Valmont Bike Park Grand Opening this weekend! Be there or be missing it on Saturday!

Ben here -

Recently, my vehicle needed an emissions test done. I drive up Airport road off of North Valmont and what do I see to my right? Huckability! Serious stuff that would make the number one Red Bull athlete pucker up – The new Valmont Bike Park. Absolutely huge features, pump tracks, etc. I thought, no way is that for me. I’m a fragile dad with a diminishing ego… I don’t need to prove anything. Then I learn, this park is not just for the elite, its considered one of the most progressive bike parks in the world. There is something for everyone. Singletrack, smaller pump tracks that help beginners learn in a safe environment.

Some serious doubles, note - not for the faint of heart, but this is for the heart of Boulder!

More sick lines to be had, we are itching to get on the park!

With two kids whose egos are growing with every pedal stroke, this was music to my ears. Something I can do with them and we can all have fun.

A sick wall hit! Can you say POW!

Needless to say, I am pumped for Valmont Bike Park’s grand opening this weekend! They open June 11th – I encourage any local cyclist to at least go check it out. This is a free park that should charge Disneyland prices… you’re cheating yourself by not going. See you this weekend!

Flying off of this would be nice...

The Rocky Mountain Bike Festival signs are colorful for the summer!

80’s and sunny this weekend? Check. Spend the weekend outdoors in the gorgeous spring weather? Check. Attend the 4th annual Rocky Mountain Bike Festival at Invesco Field in Denver? Check!

In Leadville in 2010, the backdrop was amazing! On to Denver this year

This will be the second year we are attending the festival and we couldn’t be more excited. With last year’s event up in Leadville, the highest city in the US, the increase in oxygen and warm weather will be a welcome in Denver. The festival will run from 10am-6pm both Saturday and Sunday in the M parking lot at Invesco Field. The Denver Century Ride will start and finish in the same location on the 12th with a community fun ride on the 11th.

Ben Duke shows off his Gear Movement T-shirt under our booth!

With all this good cycling activity Ben and Jordan couldn’t miss this opportunity to show the fine talents of The Gear Movement crew. We have dug deep into the inventory at the shop to pull out some great giveaways and a couple of pieces of high-end gear to raffle off. We will have an HTC-Highroad ProTeam signed Giro d’Italia official jersey on hand for one lucky winner to take home!

The festival was busy in Leadville, its gonna be packed in Denver at Invesco!

Look for our tent and wrapped car, and stop by the booth for some fun smoozing and boozing with Ben and Jordan!

Jordan Schware and Tom Hopper ham it up next to The Gear Movement booth in Leadville last year

Rad 80's gear, this is a necessity... Photo courtesy of eBay seller Retrovision65

Third, what to do? Um…. Ski. Or snowboard, whatever floats your boat, who needs to get specific? Or wait!… lets get specific… MONOSKIING! Ya, that bridges the gap! That’s totally 80’s bro! I’d give a body part to have one of those. If we get one in to sell, we’ll be sure to make a fuss about it in another, never boring, Newsletter.

Looking to bridge the gap? Done! Phot courtesy of www.pdhyman.com

Ok, fourth consideration to consider considerably would be your ability to pull a Spread Eagle… (level = Easy)

Skill Level = Spread Eagle, check! Photo courtesy of amazing bad-ass spread eagle dude...

Ok, got that one? Think that’s easy? Try a Daffy… (level = Medium)

Need we say more? Uhh no... Photo courtesy of www.shredbook.com

Ok hot shot. You’re beyond level Medium… it’s time to try a Screamin’ Seamen!

Seriously, this video is a must see, the guy does a 360 and a Screamin’ Seamen. at the same time! Not even guys from the 80’s could pull that off! …. “Poor some sugar on me” – ya sing it!

Finally, you’ll need to listen to good music. The 80’s rocked! Today, artists are trying to recreate the sounds of 80’s rock legends like Queen. Although they’re no match, today’s tunes are actually quite catchy.

Fast Tube by Casper

…CRAP! I’m old. I can’t tell you any new artists to listen to, or what exactly to wear when you’re NOT skiing. So just listen to Def Leopord; wear bright clothes (that are too tight in some areas and too baggy in others w/ tendancies to lowride); buy a Mono-Board, and with it… try a SPREAD EAGLE!

