Former downhill racer starts mobile bike tune-up service

Tom Gibson knows his way around a bike.

He’s been riding them as long as he can remember and spent years testing his limits on the downhill mountain-biking race scene. Earlier this month, his love for all things biking took a new turn. After he was laid off from his kitchen management job due to the coronavirus outbreak, Gibson thought it was time to turn his passion into a business. He opened his own mobile bike shop, Mission Mountain Bike Co., to provide local riders with tune-up services at their doorstep.

“I like to pick up broken bikes and put them back on the trail for people,” Gibson said.

Many of the tune-ups he’s done so far have been on bikes that have spent the winter outdoors, but Gibson is able to transform even these rough rides into usable machines. He’ll show up at a customer’s doorstep and work on their bike using a bike rack mounted on his vehicle. A basic tune-up takes about half an hour, while more intense jobs might run longer. If Gibson needs additional parts for more extensive fixes, he’ll take the bike to his home, and return it to the customer once the repairs have been made.

“I’ll work on just about any kind of bike,” he said.

The venture began with a conversation between friends. Gibson’s buddy proposed a trade: a bike repair in exchange for eggs. But once Gibson wrapped up the first one, his friend found a few others who could use his magic touch. And from there, Mission Mountain Bike Co. was born.

While Gibson acknowledges the benefits of a brick-and-mortar location, taking his shop on the road proved to be a more economical way to bridge into the business. And in the age of delivery and smartphones, he figured his mobile bike shop would meet the needs of the modern customer in the Bigfork area.

“Find me on your phone and I’ll come to you,” Gibson said. “Right now, I’m in it for Bigfork locals that want to ride.”

A tune-up will include inspection and repairs on wheels and brakes, drive train, steering column, rims, spokes and refilling the tires, among other things. Gibson, 42, will rely on decades of biking experience to bring local bicycles up to snuff. In addition to his mountain-bike racing career, Gibson also worked as a test technician for cycling giant Cannondale, where it was his job to push their components to the limits. But now, he’s come full circle, instead using his experience and talents to put bikes back together so they’re ready to hit the road.

“My bike was able to get me away whenever I wanted, way before I had a driver’s license,” Gibson recalled. “It’s always been about the freedom.”

Reporter Mackenzie Reiss may be reached at 758-4433 or mreiss@dailyinterlake.com.