Main Article: Meet Rick Harmon |
July 20, 2006
One quick phone call for directions to Henry Ambrose, Owner/Manager of Harpeth Bicycles, and I'm on my way to meet one of Franklin's best kept secrets in the mountain bike industry. Rick Harmon, bike mechanic for Harpeth Bicycles, expert class cross country racer, factory sponsored bmx rider, and the list goes on.
Rick Harmon, bike mechanic at Harpeth
Bicycles in Franklin, TN.
Now 43 years old, Harmon has been riding bikes nearly all of his life. He started taking classes to learn about cycling mechanics at the age of 14 in Columbia, TN.
Today, I was able to sneak Harmon away from the work bench just long enough to ask some questions about his lifelong love of biking, being a bike mechanic, and a no holds barred look at how Harpeth Bicycles can help you with your mountain biking needs.
Harpeth Bicycles is located in Franklin, TN at the corner of Mack Hatcher Memorial Parkway and Hillsboro Road.
Website: www.HarpethBicycles.com
Hours: Monday through Saturday 10 am - 6 pm. Closed on Sundays.
1110 Hillsboro Rd.
Franklin, TN 37064
615-791-7959
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Harpeth Bicycles Store Photos: |
Click the thumbnails below for larger versions.
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10% Discount for NMB Board Members: |
Are you a member of Nashville Mountain Bike's FREE message board? If not, you'd better go register right away!! Harpeth Bicycles is offering 10% off of all bikes, parts, clothing, and accessories to all NMB Message Board members. (Not including service.)
Soon, all members will have the opportunity to carry an NMB card to keep in their wallets at all times to present to Harpeth Bikes. For now, all you need to do is mention that you are a board member, tell them your screen name, and you'll be awarded the 10% discount.
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Monthly Contest & Prize Giveaway: |
Also, for all NMB Message Board members there will be a monthly contest and prize giveaway from Harpeth Bicycles. Be the first to answer the trivia question, or whatever type of contest Henry chooses, and you'll win that month's prize. It's that easy!!
Visit the NMB Message Board right away to find out what this month's prize and contest is!! (The contest will be listed under the Open Discussion thread.) If you have any questions please contact Reed Lilley or Henry Ambrose.
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Questions & Answers: With Rick Harmon |
Meeting bike mechanics is generally intimidating for me, because my level of biking terminology leaves much to be desired. Immediately upon meeting Rick, it was apparent that I could let go of any anxiety I was holding onto. Rick was extremely friendly, down to earth, and eager to answer any questions I threw his direction. This made it easy much easier for a non-techy mountain biker like myself to keep up with all of his bike lingo. Enjoy...
NMB - Hello Rick, Just so you know, I'm new at this interviewing thing, so if it seems like I'm nervous, I probably am. Thank you for the opportunity to meet with you today.
Rick - How are you doing, Reed? It's good to meet you, don't worry, being interviewed isn't common for me either.
NMB - Tell us about your mechanic skills or specialties.
Rick - Well, I've been wrenching on bikes since I was just a kid. When I was about 14 years old I took some classes in Columbia, TN to help learn how take care of bikes. I was riding BMX back then, so there was always something that needed to be fixed. I really enjoy working on mountain bikes these days, the suspension designs, along with brake systems, tubeless tire setups, have all advanced so much, it just really interests me to learn about new designs. Fork rebuilds, hydraulic brake bleeds, and custom wheel builds are all things I'm accustomed to doing. I also enjoy working on road bikes, but mountain bikes have always kept my attention. I actually remember when it was tough decision just to replace the front fork with a suspension fork. Back then we were against it, until we learned how much faster we could ride with them. That's pretty much how I feel about full suspension now. They're so advanced it actually makes riding the bike faster, smoother, and more enjoyable.
NMB - What bike brands does Harpeth Bicycles carry? And what is the average turn around time for bike repairs?
Rick - We carry Kona, Sycip, Soma, Lynskey (used to be Litespeed), Serotta, Rivendell, and Schwinn. We work with lots of custom bike manufacturers, including mountain and road bikes. We've also go the whole family line of bikes. Comfort bikes, cruisers, children bikes, and more. Generally we can get bikes in and out of here in about two days. If there is a problem we can't fix and we need to order something it'll take a bit longer.
NMB - Do you still ride bikes today? It seems like bike mechanics tend to get burned out by the constant bike talk - all day, everyday.
Rick - Not me! I still love biking. I'm currently factory sponsored by Kappa in BMX racing, and I race mountain bikes for Harpeth Bicycles in the 40+ expert class. I've raced in the mountain bike Nationals 3 years in a row now, and I'm racing all of the championship series' races this season too. I've been in a few 24 hour team events and I used to ride a lot of downhill races but it's XC that really keeps me in it today.
NMB - I can't wait to hear about the bikes you race with!
Rick - [Not as lengthy on this topic as I would have expected] I ride a Kona King for XC. A Kappa BMX bike, and I've got an old custom Italvega road bike for training and commuting purposes. I like to really fill it up with extra water bottles, tubes, tools, and anything else I can stuff in the CamelBak to keep the weight up while training.
NMB - So, when you're not racing, wrenching, or training, where could we find you? And how did you get into biking in the first place?
Rick - I absolutely love getting away from the city and heading out on those 4 or 5 hour epic rides! I've got some trails in the Lawrenceburg, TN area I like to ride, and there's always Bear Creek. Out at Chickasaw Trace in Columbia, TN you'll find the Rick Harmon adopt-a-trail section too. When I was just a kid all of my friends were riding BMX bikes, so that's where it all started. A little later while working at a bike shop, a customer came in to buy a mountain bike to race that very weekend. That seemed crazy to me, but for some reason I bought one too, and ended up in my first race at Ellijay, GA that same weekend! It wasn't a very good race - but it was a great time.
NMB - Disc brakes, rim brakes, what's the deal?
Rick - This is pretty cut and dry at this point. Disc brakes are so technologically advanced today that there's really not much of an alternative. You can get them down as light as rim brakes, they offer better stopping power, and if you have a crash that untrues one of your wheels you'll be able to ride on knowing you can stop just fine. We all have our own preferences but I'd strongly push today's disc brakes.
NMB - Did you see today's Tour de France stage? (07/20/2006)
Rick - Oh yeah, we've been keeping tabs on that all day! It's great to see some x-mountain bike riders really stepping it up over there for the U.S.. Floyd Landis really rocked today. Back when I was racing downhill, I saw Landis do a rear wheel stall for about 25 feet all the way up to the starting line. Once he got there he laid the front wheel down as easy as could be right at the line. I'll never forget that one!
NMB - That must have been sweet to watch happen! It's getting late and you guys were closed about an hour ago, got anything else we should know about Harpeth Bicycles?
Rick - It seems like we've covered just about everything already. I should add that Henry, the store owner, is a real pro when it comes to sizing for your new bike, or helping to get your current bike set up a little better. He goes through a full blown interview process with each customer to make sure they get the best fitted bike possible. Also, with every new bike purchase you get a one year membership in the Harpeth Bike Club, and 10% off of any accessories.
NMB - Thank you again for taking all this time to talk with me. I had a great time learning about your personal biking endeavors, along with all of the great stuff happening out here at Harpeth Bicycles. It's obvious I'm gonna have to get a little better at taking notes for these interviews - I've got little scribbles all over, 10 pages worth of mumbo jumbo, and I've been here way longer than any of us expected.
Rick - Awe, no problem at all, it was great to get the chance to be in my first interview. Good to meet you, and don't get too worried about the interview, you were quite thorough!!
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