romania in 1947 under the name Gildí Maloney, Derik has been living life in reverse, literally, have you ever seen Benjamin Button? Spending his early days protecting his fragile hips and spitting up freshly blended veggies and fruits, all while swinging his cane at his Romani parents Derik slowly developed his drive to leave home. In the early 1970's at the equivalent age of 96 Derik boarded a ship from the homeland and took his first fragile steps on to Ellis Island. It was here that he was officially given the name of Derik Archibald thanks to an unfortunate immigration officer who named him after his favorite character of a PBS Sitcom. As Derik grew younger he started to develop a passion for the wonderful sport of cycling, at first on a hand trike, then a recumbent (That's when he met Will) and finally on a road race bike. By the mid 1990's Derik had gracefully aged out of the wrinkles and walker and was ready to take on the world. Clipping in he rose through the ranks of elite cyclists to become a Cat 1 state champion on the skinny tired road bike. Armed with only a VW and a tramp stamp Derik took the local cycling scene by storm, using his aged wisdom and his handsome young body to dominate races all over the PNW. As he continued to get younger and stronger Derik abandoned the road in preference for dirt and danger, slinging his mountain bike over his shoulder and hiking to the trail head from where ever he may have been, to teach those older looking youngsters "just how to ride a gol darn bikecycle". When not blowing up the trail "D" can be found imparting decades of cycling knowledge to his peers while he builds them wheels that are "Just the same damn thing that my grandaddy invented". As he grows only younger his wishes are simple. He wants everyone to come in and allow him to teach them about just how lovely it is to ride a bike before the conversations turns into him pooping himself and spitting food up on customers. We're not far from that, come in before it's too late.
Years Riding/Racing:
7 years as a youth, 18 years as an adult on "adult bikes". 17 years racing elite road & mountain. Years in the industry: 20+ glorious years When you walk into a room what song comes on: "Stayin' alive" by the Bee Gees Favorite place to ride: Hard one; Having a positive state of mind makes anywhere fun and "The best place to be" in the moment. Road biking: anywhere without cars. Mountain Biking: So many places but Goose Berry Mesa always calls me back when I'm lonely. Favorite animal: Obviously I love dogs. Goats are fascinating also! What's the ideal end to your work day: A nice ride home on my bicycle with a great sunset! Followed by a nice dinner, and an adult beverage followed by no responsibilities. Clips or flats: Clips all the way, even on my push bike. Favorite post ride beverage: Beer or whiskey Worst Job worked: Had two weeks in an auto mechanic shop, the boss was a dick and my body hurt so bad! That job sucked. Average flight speed of common barn swallow. 360 miles/day or 360 miles in 24 hours. Figure it out. Coolest bike ever owned: Schwinn single speed mountain bike |
Brian Koder
AKA: Kooter
|
"Brian's" appearance in the shop is an unexplained mystery. It is thought that he started as a ghost in the machine, slowly becoming conscious of his existence in our system, one work order at a time before slowly assembling himself a shell out of discarded Di2 scraps and damper bodies. Presumably he was born in the annals of our Lightspeed POS and "Brian" was sneakily able to make his move and slip behind a register, diligently going about the duties he was born for before anyone took notice. Over the years it became apparent that this strange body, inhabited by the cybernetic conscious of "Brian", was one of the hardest working "people" in the shop. So much so that he was recently brought in to the holy pentagram of ownership. Between his time running the day to day at the shop and training for races (Leadville baby!) "Brian" still has time to sip on a non-circuitboard frying beer with the shop rats after hours before retiring to the annex and plugging himself back in for his evening charge.