‘Till next time – CHEERS!

Ben, Jordan and the entire crew at The Gear Movement. Rock on!

The famous Tram at Jackson, fresh Pow here we come... Photo Courtesy of www.snowrev.com

If you’re like the rest of us, you probably had your fair share of holiday gifts, parties, lights, trees, crowds and hoopla. You’re ready to bundle up and grit your way through the winter months with a few glasses of red wine and wait for spring to arrive when we can all go out and play again!

Well, we have a few ideas that will help pass the time and, hey, maybe even make winter fun…

First idea? Well, skiing of course. Tons of snow in the high country means plenty-o-pow for you powder junkies. And, yes, we have a nice selection of skis, backcountry equipment, and warm clothing to get you out and playing for a reasonable, affordable cost. If you’re like me, you’ll want to spend that extra money you save on a trip to, well, Jackson Hole, WY. Did you know that you can get 3 nights lodging and 2 days of skiing for only $229 per person when you go up with 4 or more people? Ya, just found that out, I’m heading out at the end of the month and am likely skiing while you’re reading this – HA! Now, it’s Your turn!

Hiking the ridge at Jackson Photo courtesy of www.onthesnow.com

Second idea? Clean out the house. Ok, this one is not as fun; but the wife and I have been on a cleanse binge and it feels great to simplify our lives! Once you start, you won’t stop ‘till the house feels right. How do we get rid of all that extra junk? Oh yes, it’s another plug for The Gear Movement! Turn that old junk into cash so you can go to Jackson Hole!

Last idea? Go to the Denver Stock Show. Ok, too late now, but put it on your calendar for next January. If you live in Colorado, you must go ‘hick’ at least once, and this is the perfect opportunity. My kids loved it. They got to ride the merry-go-round driven by real ponies, pet the pigs, lamas and goats, and even see a real live, um, ah, cow show. How exciting! Ok, no kids? Then just go to the Rodeo at least, it’s a blast and you get to drink beer (which is a change from the wine you’ve been drinking).

Fast Tube by Casper

T-Shirt Contest? That’s it, I’m all out of ideas – let us know some of your ideas and we’ll give a free T-shirt to the best idea. Maybe even post that idea in our next Newsletter. Email us your winter fun ideas and you could win a sweet Gear Movement T-Shirt! If you dont want to be creative we can sell you one… just shoot us an email and we will hook it up!

The Gear Movement T-Shirt. Win yours today!

Rock On – Ben!

The set for the Movie: "127 Hours" About Aron Ralston who had to cut his own arm off after getting stuck in the rocks in Moab

We rolled into Moab and on up to Sandy Flats campground around 7:30. We noticed signs for “127 Hours” – What’s that? Then we saw camera crews, a full Hollywood set-up… later found out it was the filming of the movie about the Aaron Ralston story – the guy who had to cut his own arm off after getting trapped in a canyon on a solo mission. Bonus.

We woke up the next morning – weather was iffy – but it held out long enough for us to ride Slickrock….

Nicole Duke riding the Moab Slickrock

Nicole Duke, posing in Moab, I would say the only time she wasnt hammering me into the ground!

…what a wonderland!

Then the rain came – we hid in our pimped out van for a few hours the reaped the benefits a gnarly storm cloud can have on a sunset!

The Beautiful Moab Sunset

Ya, that’s not a fire.

The next day was a beautiful one – and we cranked out the Porcupine loop – I love this trail and all its wonderful views !!!

On your birthday, can it get any better than this?

Happy Birthday Nicole!!!

Fast Tube by Casper

Sometimes our emplyees and owners alike need to go the extra mile to sell our products. Such is the commitment here at TGM that we offer to our clients. We will slave away to sell your gear at the top dollar price if that is what it takes to make you happy!

The above video was shot by Jordan, with Ben as our model and just about the whole TGM crew in attendance, laughing hilariously! Sometimes you just got to have fun. Crazy thing about it was that we got these skinsuits sold no problem, and for maximum dollar. I don’t like to use this space to pump our ego our our services, this is more a space for us to tell our fans and potential new clients that we use a fun atmosphere to seriously get the job done!

