Blog

There are many gear lists floating around the interwebs.  What to pack with you on your mountain bike is really a personal decision, but its one that should be well thought out for your particular ride.  We sat down with our master mechanic and avid rider Aaron Breitbard and asked him what his take is.  He broke it down into 3 nifty categories depending on the ride.  (And of course, longer rides should include the items listed in the previous categories.)

The Basic Short Ride

The "short ride" is one not too far from your garage.  This is the ride when you just need to hop on the bike and get out there without too much thought as to where that might be, and what you should be taking with you.  These short rides don't need to be complicated.  If you break down on a short ride, suck it up and just hump it home.  No big deal.  Ultimately for these short rides, there are only 3 things you really need to take with you:

1)  A bike !  I mean, without that, what are we talking

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

The Start Haus celebration Demo Day and Stunt Show went off without a hitch this past weekend.  Bikes were demoed, prizes given away, hot dogs consumed, and Jeff Lenosky put on a killer show. Here are some pictures taken by Sierra Sun reporter and sports editor Sylas Wright- thanks again Sy!

Start Haus is hosting a trail build day in conjunction with Truckee Trails Foundation on June 13.  This is a great way to have fun, meet new riders, and give back to the mountain biking community.  Lunch will be provided as well as refreshments after the build.

Come on down to the shop and sign up!   Or sign up with Kevin Starr at kevintruckeetrails@gmail.com

For the 2015 season, Giant introduced a new bike to the trail mountain category.  The Stance differs from the Giant Trance on a couple different levels: first and foremost, the Stance has a different suspension platform called Flexpoint.  Flexpoint is a single pivot derivative that relies on the seat-stays flexing a bit to allow for the 4.7 inches of travel that the Stance offers.  The Flexpoint suspension platform on the Stance is both inexpensive for Giant to manufacture and doesn't require Giant to pony up for any expensive patents.  The Trance trail bike differs in that it features Giant's renowned Maestro suspension, which is a floating pivot point design, and costs quite a bit more to both manufacture and to sell than Flexpoint.

The Stance is offered in three models, the Stance 0, Stance 1, and Stance 2.  As with all Giant products, the higher the number the less expensive the bike. The Stance 2 comes in at an incredibly low $1470, the Stance 1 at $1905, and the Stance 0

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

Come on in and check out the progress-  We have displays set up and items stocked on the sales floor.  We're still putting the finishing touches on the room, but you're welcome to stop by and see what its all about.  Almost finished!

With our opening quickly approaching, things are really coming together.  Lots of retail displays to set up, flooring to finish, and bikes to build!  Stay tuned- soft opening in the works...

Its that time of year in Tahoe- the season of sales!  When we go, we go big.  Here is your guide at a glance to figure out what is on sale, and for what level of discount.

UPDATE:  All winter clothing is now 60% OFF!

50% OFF

All Recreational Skis / All Rec Bindings with purchase of Ski / All Ski Helmets (with the exception of the POC Orbic Comp) / All Goggles / All Gloves / All Poles / All Ski and Boot Bags / All Race Protection and Speed Suits

UPDATE:  Ski boots are now 50% OFF with promo code BOOTS50

20% OFF

All Ski Boots / All Race Skis (marked at the sale price, 20% OFF Race) / All Race Bindings with purchase of a Race Ski (please contact us for best match with race bindings).

Details

Any item currently marked on sale is listed at the sale price.  For 2015 skis and bindings, we can't list our half off sale online, so feel free to use the promo code SKI50 .
Coupon is good for one pair of bindings per ski.

Stockli recreational skis are not on sale- these models carry over

Start Haus is slowly shedding its skin and growing a bike shop. The transformation has begun!  Over the next few weeks, Start Haus will completely build out our ski room into a Giant Partner Retail Store.

There is much confusion in our marketplace on how and why a ski should be ground a certain way.  Not all grinds are created equal.  Even two different shops with the same machine will turn out different results depending on the specs that are used on the equipment, and by what technician.  Whether race gear or rec, this brief side by side comparison should help you cement your decision to bring your equipment to the specialists:  Start Haus!

Please note:  These images are not doctored (other that the addition of text or illustration) and have been uploaded in full resolution for you to better see the detail.  Click on em to see the detail!

Here is a side by side with a pair of skis ground by our techs, and a pair ground by the "other guys".  Both grinds are a pattern WS09.  The ski ground by the Start Haus tech is smooth, consistent, and otherwise perfect.  The grind by the "other guys" is far too deep a pattern, inconsistent, and was done with multiple passes creating