As we approach 20 years of ownership...

we wanted to share a look back at the great team members we've worked with over the years!

First group "staff" photo taken in 2005 in prep for our first website, created by Kent Feid (black t-shirt) our original website designer!

BB Staff: Front Row (L to R) The one and only Sam Hutchens, still our #1 mechanic, Bryan McCutchen, Kent "web guy".  Back Row (L to R) Andy Mitcheltree, Patrick Sullivan, Paul Edmonds.

Joseph Grimes

April 2006 - April 2014

Oh gosh, so many. I'd say in general my favorite memories at Boone bike were the after work rides with the crew, and the general community feel. 

I remember riding with Shaw in Linville area and him bonking his head pretty good on a big tree branch that wasn't even on my radar since I'm close to a foot shorter than him. LOL!

Definitely the Halloween cross races and all the pre and post race shenanigans. Sambo always getting psyched to race the tandem. 

"Learning to paint" to Sarah's very high standards when the new shop was getting put together. I remember her hassling me and Alex about our X's not being good enough or something. 

So many awesome memories, I can't even share them all. 

Wait, one more. While 100% not funny at the time, me FULLY MELTING my nearly brand new bontrager carbon rim trying for some reason to get the glue perfectly off of it with a heat gun. Just watching that nipple slowly pull through that spendy carbon rim made me shudder. Thinking about it still does.

Too many memories from these days.. TNR slug fests, FNR's on Flannery, Boone weeknight CX races, Thai lunches, obviously afternoon coffee and treats.  Plus some of the best friends one can make.

I have a lot of great memories from my brief stint at BB! I think one of my favorites was working the weekend of Blood, Sweat, and Gears - the shop was absolute insanity and the day flew by, but I got to talk to so many different customers who traveled from all over the east coast, or further!

Too many to count. Spicy Thai lunch Mondays, afternoon coffee and cookie time, and classic country hour with Sam. Tandem test-rides, TNR, and Friday evening “chill” pace rides that would inevitability turn into attacks on Flannery Fork. Soaking up knowledge from best-in-class sales and service staff that Boone Bike is known for!

There are so many good memories! As we’re headed into fall now, I’ve been thinking about all of the time spent out at the fairgrounds promoting and racing the Boone cyclocross races. Those were always some of my favorite events, and we had so many friends out there either through the bike shop or the App State cycling team. I also really miss our daily afternoon coffee time at the bike shop.

I have too many memories at Boone Bike. The first one is the one I got the most sh#t for is leaving a bag of spaghetti in the fridge. I don't remember why it was funny but Sam reminds me about yearly of it. I remember the lovely days working along side Sarah, Shaw, Sam, and the absolute best pups. I remember all the long time customers and the community that the shop cultivated. I remember the Specialized Roll single-handedly getting more people outside riding a bike than I could have ever imagined. The Boone town throwdown (the best race in the continental U.S.). The most important thing I remember is Sam, Sarah, and Shaw setting me up for success in my future whether it was at the shop or off across the country, and I can't thank them enough for that and all of the memories.

One day I came into work and was accused of leaving a bag of spaghetti in the fridge. Fortunately it didn't take long for the real culprit (Jacob) to be found. Exonerating me from any noodle wrongdoing. Another day I had a customer talk to me about the "meat beast" (tires on a mountain bike). I think like many other folks I have an abundance of fond memories from my time at Boone Bike. But a lot of them are the small things. Afternoon coffee time, the short-lived debate about shifting afternoon coffee time, judging the size of Byron's coffee pour... I swear it's not all coffee. There are plenty of great quotes that boil down to the same message, the people make the place. Boone Bike is a special place thanks to Sarah, Shaw & Sam's presence and leadership. I'm always thankful that I was able to be a small part of the greater Boone Bike story and I'll continue to remember my time there fondly.

Where are you now? I left Boone Bike in October 2021 to run a Trek owned bike shop in Fort Collins, Colorado where I'm still at, today!

What's a memory you'd like to share about your days working at Boone Bike? I wish I had time to type out ALL of the fond memories I had from my time at Boone Bike but that would take an eternity.

 Those times were difficult but the beauty of it was the amount of time we got to ride our bikes. I rode more in 2020 than I have in any other year and most of those rides were with Sam, we'd meet at Parkway elementary on our road bikes and ride EVERYWHERE! Those countless hours at the shop when we were completely shelled from a chaotic day, made it so worth it the next day when I got to ride bikes with my friend. The Boone Bike culture as an employee is unmatched, I've tried to replicate it with my shops in Colorado but it just isn't the same! I miss it everyday.

One of the funniest memories I had working at Boone Bike was when Sarah told me I had “Serial killer vibes” which was probably somewhat deserved because I was really awkward and quiet when I started working there. After a few weeks though everyone was calling me “Kyle Buddy” so I think everyone ended up liking me haha. I'm so thankful I was able to work at Boone Bike since some of the people I met there are still my best friends to this day!

I have a lot of great memories from my time at Boone Bike! I recall the chaos of covid and the towering wall of bikes to fix, conversations about all the nooks and crannies the area has to offer, and afternoon coffee brews for late night rides with sunset views. I enjoyed the stories of all the characters in the cycling scene, hearing about what Boone used to be like back in the day, and playing games of bike polo. I learned a lot about fixing bikes, and life in general, and it was really great to be a part of such a tight knit crew!

I worked at Boone Bike (on and off) for nearly three years. Every day was a delight. I felt, and still feel, lucky to have been able to meet such amazing people at such a special place. A classic memory is Sarah once had a bag of what I thought were cookies, she offered me a cookie. I naturally grab one and start munching down only to be horrified...dog treats. The people at Boone Bike mean so much to me. They were, and still are, a consistent form of support in my life.  

I have countless memories of fun and laughter but my favorite is when Jacob laid out a large piece of cardboard at the front of the store and started breakdancing. I think Sarah might still have the video?! I will always remember the supportive and fun environment created by Shaw, Sarah, and Sam!

It’s hard to pick a favorite when they’re all so great. But….. I will never live down the time I forgot to grind the coffee beans when making coffee. As a coffee lover, I can’t believe I would ever do something so foolish. Sam immediately told every current and former employee about the fiasco and I can’t show my face inside Boone Bike anymore.