Mountain Biking All Year: You Know You Want To

Living and playing in Tahoe is all about getting outside. You don’t need fat tires to mountain bike this winter – sweet, tacky singletrack in the foothills is just 45 minutes away. Or head east and get a good ride in, all-you-can-eat sushi, then tackle your Reno errands. For extreme “cross-training” you can double down – ski in the morning and then bike until sunset. Start Haus in Truckee has the gear and expert bike mechanics to help you get out there. Grab your friends and your cooler and head down the hill for the day. Or take advantage of off-season lodging rates and take your posse to ride in the Santa Cruz or Marin.

Nevada City, CA

Just a 45 minute drive west of Truckee you’ll find warmer temps and great trails. You can access three of the trails easily by parking near the Harmony Ridge Market on Hwy 20 and hopping on the Pioneer Trail. The Pioneer Trail is 15.5 miles of flowy trails with rollers and

No skier daydreams about a sweet new pair of footbeds while watching the clock and clicking through ski websites on a Friday afternoon at the office. Well, maybe Jim Schaffner does, but that’s a different story.
Most people pour over magazine reviews of the latest carbon this or rockered that, gear of the year winners and that pair of powder skis that made the latest Internet edit look so cool.

But for most of us, wanting to make a real difference in performance and comfort on the mountain, a pair of custom footbeds might actually be the breakthrough we’re all looking for.

Book an appointment with a bootfitter at Start Haus and you’ll quickly find out that custom footbeds aren’t just about being comfy (although that certainly is one result), but about performance.

If you’re still skiing on stock insoles, pull one out of your boot. Odds are it's a flat piece of foam doing next to nothing. Flat insoles make for flat feet, bones spread out and toes jammed against the end of the boot. Custom

Need a new pair of ski gloves? Choosing the right pair boosts your comfort, dexterity and confidence, keeping you out shredding even on the coldest days. Start Haus in Truckee carries a spectrum of choices, including top rated Hestra Alpine and Freestyle gloves, offering durability and flexibility for skiers who put high demands on their equipment. Hestra has been making gloves since 1936 and they are used and tested by the Swedish and Norwegian National Ski Teams.

Why go with a high-end glove? Even a 9-year-old can tell the difference. I thought my husband was crazy buying our daughter a pair of Hestra gloves her second year of ski racing. They were at least twice what I thought we should spend for something I was sure she would lose by her third race. The increased warmth, comfort and flexibility of the gloves were more than worth the cost. Those gloves were like armor to her. She didn't complain about cold hands the entire season and she carefully tucked them inside her fluorescent pink,

Come join us at Start Haus Tuesday December 27th at 6PM for a wax clinic and tuning workshop! Learn the basics of ski upkeep, wax selection, tip & tricks, and more. We'll walk you through the basics, demonstrate procedure, and offer up a free Start Haus World Cup tuning DVD!

Its that time of year again folks- time to clear out the garage, unload the attic, and bring us your used skis!  The 2017 Ski Consignment Sale is always huge, so don't miss out!  Customers line up around the block early to snap up the best gear, so don't miss out on this opportunity to purge the old gear and get yourself some new sticks. As always, we're accepting used and new skis, new bindings, and race suits in good condition.

We'll help you price your gear and make it move.  Pick either 80% store credit (the popular option) or take 60% as a check.

Sale happens Labor Day weekend, Friday through Monday, September 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.  Lets make it bigger than ever!

Accepting gear now!

Join us every Tuesday for a free guided group MTB ride!  We'll offer tips, training, and more to help you better your biking experience.  Each Tuesday we'll host a trail ride- free mountain bike demos available for the ride!

Tuesday's All Summer- TRAIL RIDE- 6:00PM - FREE BIKE DEMOS

We'll meet up at Start Haus at 6:00PM.  Get fitted and reserve your bike.  Then at 6PM we ride over to the trail.

More rides to come!  Check out our events page on FaceBook here.

2016 Race and rec gear is piling up at the Haus for next season.  Racers! Come in now or forever hold your peace!  This gear is ready to move, and its beginning to fly out the door.  Here is a quick snap-shot of whats come in this past week.

