NEWS photo Mike Wakefield DEEP COVE Bike Shop owner Chaz Romalis, joined by a canine pal, shows his locally designed and assembled Hummer mountain bike. The titanium-frame bike is designed to withstand rugged traii-riding condition if bike Deep Cove entrepreneur refines radical new mountain bike design RADICAL IS how Chaz Romalis describes the rugged terrain on the North Shore. By Richard Ostler Contributing Writer So the Deep Cove Bike Shop owner designed a radical bike to meet the demands of mountain riding. It's handcrafted titaniuin and it's expensive. Depending on the components for the bike. the pri nges from $3,000 to $-4.500. OF course, when you spend this amount of cash. i's going to be a great ride. “I's a bike for lifes’ Romatis said as he proudly displays his line of mountain bikes. “When you spend this much money you get a durable bike that lasts forever” The North Shore mountain trails are considered the best in the world by many local bikers. The area offers rugged trails, tough terrain, steep slopes and a close look at nature. It's everything extreme cyclists are looking for. If you are a crazy, somewhat psychotic cyclist as Romalis clain are, then you need the strength of titanium and a design for safet “We have the most radical trails in the world and no one was ducive to the North Shore.” said Romiatis. The 16-year veteran of mountain and trail biking has been working on his bike design for the last three years. He spent one of those years riding the prototype and fine -tuning its design. ‘There's no secret formula.” he said. “It all comes down from years of riding His bike design is called the Hummer, which he and a friend named while talking in a bar. He said he liked the name and it had great potential for advertising. (Ht rhymes with summer and bummer leading to the catch phrase, “Don’t let summers be a bum- mer, get a Hummer”). But Romalis said it's been hard work to get the bicycle to catch on until recently. Since mountain biking became a big trend in the carly 1980s, many entrepreneurs have failed to sell home-grown bike designs. “Other people have tried to do it but they went broke, ing.” Doug LaFavor is another North Vancouverite who is in the business of designing bikes. He said his company has been growing steadily over the years. He has been a key designer of Kona bikes and components for nearly a dec bikes range in price between about $500 and $2.500. LaFavor, like Romalis. has been mountain biking for years and says his ideas come from riding the trails. “Everything we design comes front riders’ experience.” LaFavor suid, “You hi edge when you ride the bikes and test them yourself” LaFavor said some of the best bigyele designs come out of the Lower marily because the best trails are on the North Shore. “Vancouver is positively the leading edge for bike design.” he said sssful people.” some of his sat ning a bike con- Romuatis said. “It's all tim- le. Koni ee end Fhoto submitted JOHNNY SMOKE, of Deep Cove Bike Shop, takes charge of the vertical terrain at Mount Seymour with a vengeance. His bike, the Hummer, is designed by Deep Cove Cycle shop owner Chaz Romalis. cyclists the because or steep The bikes offer slight alterations in the frame 10 giv est performance and steering. Romialis says titania isu light and it’s strong. And when you're cycling down cl fou cat break ihore bullet prool? he said. * sd on th aid that once the bike's design is perle Shore it's suitable for any terrain. “HU you take (the Hummer) anywhere in the world, Tl ride great” he said. “Because the terrain here is the wildest.” Roma a RR heisted WHEN YOU have a bike worth over $4,500, the fear of theft is ever-present. By Richard Ostler Contributing Writer For the Deep Cove Bike Shop that fear becume a reality in October when a man came in to the North Vancouver store to test ride one of its new titanium bikes and never returned. Unlike the rest of the bikes in the store, the target of theft: was handerafted and designed in North Vancouver with a limited production of about SO. Deep Cove Bike Shop owner Romalis the thief called recen y he had dropped off the bike about a block from the store. “Because it was such a unique bike. I guess he couldn’t sell it." Romalis said. “The guy had a heart. Maybe not all thieves are bad.” Romulis was lucky. Andrew Secord, owner of the Bike Cellar in North Vancouver, takes considerable precaution to avoid his $3,000 bike being taken. “If [ go to the bank or some- thing, PU be quite happy to take my bike in with me.” Secord said. Hf store owners are unfriendly to the idea of bikes in their stures, Secord recommends the Kryptonite Evolution Series Jock. The New York model will slow down mast thieve: Other locks include the heavy duty chain, which like the bikes, can be expensive, anywhere from $150 to $200.