Looking Back at 2016

Above: Owners Justin Brown and Sean Tetrault enjoying a light-hearted race after a successful day at the Bogstomp. First place gets free beer for the rest of the year!

For many, 2016 was deemed a year to remember; and we would certainly agree with that. While we are still mourning the losses of greats like Bowie, Prince, and Steve Smith, 2016 was a monumental year for us here at Revolution Bicycles. We would like to take a moment to highlight some of our accomplishments and to thank you for helping us along the way.

Perhaps the most exciting step forward in 2016 was our expansion to Eureka. We acquired Henderson Center Bicycles (HCB) in early Spring after long-time shop owners Will & Jo Spurling retired. Since moving in we have been renovating the space and growing the cycling community in Eureka. Our little crew doubled in size over the summer as we brought on more mechanics and salespeople as well as kept on HCB mechanics Dave and Jack, and vintage bike extraordinaire Scott White.

2016 was a special year for Humboldt County cycling events, and we are proud to say we were a part of that. This past November was our 8th annual Bogstomp bike race, and was perhaps our most successful one yet with a great turn out and full day of two wheeled shenanigans. We were also proud sponsors of the inaugural Stormy Saddle Enduro; a mountain bike race at the Lacks Creek trail system presented by the Redwood Coast Mountain Bike Association (RCMBA). Along with supplying neutral mechanical support for the event, we also donated products for their raffle, as well as helped get the event a great mountain bike to raffle off as a fundraiser for the RCMBA.

Speaking of the RCMBA, 2016 was a huge year for them too. Revolution co-owner, Sean Tetrault, stepped up as vice chair of the organization and set out with the rest of the board to grow the cycling community in Humboldt County. Revolution partnered with the RCMBA to promote trail work days, event and trail development, and social rides. Both Revolution and RCMBA also supported projects like the Arcata Ridge Trail.

We are extra proud of Sean Tetrault and some of our regular customers for embarking on the SF to LA AIDS lifecycle ride to end AIDS. The Redwood Giants team had an awesome group of 23 riders representing Humboldt County and raising over 100 thousand dollars!  We were excited to support the team by helping some of the riders find the right bike for the ride, and getting others bikes ready for the 550 mile journey. Way to go Redwood Giants!

We are also very proud of our continuing support of the HSU Cycling team and the evolving Humboldt Composite High School MTB club as well as BikesThere. We are extremely passionate about getting more young people on bikes and will continue to seek out and support groups like these that do just that. As well as supporting local cycling groups, we donated thousands of dollars in cash and goods to local non-profit organizations across the county.

Looking forward to 2017, Revo is excited about some projects in the works. Although we can't tell you too much about whats to come, we can assure you that we will continue to grow a positive bike presence in Eureka as we settle in to Henderson Center. We will also keep working closely with the RCMBA on trail development. We are excited to remain committed to our amazing local community through donations, sponsorship, and outreach.

We want to thank you for being such a big part of our growing success, as we could not have done any of it without your support. Thanks for a great year, and Happy 2017!

PS...we launched our new website, thanks to Color and Kind, and we would LOVE for you to check it out! It features our story, shop information, this blog, and an event calendar!

Sean T with RCMBA members and president Tom Phillips enjoying the Lacks Creek trail system after a trail work day.

Owner Justin Brown with Revo customer/friend/moral support Gina Bauer hosting the raffle at the 8th annual Bogstomp.