Our Team
Joe hanrahan- Owner
Hometown? Milwaukee, WI
If you were a dog, what breed would you be? A feral terrier. Feral Terrier was the name of my unofficial downhill racing team.
Fixies? Yeah, nah, or meh? Meh. Just put a brake on it.
Tacos or burritos? Oh, fuck. Why did I ask this question?
Favorite Tool? My favorite tool is also the DAG
Do you want to share your favorite ride around Durango or just say Twin Buttes? I’m a show, don’t tell person. Otherwise, go ride twin buttes.
Give us a pro tip (does not need to be bike related.) Don’t sweat the petty, pet the sweaty.
What’s your story? At 6 years old I got a sparkly green and silver Schwinn Stingray with mini ape hangers, banana seat, and a coaster brake. Soon after, I learned how to lay down huge coaster brake skids and named a section of our driveway Skid City. When I was 12 I saw Rad at the movie theater, came home and tried to emulate Cru Jones’ sweet Send Me an Angel dance floor moves on my BMX bike and that led to 4-5 years of flatland and street riding. I started riding mountain bikes in the ravines by the lake and smelly trails next to the Milwaukee River around 1989 and it’s been mostly mtb of all sorts since then. I’ll go through phases of gravel and cx (and just ordered my first actual road bike, probably a mid-life crisis thing, slightly cheaper than a Porsche), but I just think trail riding is the bee’s knees. I started racing DH kinda late at 28. Got pretty into that, won an amateur age group Nat’l Championship in 2005, enjoyed the wonders of “SemiPro” status for a few years and then aged into Enduro, like most washed up DH racers. I’ll dabble in some races now and then, but it sucks to quantify my slowing down. Haha. I got my first bike shop job in college and have tried to escape the bike biz a few times but I always manage to get pulled back in like Carlito’s Way. Over the last 20 years, I’ve been fortunate to work with and learn from incredible people at Poison Spider Bicycles in Moab,The Singletrack Factory (Denver), Salvagetti Bicycle Workshop (Denver), Go-Ride (SLC), Contender Bicycles (SLC), Shimano America, Rotor Bicycle Components and now here at the Cyclery. Learning every day along the way. Deep down, I truly believe that bicycles make the world a better place and appreciate my opportunities to contribute to that cause.
Eric Confer (E.C.)
Hometown? Bridgeport, MI
If you were a dog, what breed would you be? I’d be a cat.
Fixies? Yeah, nah, or meh? Nah.
Tacos or burritos? Burritos. When asked what’s in his favorite burrito, EC says a grilled cheese sandwich.
Favorite Tool? Hmmm, do I have a favorite tool? I think I’d have to say bearing press. I think it’s satisfying pressing bearings in.
Do you want to share your favorite ride around Durango or just say Twin Buttes? Is everyone saying Twin Buttes? I’ll say back-to-back Meadow Loops, backwards.
Give us a pro tip (does not need to be bike related.) Just relax. Would you care to elaborate on that? No. Just relax.
What’s your story? EC got his start as a lifelong cyclist riding BMX and building dirt jumps as a kid. He later started racing crits as a teen in Michigan where he also began his career as a mechanic back in 1988. He came to his senses and started mountain biking when he was living in Tucson and quickly fell in love- just getting to ride and be in nature, exploring the Sonoran desert- sunsets and rattlesnakes. EC came to Durango in 2000, after a stint in Moab, in order to explore more single track. He knew he had landed in the right place when he saw all of these folks with mountain bikes on their racks that were worth more than their P.O.S. cars, and got to experience the tight knit bike community. Here at the shop we all recognize EC as a wheelie master with the biggest heart and the best mechanic in town. He’s very thorough and detail-oriented and knows how a bike needs to function to ride its best.
Jon bailey
Hometown? Akron, OH
If you were a dog, what breed would you be? A bird. But Joe’s a dog person so I’ll say Pomeranian.
Fixies? Yeah, nah, or meh? Yes. Yes. It’s all I ride. Fixed for life.
Tacos or burritos? Burritos.