2016 POC and Briko race helmets have arrived!  Both meet the new 2016 FIS requirements and are ready to race.

New this year is Artica Race Gear!  Some fresh new speed suits will aid in your aerodynamics and protect you from the ice on a crash.

2016 Race skis and boots are arriving weekly- pick up your favorite brand today!  These will not last long. All race skis are priced at racers pricing, so no need to price compare.  These are the lowest prices you'll see till sale season.

The sale everyone waits all year for (and asks about all year long) it the 2015 Nordica Blem Sale!

ON SALE NOW- Click here to buy.

Here is Sierra Jim's Take on this years batch of blem skis:

Wild Belle

The Wild Belle is built on a 84mm waist width and uses a double wide, lightweight stringer down the center of the wood core. This is a ski that resides in the top performance group of Nordica’s flat deck “Belle” series of skis, but is just slightly softer in the tail than some the expert only models. This width range is ideal as an an all mountain tool for the woman with a bias toward packed snow but an occasional appetite for off trail use as well.

On snow this ski is lightning quick and very energetic showing a lot of rebound energy especially in short radius turns. A good skier can lay in big angles and arc turns like crazy but an intermediate will find this width range facilitates lower angle, skidded turns as well. The quick and light feel gives the skier an edge in bumps and the slightly

This Saturday at 12PM Start Haus is hosting a women specific demo ride with Liv bikes!  Come on out and try some new bikes, meet some new riding buddies, and get 10% OFF Liv bikes!  Please bring a helmet, valid drivers license, (and a credit card for a security deposit).

For more info, check out the Facebook Event here.

There are many retailers out there, and we fully expect any potential customer to do their homework.  But its not just about the price, but everything else that comes with making a purchase.  We want every customer, new and old, to walk out the door with the same great feeling that drew us into this industry to begin with.  We don't want the customer to be simply satisfied, we want then to be elated.  And we wont settle for anything less than that perfect experience.

So why should you buy gear from us?

The Staff:  Everyone one at Start Haus lives what they sell.  We all ride, ski, paddleboard, and live to do it.  We work where we play, and that's no accident.  That passion blends right into the sales floor.  The experience we each have while enjoying the sports we love in the place we love keeps us on our A-game, not because we need to, but because we can't help it!  This passion inevitably helps you, our customer, to make the right choice- not because we have a quota

June 6th, 2015 head down to Start Haus for our huge Demo Day / Grand Opening party extravaganza!  Free food from Zander's Spirits next door to the shop, free demo rides, and 2 awesome stunt shows from acclaimed pro rider Jeff Lenosky.  If you plan on doing a free demo ride, please bring a valid drivers license, credit card, and a helmet. 

Here is the skinny:

First 50 customers get a free Giant water bottle.

All bikes on June 6th are 10% OFF, and all accessories are 10% OFF!

Enter our free raffle to win awesome prizes like free tickets to Northstar bike park, bike gear, and more- grand prize is a brand new Giant Cruiser Bike!

9AM- Shop opens as normal

10AM- Group Demo Ride/ Free donuts at Zander's next door to the shop

11AM- Stunt show with Jeff Lenosky

12PM- free hot dogs from Zander's Spirits.

2PM- Stunt show with Jeff Lenosky

3PM- Group Demo Ride

4PM- Raffle and prize giveaways

Dust off your old bikes and bring em down to Start Haus for our first ever Bike Consignment Sale!  Happening Memorial Weekend 2015 (May 23 and 24th) we'll sell your old bike and give you 80% of the sold value in store credit.

Bring in your bikes now until 12pm on May 23rd 2015 and we'll get your bikes priced and ready to sell for you!  Apply that credit to a new bike, new gear, or our summer ski sale!

Accepting all categories of bikes from mountain, road, cruiser, townie, kids, and Women's.  Our only rule is the bikes be is safe, rideable condition.  We reserve the right to turn away bikes that don't meet our criteria for condition, age, or quality.  Simply put, we just don't want your rusty Huffy or spent burner bikes!

Once the sale ends, sale value will be totaled and you will be notified by email if your bike sold.  Store credit in the form of Start Haus gift cards will be available to pick up starting June 1st 2015.  All unsold bikes need to be claimed and picked up no