I have had some wonderful experiences with bike shops and their mechanics. I have also had some horrendous experiences with bike shops and their mechanics. The absolute worst was when a mechanic replaced the FSA bottom brackets on our tandem with a low end Shimano version. Not only were they cheap but they were the wrong size, which the ‘mechanic’ solved by simply eliminating the wave spring (an integral part of the FSA system) and jamming the crank directly against the bearings under way too much pressure. Not only did this result in more difficult pedaling, but it put stress on the bearings and after about a year they were worn out again.
I think it was Joe Artozqui who introduced me to Optimized Cycling Solutions. He showed me the website and said this might be something I was interested in. Joe was right, I was intrigued.
OCS was a bicycle studio located in El Dorado Hills and the proprietor/entrepreneur/mechanic/perfectionist was named Mark Stemmey.
I took my LOOK 586 to Mark for his signature service which he terms an “optimization’. Every part of the bike is cleaned, disassembled if appropriate, inspected closely, and adjusted for maximum efficiency and safety. He provides an extensive evaluation (with photos) of the bicycle’s condition and possible areas of concern for the present and down the road. I liked the results so much that I later took my Sampson there for a ‘major tune up’ and the CoMotion was treated to a full optimization. The results, especially for the tandem, were significant. My bikes all worked better than ever and I was really happy.
I followed Mark and OCS from El Dorado Hills to a nice space near downtown Sacramento, which was much more convenient. But after a couple of years he closed. I know his business concept was a difficult one to execute. He charged more for services than a local shop, but he also paid far more attention to little details. But not everyone is willing to pay for the difference.
While I was in the Pyrenees, Diane got a phone call, and when she said “Hello'”she was kind of surprised to hear the voice on the other end say “Is this Stoker?” It was Mark. He was calling to tell me he was back in business, this time as a mobile mechanic who comes to you. When I got home I contacted him and decided that my S Works Tarmac with the HED Ardennes wheels could use a little OCS TLC. The bike seemed to be working fine but I wanted Mark to do the wheel optimization and give the rest of the bike an extensive tune up.
He came to my house and picked up the HED’s, which he took home to do the wheel service. He came back about a week later and spent over 4 hours cleaning and inspecting and adjusting. Adding the time he took to do the wheels, the Tarmac received well over 5 hours of expert attention.
When I took the bike on the club ride out of Wallace there were a couple of things I noticed right away. The headset had been way too tight. After Mark adjusted it the bike was easier to steer climbing at slow speed. And before he worked on the rear wheel, I would occasionally hear a kind of pinging noise, especially when I was pedaling hard or climbing. I thought it might be the spokes, but the wheel seemed true. But Mark found the spoke tension was very uneven, and he adjusted them until they were much more uniform. On Thursday the intermittent slight noise from the rear wheel was gone.
I’m not the only fan of Mark’s wheel service. Years ago I recommended Mark to a friend who took a set of Zipp wheels to him for the same ‘optimization’. This friend moved out of the area, but I saw him a couple of years later on a European trip, and he told me that the wheels were still perfect and he hadn’t touched them since the service. He was impressed.
I hope Mark keeps doing this kind of thing. I know if he does and I ever get another nice set of wheels, I’m going have him ‘optimize’ them.
Rich Freggiaro Cycling Blog 