Name: SnackeyP
Real Name: Peter John Redin
Title: Surly G.M.
Mission: To soothe Surly's problems one Tuck’s Medicated
Pad at a time
Born: Madison, WI in the sixties (traumatized in the
womb by the JFK assassination)
Raised: The mean (suburban) streets of White Bear
Lake, MN
Yep, I’m the newest Surly. So, now that The Snack is in charge, things are gonna be a whole lot different around here. Well, not really. Mostly things will be different for myself, in that I’ll be working for one of the best companies on the friggin’ planet! Actually, I’ve been working on behalf of Surly for about five years, handling their international sales and marketing efforts, so I kinda knew what was in store for me when I hooked up full-time with these yokels. The transition into the Uncle Hulka role has been relatively painless so far, but I’m sure that Nick, Sov, Dave and Andy will do their best to change this if they can (believe me, they can).
I grew up riding bikes, but like most hormone-driven young men, abandoned them once I could drive a car. I got seriously into bikes again around 1990, when I moved to Japan. Living there did not require owning a car, but I soon found that having a bike would allow me to get places I couldn’t get to on the train. I visited a bike shop (Yokoyama Cycle) in Chiba City where I lived and found a tasty Araya mountain bike (Tange tubing, Deore 7-speed thumbies, Bio-Pace rings, all the accoutrements), and promptly laid down $700 for it. It was the first mountain bike I ever owned. I rode it everywhere. It became my best friend, and it took me to places I didn’t even know existed. I met up with some other English teachers who also rode bikes, and we did many epic rides together, and even dabbled in the local race scene. It didn’t take me too long to figure out that the 520mm size frame I was riding was too small for my 6’ 5” body, so about a year later I bought a Trek 8700 from Penn Cycle while I was home for Christmas vacation. The 22-inch frame fit me way better, and this quickly became my new best friend. I sold my Araya to another teacher and he rode it until she died about five years later. I mean, the bike died, not the teacher. The teacher was a he, not a she. Well, as far as I know anyway. She never tried anything on me. As far as I know.
The story of my addiction to bikes continues to the present. I find myself riding more on road than off road now, but I still love the dirt. It’s my back that complains (loudly) when I ride in the bumpy stuff. So, I am finding solace in road rides in the majestic countryside near my home, and the occasional urban ride with friends.
My days are fueled by good coffee, great music, and the company of my wife and two beautiful kids. Bikes add to the excitement of course. As for my job, well, working with bikes is more like a hobby for me, so I’m really excited to be working for Surly. That’s the shizznizzle. Thanks for havin’ me.Peter Redin
predin@surlybikes.com
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