Wrenching It Out: Local Bike Mechanics

Bike / BMX

Mark Polichette
Sport Chalet

sportchalet.com

SLUG:
Tell me how you got into bicycles.
Polichette: Aside from riding bikes all over my hometown as a kid, I bought my first real bike several years ago.  It didn’t take long for me to realize that the bike wasn’t just a cheaper mode of transportation, but easy to maintain, delightful and helped me stay more fit.
 
SLUG: What’s different about Sport Chalet?
Polichette: Sport Chalet is a larger company that sells a wide range products and services. Because Sport Chalet prides itself on carrying higher-end product, we get customers who may still feel uncomfortable going into a local bike shop, but want something that will last longer and perform better than a $50 Wal-Mart special.
 
SLUG: Best kind of bike to work on?
Polichette: Custom-built alternative bike.  Starting with raw materials, it’s a lot like painting with a blank canvas.  When building a tall bike, I get to decide how it’s going to ride, how it’s going to look, and determine how I want it all to come together. Finding frames and materials, then putting them together is just as fun as riding it around after completing it.
 
SLUG: How did you get into freak bikes?
Polichette: One of the first Critical Mass rides I ever went to … [Kemmer Evans] was riding on a goofy home-built creation, and I just had to have one, too.  My first freak bike build was a shopping cart trailer that had huge 27” wheels, so I could throw a cooler in it for group rides.  It had a serious case of speed-wobbles, but it was a lot of fun to ride around with.  It all took off from there, and I started building “things” that I wanted to ride.
  
SLUG: What do you think of the Salt Lake bicycle community?
Polichette: I love it.  The Salt Lake bike community welcomed me with open arms years ago as a “novice-know-nothing.”  I’ve since become great friends with riders of all skill levels, but also riders from all levels of society, from jobless hippies to doctors. It’s a group of various people who all love to ride bikes.