Sure, I had bikes as a kid. My first was a red Vista cruiser with 20" wheels and a removable top tube…so my sisters could use it as a “girl’s bike” after I moved on to my next ride. In the late 70’s, my parents bought me a horribly heavy orange Sears Free Spirit 10-speed that saw lots of miles until it was replaced by a slightly less dense Raleigh Record 12-speed. The Raleigh started to collect dust after I bought my first car, a ’65 Chevy Chevelle Super Sport, at the age of 15. The acquisition of that fine ride soon festered to a state of auto gluttony that lasted into my early twenties. At one point, I had 11 cars and trucks parked on my parents’ property. I started selling them off when common sense prevailed and my priorities changed; I realized that I’d have to get rid of my collection to pay for college tuition and art supplies.

Cycling came back into my life when the cars were gone. I purchased a sweet Suntour XC-Pro-equipped Columbus-tubed Cinelli mountain bike (made by Gary Fisher) and got hooked on bikes. I explored hiking trails, biking trails, pavement, deer paths, snowmobile trails…whatever seemed rideable, at the time. I rode year ‘round, and I figured out how to dress for all weather conditions. I learned how to repair my bike using books, magazines, trial and error. Having only one bike, I quickly wore out and broke components. That gave me the opportunity to upgrade and modify my ride. A summer of fantastic off-road riding, while living in Maine, made me focus on making a career of the cycling industry.

In 1994, I started working as a wrench and salesperson at a small bike shop in a northern suburb of Minneapolis. After 4 years of retail, I couldn’t deal with it anymore; I was tired of working nights and weekends while barely paying my bills. I made the move to a Mon-Fri job at Quality Bicycle Products (Surly’s US distributor and parent company) to pack boxes and pick parts from the warehouse shelves. I soon migrated to the customer service side of QBP and then into a position with Surly under the guidance of the original Surly MC, Wakeman Massie. When Wakeman moved back to Colorado several years ago, I took over to steer the Surly ship.

I’m still working in this industry, because I love cycling. I love the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits it provides me on a daily basis. I love the fact that human-powered vehicles have so much potential to do good things for mankind. I love the opportunity to be an integral part of the design and development of cycling components that I ultimately want to use. And, I’m proud to be part of a company and an industry that is made up of so many like-minded, fun-loving folks who share my passion for pedaling. I’m done when it stops being fun.

Dave Gray
dgray@surlybikes.com

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