"Shwag, it's stuff we all get" Calvin said to me as he went rummaging around in the huge Park Tool stickered tub of stuff - referring of course to the free stuff that participants are given, by the service providers of an event. This event being the Park Tool Tech Summit, held in the USA.
Park Tool Tech Summit was a 4 day conference for pro bike mechanics to learn about new gear, tools and processes, from major industry brands and their specialists. I ended up going to 4 of these over the years, as an investment in my knowledge and an opportunity to ride some new places in the US.
Who's Calvin?
If you work in the bike industry, you know who Calvin Jones is.
If you have an interest in bike mechanical stuff and know how to use the internet, then again it's likely you'll know who Calvin is. He is in countless bike instructional videos, the head of education at Park Tool and an all round super cool guy like no other, known by many and loved and respected by all who meet him. This week, he announced his retirement.
This is my short story.
2009 Park Tool Tech Summit, Ontario California
2009 - that giant cheshire grin of mine is real, I met the man that represented my generation of bike riding, mechanics and an all-round love of bikes in general. I'd attend his classes at Tech Summit, then grab a quick pic. He was always up for a chat, despite a whole lot of others wanting the same of his time. His classes were always entertaining, super deep with knowledge without being exclusive if you had basic questions. My riding on that trip was mostly around east LA; Glendora trails and up Mt Baldy, Santa Ana river trails out to Huntington Beach.
2010 Park Tool Tech Summit - Chicago Illinois
2010 we went deep into wheel science. A quote I recall from Calvin on that trip 'even the best F1 mechanics don't hold all the information about their race cars in their heads...the key here is to know where the information is kept and how to access it at the right moment'. I rented a bike from Millenial Park end of trip facility and rode the frozen Lake Shore Drive (early Feb so still winter) and played in the afternoon traffic as if I was a bike messenger. Then I flew to Tucson to ride bits of the AZT; Treasure Island; Old Pueblo 24 hr course with my buddy Dave and a million cacti.
2011 Park Tool Tech Summit - Long Beach, California
2011 we torqued the torque in the LBC, on a mission to tighten the stem bolt correctly. Word. More learnings, I had Dave with me this year to share the conference with. Prior to the conference though, we drove straight up to Santa Cruz and rode the trails up in the hills, blipped up to San Fran for Marin County trails, visit to the Haight, a sashay down Lombard and a breathless effort up Filbert, then down to Camp Pendleton for a stay on base in the beach cabins (Dave was retired military), San Diego for Noble Canyon, back to Santa Monica for some some PCH action out to the old M*A*S*H site at Malibu Creek.
2013 Park Tool Tech Summit - Portland, Oregon
2013 and we're gluing on tubulars - a nearly dead art now but back then I was doing a lot of race wheels for tri and ironman athletes at the shop I worked at. I'd just finished my 2 week ITI training camp in Alaska and flew from there to Portland with my fatbike. After the Tech Summit, I did a top to bottom backcountry bikepacking tour of Oregon from Portland to Klamath Falls, caught the train back to Portland. Then I did my DT Swiss Master wheelbuilding certification at the UBI campus. Calvin showed a lot of interest in the fatbike...I could see it in his eyes that cogs were turning.
Late in 2016 I get a ping from Calvin, he was coming over to Cairns as part of Team USA for the MTB World Champs. He had quite a few questions on gear and where to source - great thing was that the items he was seeking could all be purchased from the one place - it was an opportunity to share what I knew and help out a fellow mechanic in need - albeit my knowledge of the store we know as Bunnings! 'Yeah mate, eskies are aisle 17, camp chairs and pop-ups as well...and don't forget to get a snag on the way out!'
In 2017 I headed back to the USA for Salsa Ride Camp in Wisconsin with my buddy Joe Stiller from Baryak (a ton of riding awesome singletrack in Chequamegon Forest and gravel around Cable) and then about 11 days after that was a Cervelo Brainbike dealers conference in Las Vegas (shop I worked at was selling Salsa and Cervelo at the time). I was attending both, so hashed out a plan to drive and ride good bits along the way. I had a few days in Minneapolis so I visited my old mate Calvin at Park Tool HQ. He gave me the 'nickel tour' of the facility, saw some of the machines and processes for items made in house. More shwag. Of course I had to see where the magic happened in the video production studio, where tech is captured for the internet and beyond.
While I was in town, Calvin invited me out to Stillwater High School, where they have a dedicated mountain bike team as part of the curriculum. The bike fleet there at the school needs constant maintenance and I was a wrench for the afternoon on the bikes alongside Calvin, and teaching the kids the ropes of key maintenance. It was a great insight into seeing the junior field of cyclists and how Calvin devotes so much of his time into getting those kids that don't fit the team ballsports mold, into a recreation that we both love.
Interbike was in Vegas for the last time that year, Park Tool was there and I planned to connect with Calvin there, but first I had to drive across the country. I mentioned my plan in conversation, Calvin comes straight out and says if I need a place to stay passing through Colorado, he can arrange something. Cool. I set off through South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Vail and saw the amazing Aspen tree foliage turning bright orange, just bivvying out each night under the stars beside the rental car (finally get some riding in at Kenosha Pass and bits of the CTR) and then I touch base with Calvin - he's arranged for me to stay with his parents! Just wow! Beautiful family and wholesome experience, we shared some family stories the dinner table, and after a wholesome breakfast I was even given a sack lunch for the road. Thank you Mr and Mrs Jones for your hospitality.
Drove on to Utah Moab, camped overnight and rode as much slickrock as I could fit in all day, then dropped off the plateau into Monument Valley, a picture at Forrest Gump point and onto the Grand Canyon. Bivvied beside the car again, this time out the back of a truck stop in Arizona, then Hoover Dam for breakfast and Vegas in time for hotel check in. Cervelo Brainbike conference for the next few days and some riding around the closed loop road of Red Rock Canyon on some skinny Cervelos.
I went over to Interbike before it opened, one last catch up with Calvin and to collect some gear he schlepped over for me from Minneappolis. Over the past few years he's been on his fatbike way more than his other bike options, so I guess he's been bitten by the fatbike bug, which I'm not surprised as being positioned there in Minnesota - lots of local winter trails when the snow starts to fly. Only a small snapshot of time and life, but I feel it was quality time spent with another soul who enjoys bikes as much as I do in every facet of their use and care. Seeing his passion for a life spent around bikes mirroring my own, I could begin to see there are other people in this world that see bikes that way.
Plus there can be no limits with bicycles - lets not forget, 2 humble bicycle mechanics from Dayton Ohio, did some pretty cool stuff to kick off the foundations of modern aviation. It's also rumoured that Einstein came up with the theory of relativity while riding his bike.
Without Park Tool and the opportunity to learn from Calvin at the tech summits, a lot of the aforementioned adventures and experiences would not have happened - it was certainly the catalyst for my first OS trip. I feel these bike sidebars are relevant to this story as bikes are entwined in my life, as they are in Calvins life.
I wish Calvin the best in retirement, I hope our paths cross again at some bike related thing and we can share a bike ride with some old and new-found bike riding friends.
It's amazing where riding a bike will take you.
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