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About

Friendly Staff

Our staff is made up of highly energetic and knowledgeable cyclists. From road racing to downhill riding our floor staff has you covered. Our mechanics are happy and able to work on everything from the latest and greatest to that sentimental steed that needs a little love.

Alex Gallego

Alex has been involved in bike racing since the mid-eighties. He raced around the country for several years, coached the University of Colorado Cycling team for five years and has worked in shops as a sales person and mechanic since his first bike gig in 1987. During that time he has seen a lot of things in the bike industry change and has seen many fads come and go.

With the purchase of Missoula Bicycle Works, he realized a long time goal of owning a bike shop. He has great stories to tell about racing back in the day and it seems like as the years go by the stories become a bit grander..hmm. Lately, you can find him ripping up the trails while wearing baggies *gasp* on his KONA HeiHei, slicing up the roads on his Cannondale Super Six or mixing it up on dirt/gravel/road on his Trek Boone.

You can reach AG at alex@missoulabicycleworks.com

Chad Dilworth

Chad has been with MBW Since 2010. In 2016 he transitioned into the manager position for the shop. Chad's entry to #shoplife began in High School. He cranked out bike builds for a box store and then began working at bike shops shortly after graduating. He spent a few years in So.Cal but knew he needed to be home in Missoula so he packed up his Vanagon and headed North.

Chad has a wealth of mechanical knowledge, is a SRAM trained mechanic, has attended the Park Tool Summit, is a Shimano S-TEC trained mechanic and in 2011 he completed the Bill Woodall UCI Race Mechanic's course. The Kona Process 134 is his MTB of choice this season. Chad found his way back onto a dropbar bike in the form of the Kona Rove ST and has added to his quiver with his new Orbea Orca.

He's another one of our staffers with a fishing obsession and he's the proud owner of our shop dog Miss Daisy.

Chad can be reached at missoulabicycleworks@gmail.com

Andrew Frank

If you've been in the Missoula bike scene for any amount of time you probably recognize this sleeveless beauty. Andy heard the call of the mountains way back in '98. He came to Missoula to hang out and ride bikes and ended up staying, a story you've probably never heard before...

Andy has been turning wrenches since the turn of the century. We are stoked to have his experience in the shop. In 2016, we sent him down to Irvine, CA to get S-Tec Certified by Shimano. Ask him about his "science bike" or one of his impressively laced wheels sometime or talk about DH suspensions and you'll see just how deep his passion for bikes goes. You'll see Andy and his EVIL Offering, custom build of course, tearing up Dead Man's, the Discovery Bike Park, Silver Mountain and countless trails in between.

He loves the smell after a spring rain, makes his own pizza dough, enjoys tea and a sunrise from the top of Mount Sentinel and keeping it real.

History

Missoula Bicycle Works first opened for business in 1996. The shop was started by two college students, Monte Snyder and Michael Schmitt, who felt that Missoula needed a bicycle repair shop with a strong service orientation. Their shop grew quickly and three years later Missoula Bicycle Works experienced its first move into a larger store at 113 West Main Street in Downtown Missoula. The larger space allowed Mike, then the sole owner, to begin selling mountain bikes. The bike shop continued to expand as did the reputation for quality repair work.

After six years of owning and running Missoula Bicycle Works, Mike sold his shop to the current owner, Alex Gallego. Under the new ownership Missoula Bicycle Works headed into new territory and into another new location at 521 South Higgins Avenue. To compliment the full line of mountain bikes, the shop opened itself to carrying a full range or road, touring, and comfort bikes. One thing that did not change was the original commitment to excellent service that has guided the shop from its very beginning. Following three years of continued growth, it became necessary for the shop to relocated once again into a larger space. The three year moving bug struck again!

In November of 2004 Missoula Bicycle Works moved into its new and HOPEFULLY permanent home at 708 South Higgins Avenue. Moving a bike shop is not fun so we do not plan on doing it again. This time we think we have it right. We found a much larger building that allowed us to create a space that reflects our passion for the sport of cycling and provides ample opportunity and resources for our mechanics to apply their skills in the most professional and up-to-date facility. It also provides us with plenty of room to grow so moving again is out of the question!

The renovation of our new building (built in 1944 to serve as the Sprouse-Reitz) was undertaken by a team of professionals who are as passionate as they are exceptional about what they do. We worked closely with Jeff Crouch of Kibo Group Architecture and Frank Scariano of Scariano Construction to develop the space in terms of its practicality and attractiveness. A generous grant from the Missoula Redevelopment Agency allowed us to achieve certain design goals. The renovation project was completed in November 2004. In May 2005 the Missoula Historical Preservation Commission recognized the effort with the Commercial Renovation and Rehabilitation Award. This award is extremely meaningful to us because we feel it reflects our desire to contribute positively to the aesthetic and historic value of our neighborhood and downtown Missoula.

We are excited about the new opportunities that await us, and we look forward to continuing our tradition of great service to the Missoula community and to all those visiting Missoula who pass through our doors.

Browse Our Bike Selection

Find your dream bike today and visit us for a test ride. We'll ensure that you're on the right bike to meet your needs and the right frame size for a comfortable, safe cycling experience.