Meet Zach Geller | Bicycle Frame Fabricator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zach Geller and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zach, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Mountain biking has always been a big part of my life including racing and working in local bike shops throughout my childhood, High School, and College.  My higher education and first career led me away from bikes for a time, but I always knew that I’d come back to the industry. Slowly, I taught myself how to weld and fabricate bike frames in my spare time.  I began to build a small client base and gradually built a brand – I determined this was my way back into bicycles and decided to start Acoustic Cycles.  I established this small business not just because I had a strong adoration for bicycles, design and fabrication, but it went much further than that. I launched my own company so I could be involved in every aspect that comes along with starting, growing and maintaining a small business. I wanted to be heavily involved in branding, marketing, and sales on top of being the producer of the actual product. I wanted to see where my visions for the company could not only take our products, but how we could benefit the community both locally and as a broader member of the bike industry.  I started this small business with the goal of bringing quality, handmade, custom Colorado-produced frames to the cycling world.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Acoustic Cycles designs and manufactures custom, handmade steel and titanium bicycles in Pine, Colorado.  We specialize in all offroad bike disciplines from Downhill to Gravel, and Bikepacking to Trail Riding – When the trails turn to dirt and the tires get a little knobbier, that’s where our focus lies.  Each custom bicycle is made to reflect and celebrate the unique styles and tastes of each client.  We strive to have a patron fully engaged in their frame-building process from conception to hand-off to ensure they form a meaningful bond with our creation. Our bikes do not have model years because they are crafted to last a lifetime.  With geometry and adaptability at the core of every design, our custom bicycles are made to always keep up with our clients. Every detail is scrutinized from water bottle placement to suspension kinematics to ensure well thought composition and function.    Additionally, while every frame is made by hand, in Colorado we also endeavour to use as many American-Made raw materials and components as we can.  We partner with the best domestic component manufacturers that our customers can choose from when selecting their custom build kits.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Each frame I build is custom designed and made solely by me in the mountains of Pine, Colorado. Every detail is scrutinized from water bottle placement to suspension kinematics to ensure a well thought composition and function.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was coming to Colorado for the week, our trip would look something like this (And spoiler, it involves a LOT of bikes and food):

Monday Thru Wednesday – Mountain Bike Trip in Crested Butte.

Day 1 – Butte Bagels for Breakfast, Ride the 401 Trail, Secret Stash for post ride pizza.

Day 2 – Butte Bagels for Breakfast, Ride Reno/Flag/Bear/Deadman Gulch Trails, Teocalli Tamale for all of the tacos (post-ride).

Day 3 – Shocker – Butte Bagels for Breakfast, Ride Doctors Park Trail, Ryce Asian Bistro to round out our food tour.

*Camp 4 Coffee and Third Bowl Ice cream will also be consumed daily, as needed.

Thursday – Head back to the Front Range.  Breakfast Burritos from Bonfire Burrito in Golden, CO.  Mountain Bike Tour of Golden – Ride White Ranch / Apex / Dakota Ridge Trails.  Post ride meal at Sherpa House for Nepalese Food and Beer.

Friday – Biking at Staunton State Park, followed by pizza and a beer from Snowpack Taproom.

Saturday – Big ride at Kenosha Pass.  Grab takeout from Golden Pine Chinese on the way home.

Sunday – Morning ride at Buffalo Creek. Lunch at Zoka’s.

This, of course, assumes my friend is coming out for a summer visit.  If they come out in the winter, we can keep the same itinerary – we will just need to ride our fatbikes (equipped with 5” wide tires) for the snow.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Acoustic Cycles would not be where it’s at (or quite frankly have even started) without the love, support, and patronage of a great list of people.  I’m very lucky to have a family full of my biggest cheerleaders and advisors that support me through the good and the tough times.  I would be nowhere without my amazing customers that have put a great deal of trust in me to be able to provide them with custom, quality frames and bicycles.  Lastly, my loving partner – without her support and guidance, Acoustic Cycles would not exist. Being a small business owner is no easy feat and I’m very thankful to have such an amazing person in my corner.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My Partner, Angelica Demopoulos. Without her support Acoustic Cycles would not exist. Being a small business owner is no easy feat and i’m very thankful to have such an amazing person in my corner.

Website: www.acousticcycles.com

Instagram: acousticcycles

Facebook: Acoustic Cycles

Image Credits
Alexandra Demopoulos Katie Sox