Favorite Tool? I would have to say headset press. Cause when EC and I worked at MBS we used to use 2 x 4’s and a hammer. Speaking of MBS, we need a softball game re-match. The DAG is my least favorite tool.
Do you want to share your favorite ride around Durango or just say Twin Buttes? E-bike on the river trail. It’s just the path of least resistance.
Give us a pro tip (does not need to be bike related.) Hydration
What’s your story? It was the movie Rad that inspired Bailey to get on the bike around age seven. “I just thought the coolest thing to do would be to bike commute.” He got his first job at a bike shop in Akron where his co-workers got him into mountain biking and he started racing as a teen. Not only is Bailey’s racing career impressive- he smashed 24 hour races and dove into the endurance scene, but his adventures by bike are what really stand out. His first bike tour was from Durango to Fort Collins, inspired by a Raleigh Alyeska that was just begging to be ridden. He loves the freedom and space of just being outside and says there is nothing better than a bike tour with friends. He has called Durango home since 1999 and has worked at Durango Cyclery since 2004. Here at the shop, he specializes in recycled bike builds and can put together a mean polo bike. Jon Bailey is also a long-time coach for Durango Devo. He has worked with just about every age group and helped grow the Explorers program (the first youth bikepacking program in the world.) He just loves riding bikes with kids and developing life-long cyclists. His talent extends beyond cycling and mechanic-ing. Everyone who is anyone knows Bailey’s art. You can see his art on many event posters, such as for the Silverton Whiteout, murals- like the one on our building, in his regular column in Mountain Flyer magazine as well as at the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic 50-year Anniversary exhibit and at Studio & Gallery.
Photo: Eszter Horanyi
Katie scott
Hometown? Boulder, CO
If you were a dog, what breed would you be? I think I’d be a wolf.
Fixies? Yeah, nah, or meh? Yes! They feel so smooth and freeing to ride. But with brakes!
Tacos or burritos? Both! Love the breakfast burritos they make for me at DNF. And the fish tacos at Zia.
Favorite Tool? Wheel truing stand, spokey and spoke tension meter.
Do you want to share your favorite ride around Durango or just say Twin Buttes? Haha I’ll just say Twin Buttes and I’ll share that I like any big suffer-y climb
Give us a pro tip (does not need to be bike related.) Glute activations for all the cyclists! Use those glutes!
What’s your story? Katie grew up riding bikes around her neighborhood as a means of fun and escape. She learned how to mountain bike at a young age, but it wasn’t until moving to Durango to attend FLC that she decided to focus on cycling as her main sport. She began racing cyclocross and loves how this crazy discipline makes her feel like a little kid again. Now, Katie’s focus is primarily on longer distance endurance riding with lots of climbing and getting into the backcountry. Katie’s career in the bicycle industry began at a bicycle co-op in Boulder, where as a volunteer, she learned all about bicycle maintenance. She went on to work at the nonprofit in sales and as a mechanic and a maintenance workshop instructor. She also created a WTF (Women Trans Femme) program, promoting gender diversity and offering a space for trans, nonbinary, femme and women riders to work on their own bikes and learn.
Max bechtolt
Hometown? Denver, CO
If you were a dog, what breed would you be? He’d be a freakin’ pitbull or a bull dog.
Fixies? Yeah, nah, or meh? Fixies? Max grew up riding fixed, but he’d say to keep ‘em in the city. We heard he once did a backflip on a fixie.
Tacos or burritos? Burritos for sure. No bag and no chips.
Favorite Tool? PVC crown race press, custom built by Dylan Stucki.
Do you want to share your favorite ride around Durango or just say Twin Buttes? How about Swerve. He hates that trail.
Give us a pro tip (does not need to be bike related.) Max has got a lot of good pro-tips but I can’t remember any of them.