Years riding/ racing:
Riding off and on since I was a kid. Took a long break while I was in the Army, but have been steadily riding for the past 12 years. I don't know if I would call what I do racing, but I have been in some races off and on for the past 8 years or so. Years in the industry: Does time hanging out in bike shops count? I attended United Bicycle Institute after retiring from the Army in 2010, and have been working on bikes ever since. Favorite place to ride: Anyplace I don't get buzzed by cars or yelled at for riding a bike. A ride to Paradise on Rainier for the road and dirt trails in Capitol Forest for the Mountain bike. Bend Oregon is an amazing place to find plenty of reasons to love a bike and the places it can take you. When you walk into a room what song comes on: Is it too easy to say Motley Crue Wild Side? If I can't do that then how about Outside by Calvin Harris for now. That and a little Jungle Love by Morris Day and the Time. Both of those songs help me descend the trails a little faster. Favorite animal: Cats man. They can take you or leave you, and aren't afraid to let you know that. Sharks with lasers are also cool. Clips or flats: Clips, no one likes flats. If you are on flats you are always stoping to air them up or patch them. Why do you think we like tubeless? Virtually eliminates flats. Favorite post ride beverage: If you are buying I am drinking. Cheers! What's the ideal end to your work day: Riding the trails with friends, then a post ride beverage. Worst job ever worked: Can't say there was a worst, but after burning human waste with Mogas and Diesel it is hard to top it. The right mix of fuels and stirring is the key. Average speed of a common barn swallow? It only has to be faster than the slowest barn swallow. The cat always gets the slow one... What's the perfect sandwich: Peanut Butter, Banana, Honey on White with Bacon. Is that a thing? If not, it should be. |
Jeff Dunn
AKA: New Suit
|
Jeffery James Dunnlop is a man with a story. After moving to Olympia in 1947 from Calgary, where the local lore tells of him as the child raised in the den of a herd of brown bears, Jeffery opened a small alternative education facility on the outskirts of town to help foster local children in the ways of his land and pass along the knowledge of his mother bear (The state later purchased his facility in 1969, you may now know it as the Evergreen State College). Leaving the day to day of the school in the hands of his pupils, Jeff turned his focus to a sport that was then just only starting to blossom in the USA, competitive road cycling. While it took him a long three months to mine all the ore he needed to construct his frame Jeff managed to start a career racing around the globe. Rumor has it that it was after a race in Cuba in 1959, over a cup of matcha with John F. Kennedy and Che Guveara that Jeff decided to assist the United States and the 5/26 Movement in the ousting of then president Fulgencio Batista in the Cuban Revolution (Annoyed with both parties, Jeff decided to omit himself from the Bay of Pigs invasion, and is now generally thought to be the cause of the current USA/Cuban embargo). Jeffery's feats of cycling include pedaling the length of the Pacific Ring of Fire, as well as being the first person to race all three disciplines of a Triathlon simultaneously, leading to much speculation as to his status as a trans dimensional being.
Years riding/racing:
40+ year love affair with bikes. Raced road and some track for about 10 years before discovering the awesomeness of mountain biking. Now I'd almost always rather ride dirt. Years in the Industry: 6 Favorite place to ride: Oh man, no way I can name one place - there are so many great places to ride!!! Some favorites: Road: South of France, Alps, Pyrenees; all over Maui; Chehalem Mountains in Oregon; anywhere with quiet country roads, few cars, no stop lights and great scenery. Mountain: Capitol Forest, of course! Some great stuff in the North Cascades; Whistler, duh! I seem to find myself in Utah a lot the past few years. When you walk into a room what song comes on: "Everybody Wants Some!!" Van Halen Favorite animal: Tiger What's the ideal end to your work day: Depends on the day, which home I'm at and what work actually entailed that day: Hanging with Heather and/or our kids; mountain bike ride with the gang; relaxing with a beer or glass of wine while watching the sunset. Clips or Flats? Clips >90% of the time; flats on the grocery grabbin fixie or park riding Favorite post ride beverage: BEER Worst job worked: Busing tables and cleaning toilets in a restaurant - and we didn't even get free food.... Average flight speed of a common barn swallow: Faster than yo momma What's the perfect Sandwich? One that looks a lot like a burger with bacon and guacamole |
Tim "Mountain Goat" Smith
|
Seeker of the road less traveled and the road more graveled. Lover of the world of UPHILL and sorcerer of the steep climb. If there is one place Tim can be found, it is on some stretch of land heading upwards, and if not going up, he is looking for the next way to get there.
Years Riding/Racing: I started racing half ironman triathlons in 2003, but I got sick of swimming, so I started doing duathlons; except then I got tired of running, so I started just bike racing. I raced road from 2006 to 2014 and then started doing cross country mountain bike races because the forest is too cool not to hang out there. But then when I was mountain biking in the forest, I noticed all these roads covered with rocks that I would cross, so I purchased a Norco Threshold and have been riding gravel ever since. Favorite bike Adventures: -Cent Cols Challenge (translation: 100 passes challenge) Alps, 2010; where I proposed to Jen at the midway point. Actually there are favorite moments of most Cent Cols Challenge trips I have been on. -Whenever new gravel roads with epic views can be found. Current stable of Bikes: -Amaro Lisi Steel All Road bike -Lynskey Titanium Gravel bike with Derik Archibald Wheels -Amaro Loren Steel Road bike -Scott Spark full suspension MTB Fun Fact: I’ve rescued 6 kittens while riding my bike - at different times of course! Baguettes consumed per day: Two, unless on vacation in Europe, where eating three or four baguettes a day is not out of the question. |
Jen Burtner
|
Jen Burtner is game for any challenge. From two hour climbs, to an Ironman, to letting Heather talk her into an Off-road Xterra, she does it all, and she does it well. Evidence of this becomes clear in her race resume: two third place finishes at Xterra Worlds, qualifying for Ironman Worlds in her first Ironman in 9 years, qualifying for Half Ironman worlds twice, and winning the most points in road racing’s WSBA Best All Around Rider (BARR) competition in 2011 and 2012. Despite this impressive resume, Jen is very approachable and always happy to chat about tire air pressure and chamois choice.
