Tin Shed Sports — Local services in Nederland

I live in Ned and I'm a casual rider. I don't know that much about bikes, but I've come to count on Steve to jump in to apply his knowledge and wisdom for some impromptu coaching of my boy.

My son, who is 11, is hooked on mountain biking and not just in an idealistic way. He rode West Mag 6+ hours per day, multiple days a week this summer and has taken skills courses to learn how to handle his bike on a trail. And he practiced those skills. When he couldn't do a rear hop, he was filming himself until late at night trying to figure it out.

But he's 11 and he beats his bikes mercilessly, as we all did.

We walk into Tin Shed with his nearly dead bike (it's a Specialized hard tail bike that was solid, but not impervious, and served him well in two years of SMBA) and wanted me to ask about a full suspension bike.

Now there was no way I would spend $2k for a decent one and I didn't have to prompt Steve at all to turn this into a teaching moment for my son, or for me, and he nailed it.

Steve told my son about how he wasn't ready for that kind of bike or anything that Tin Shed could provide until he could show that he had the skill and maturity to not be so hard on it and that, with him growing still, he'd be better off buying a great quality used bike from one of the reputable places in Boulder or trying Craigslist and having it checked out at a bike shop.

This way, he can get a solid, rockstar level bike that will be able to perform at my son's growing, but respectable skill, within a budget (for which my son will have to pay half) that wouldn't make.me cry when it inevitably gets mangled and provided tips to me on how to size it for him.

This is not the first time, either. When he was 10, Steve took nearly a half hour to teach my son how to change a flat (I listened closely; he provided tips that adults could learn from).

What did he get paid? Whatever they get for selling two 26” innertubes.

My son changed the second flat tire (yeah, he had two flats . . . bad encounter with some goats heads) with some frustration, but more determination, as he really wanted to know how to do this himself out on the trail.

I'm learning, but when I get in over my head as a dad who is honest about what he doesn't know, I count on Tin Shed to encourage the next generation and pitch hit as a dad for a few minutes when we stop by.

We're blessed to have a bike shop that cares about teaching and encouraging the next generation within our small...

Quick shout out to Josh and the crew at Tin Shed. They have saved my bacon maintenance wise on my skis and bicycles so many times I have lost count. For example, I had a core shot on a set of touring skis, turned them into the shop. They had them turned around at lightning speed, in a practically brand new condition which allowed me to stack an additional 150 days of skiing on them before retiring them. I always turn to Josh for advice, rather it be skiing, cycling, or local info. Josh has very personable service, expert recommendations, and exceptional mechanical knowledge when repairing my gear or helping me with any questions I may have. Josh recently went out of his way to help me with a new touring set up. He and the Tin Shed team had the gear built at an insane turn around time, which got me back in the backcountry on some of my absolutely favorite skis of all time. Without Josh’s knowledge and experience, not sure I would have discovered this incredible local ski company on my own. Just an absolute gem of a shop with employees you will not find anywhere else in the world, that will go out of their way to look out for you here in the Nederland area as if you are family. Go...

If you've ever been to Nederland then you know; you know what everyone else is missing. For a cyclist, road or mountain, you won't find a better location to test your skills and over the past couple of years Nederland has boomed in popularity. It was only a matter of time before someone recognized the need for a full service bike shop. Tucked away on the corner of Snyder and 2nd streets you'll find TIN SHED SPORTS.

The first thing you'll notice is how well the barn-like structure fits right in. It's the perfect astmosphere to enterain the kid in all of us and inside you'll find some sensual delights; my favorite are the Fat Bikes. You're always greeted by a friendly and knowledgeable staff and you're sure to find anything you need to keep those two wheels rolling. Full service is an understatement, it's not unusual to have your bike worked on while you wrap your gloves around some grubs and suds next door at Salto and enjoy your lunch out on the patio.

Stop on in next time you're in Nederland and consider TIN SHED SPORTS for your next bike purchase or rental and tell them Dirt Life sent...