What’s your story? Max started mountain biking at a young age with his dad on the Front Range. In high school he got into downhill riding, frequenting Trestle bike park. Max came to Fort Lewis College for the mountain bike team. He had never raced before and says he was humbled by the talent on the team, but quickly grew as a rider. With FLC cycling he raced downhill, dual slalom and BMX. Max is also a long time Durango Devo coach, having worked with the U14 boys, Flyers and Senders gravity programs, Endevo enduro team, U19, and the Dad’s group. He enjoys watching the riders progress and growing connections with each team. Not many people know that Max also tears it up playing bike polo (Sundays at Park Elementary!) He says it’s the peer pressure that has kept him coming back. His secret talent on the field is his ability to make assists. Max is a typical Durango underground shredder with a tendency to rip turns hard enough to dislocate tires and we’ve been lucky to have him at the cyclery since 2017.
Tracy Wilde
Hometown? Denver, CO
If you were a dog, what breed would you be? German shorthaired pointer, sleek, beautiful, so athletic- I love them.
Fixies? Yeah, nah, or meh? Not in town, only on the track. I raced track for 17 seasons and went to the Olympic selection trial in Houston in 1989. My home track was Colorado Springs.
Tacos or burritos? It depends on what Tom is cooking. If it’s a taco, it’s gotta be softshell.
Favorite Tool? That’s an astronomical question! (Hard to answer this question when you’ve been a mechanic as long as Tracy.) Derailleur hanger alignment tool. Second favorite would be my bike!
Do you want to share your favorite ride around Durango or just say Twin Buttes? Coming to work everyday and going home for dinner on my favorite bike.
Give us a pro tip (does not need to be bike related.) Wake up with a smile on your face everyday.
What’s your Story? Tracy fell in love with cycling at just six years old. Her family lived a mostly car-free lifestyle and she enjoyed the freedom her bike gave her (as well as the ability to avoid taking the school bus and ditch class to ride.) Tracy began her road racing career at seventeen. “Racing just seemed the natural thing to do,” she recalls. At the time, women’s cycling was small but full of talent and she raced with stars like Connie Carpenter and Rebecca Twig. She later took to track cycling and made a good showing at the Olympic trials. Tracy’s professional career as a mechanic had its inception in Denver at I Like Bikes shop when she was in high school. Her skill was instantly recognized and she became the lead mechanic there. She developed her career as a race mechanic and took to the road with Shimano and later on Campagnolo supporting road, triathlon, track and mountain bike events where she serviced hundreds of bikes and could even complete a wheel change in 8 seconds. At the time, she was one of only two UCI licensed female techs in North America and studied and taught other mechanics with the US Cycling Federation. She became the Yeti Factory team mechanic supporting the likes of Julie Furtado and Missy Giove. Tracy has also worked teaching clinics with iconic women’s cycling group, the WOMBATS (Women’s Mountain Bike and Tea Society- look them up!) In 1990 Tracy settled in Durango more permanently and had an eighteen-year stint with Mountain Bike Specialists. Russel nabbed this star talent for Durango Cyclery about six years ago where she is our resident expert on anything vintage or weird and has been responsible for organizing our used parts inventory. Outside of riding or wrenching on bikes, Tracy is also an artist. You can find some of her work for sale here at the shop and also on display at the Iron Horse exhibit.
Hometown? Aztec, NM
If you were a dog, what breed would you be? A perfect mix of seventeen different breeds.
Fixies? Yeah, nah, or meh? Nah man.
Tacos or burritos? Yes.
Favorite Tool? Poop bag.
Do you want to share your favorite ride around Durango or just say Twin Buttes? Hot laps at the dog park.
Give us a pro tip (does not need to be bike related.) All time is snack time.
What’s your story? I was discovered and recruited by Parker’s Animal Rescue in a shelter in Aztec. They recognized my potential as the fastest trail dog in Durango and the best dog in the world. My potential was realized when I was hired on as the official DC shop dog and greeter. Now, at Durango Cyclery, I am the Employee of the Month every month for my hard work emotionally supporting all my friends, holding down the fort from my bed behind the counter, winning over the meter maid for all you folks who forget to pay the meter or get stuck talking to Joe for too long, standing in as mother figure when needed, keeping people safe from high-fives that have the potential to turn into accidental slaps, learning new tricks- like jumping through a tire, and bringing the stoke with tail wags, little howls, and big smiles.