Years riding/racing: 16 years - in 2002 I signed up for New Zealand Ironman, and bought her first road bike (a Giant 9 speed with aero bars) 6 months before the race. Favorite bike adventures: -Riding along the Oregon and California coast, including back roads and Hwy 101 from Portland to San Francisco -Riding in the French Cevennes region, an incredibly beautiful area in south central France. We did it in the fall, so there was brilliant foliage and remote roads and climbs, with amazing mountain views. Current Stable of bikes: -Scott Spark Full suspension MTB -Argon 18 Dark Matter Gravel bike -Argon 18 Gallium Road bike -Norco Section Aluminum Hydro All Road bike -Time Trial bike -Single speed Norco Threshold Cyclocross bike Fun Fact: Plays both the cello and the piano, and in her free time can be found performing with the Olympia Symphony Orchestra. |
Will Trogden
 AKA: Wheels
|
Will has been a staple of the Olympia Cycling scene for over 30 years and his passion for cycling is why his customers have consistently returned to him year after year, and even decade after decade to let him assist them in all of their cycling needs. Will's love for the community extends past just helping people get on the right equipment, for nine months out of the year he can be found teaching basic maintenance clinics out of the shop after hours. If he's not in the shop you can assume he's tearing up the road in his Corvette. Come by and say hi, you may learn something. Just don't call him Willy. Just kidding, he loves to be called Willy.
Years riding/racing:
30 years riding- Wheels doesn't race Years in the bike industry: 30+ Favorite place to ride: Variety is best When you walk into a room what song comes on? I can't drive fifty-five -Sammy Hagar What's your favorite animal: My pet hamsters.. all 30 of them. What's the ideal end too your work day: A beer with my co-workers and then a nice ride home Favorite post ride beverage: Beer. Especially an IPA Worst Job worked: I gave foot massages for 6 years. It was fun for 5 of them, but year 6 did me in. What's the perfect sandwich? Any one that I can nuke. Coolest bike ever owned: Surly Big Dummy |
TROUT
|
The big 'BMX' fish of the shop, Trout has a personality almost as big as he is... and our customers love it. All kidding aside though, Trout is all about all things BMX at Joy Ride. He also has built a reputation in the South Puget sound area as a resident expert of the vintage Schwinns, and is often found around the shop discussing why you never buy a Schwinn after 1973 with customers who seek his knowledge. As someone who has spent his life around and on bikes he will be quick to remind you that hates walking... unless he's in his waders with fly rod in hand. Aside from his fishing habits, you can also find him spending his time with his family or tearing up the boardwalk on his swing-bike. Yes ladies, he is married. Sorry. |
|
Years Riding/Racing:
34 Years riding/Not built for speed Favorite place to ride: Anywhere I can take my Dura-Ace Di2 ti-recumbent. Did I mention it's ti? When you walk into a room what song comes on: "Oop I did it again" -Britney Spears Favorite animal: Dragons-fiction Tasmanian Tiger- Exctinct Steel Head- For reals What's the ideal end to your work day: 30 minute Earthless song with the days repair board empty, then hi-fives Clips or flats: 1/2" Bow Pedal... Look it up Favorite post ride beverage: Real Sugar Pepsi Most difficult job ever worked: The month of august as a bike mechanic. "Be nice to you bike mechanic" What's the average speed of a common barn swallow: Hahahaha...swallow What's the perfect sandwich: Me, John Stamos, Snuffaluffagus... in every order |
Steve-O
AKA: The Spokeman
|
Steve has been a presence in the local cycling community for nearly his whole life, and it's not uncommon to hear mountain bikers in the area talking about having Steve service their first Rockshox Judy. With his encyclopedic knowledge of almost all things bike related over the past 30 years, Steve is a great teammate for any shop lucky enough to have him around.
Years riding/racing:
45 Years in the Industry: 30+ Favorite place to ride: Capitol Forest When you walk into a room what song comes on: "Hot Blooded" - Foreigner Favorite Animal: Black Panther What's the ideal end to your work day: Going home and tinkering with my bikes Clips or flats: Both Favorite post ride beverage: Beer Worst job ever worked: Oyster Picker Average flight speed of a common bar swallow: Lightspeed What is the perfect sandwich: A monster BBQ hamburger |
Eric Alton
AKA: Pootang
|
Six Years ago Eric discovered that he could turn his passion for bikes in to a viable paycheck, and immediately jumped head first into the industry. Eric is a veteran musician with a heritage in Seattle's pre-grunge-punk scene that extends back to being the lead guitarist and first generation member of the X-15's. While you can see his work and legacy on the walls of the Seattle Rock'n Roll hall of fame, Eric has found his calling in the bike world. When not working, Eric can oft be found cruising the Chehalis western and soaking up the sun or jamming on his guitar somewhere.
Years Riding/Racing 53 years Years in the industry: 6 years favorite place to ride: A different place then I rode last time When you walk into a room what song comes on? "A Whole Lot of Love" -Led Zeplin Favorite animal: Female Homo Sapien Whats the ideal end to your work day: 2 days off Clips or flats: Flats Favorite post ride beverage: H20 Worst job ever worked: Furniture sales... or my three years in a Weird Al acoustic cover band. Whats the perfect sandwich: Paid for |