Ben Duke, modeling the latest in ski slope fashion!

One of the perks of working here at TGM, is that you get to pose in our ridiculous photo booth wearing some of the crazy clothing we get! Here is to you, our brave employees!!

The Latest in Jelly Belly fashion wear from TGM! Modeled by Nick "Diesel" Ranno

Now Presenting, the one, the only, Mr. Duke!

So, I’ve never blogged nor do I Facebook often, but my business partner Jordan insisted I join the 21st century…

What does one blog about? I’ll just keep it short and sweet.

2009 has been a fast paced, crazy year. My wife Nicole and I received a new addition to the Duke family, Canin. She is the cutest girl in Boulder. She just turned 1 in October. Our son, Ryder, just turned 4. So you can only imagine how busy that part of my life has been.

Our newest addition to the Duke Family, Canin, just look at those cheeks!

My other part of life? New business… The Gear Movement. An exciting and stressful time it has been. Jordan and I started our eBay business selling new and used sporting goods back in March.. We have grown beyond our greatest expectations, which is simply awesome! Needless to say, we’ve been busy – and we want to thank all of you who support us – you all rock!

What does Spiderman, aka Ryder Duke do during his downtime?

So what now? 2010! Should be another fun packed, work filled, kid screaming year – and I hope to find some time to ride my bike along the way.

Happy Holidays!

The new space at - roll up warehouse door - pre tuneup

We don’t want to jinx anything before it has happened but we wanted to let all of our fans and current clientele know that we might be moving out of the cramped basement soon!

Duke and myself just did our first tour of commercial and industrial retail locations around Boulder. For any of you who have never done this, even if you don’t have a business that needs a new location, I would recommend setting out on one of these trips with a realtor. Try not to tell them off the bat that you are not really looking for a space!

Hanging bike racks from the rafters - Ben, and Mike Dunn

We met with Kimberly Baldwin on Lee Hill Dr. looking at a place in the Holiday part of town. There are some pretty cool buildings over there, but the floor plans are quite limited. We next traveled down to a spot over on Old Pearl Pkwy between 47th and 49th. This location was super cool with huge ceilings, a bathroom and tons of space, but the location is just a little off. Any of you who have ridden the bike path around this area can attest to that…

Painting with Ryder Duke - he was awesome!

Next was off to a location on Walnut at 4745. The building is a three-unit space with the back unit being the old shipping dept of some former business. This place seemed to be a perfect fit for our biz! The property comes chalk full of bonuses – the old Boulder rail sign on the railroad behind the back of the property, a loading dock, basketball hoop, ample area for a grill, table and chairs, and premium location just off the bike path!

Our final stop on the day was a building adjacent to Graham Watson’s studio on Central Pkwy just off of 55th. Great location but the building just wasn’t right for our purposes, too many sectioned off offices and too little warehousing space. Hopefully we will be able to have some negotiations with the owners at 4745 Walnut and sooner than later we can sign a lease and move into the spot, wish us luck!

Nearing the end - painting the floor, phew bad, bad fumes!

The beginning of it all. The motherload from a great shop in CO

So when Ben and myself started to devise a plan to do an upstart new business in the early months of ’09, we obviously decided to put our knowledge of current affairs, the economy and our business degree to great use, hint the sarcasm.

Believe it or not, this is almost the perfect economic climate to create a new venture devoted to helping people “Move Their Gear.” We created a company where individuals, pro teams, pro athletes, independent reps, industry insiders, and independent retailers can sell their unused, used and even abused gear to the masses through eBay. With a slow economy and the lack of time everyone now has on their hands having to fill in spare small jobs on their calendars to make ends meet – enter The Gear Movement.

Pack it all in! A 22ft box truck full to the brim, ohhh yeahh!!

What we didn’t anticipate was the steady and increasing amount of growth we have seen in just a few months of business. Although the business is still run out of my increasingly cramped house in NoBoCo we are feeling the effects of the growth pretty steadily. Numbers are jumping and new clients are coming though the doors, a few days ago this meant a new phone plan (new iphones) for Duke and myself. Apparently Duke had been using the “free with plan” phone for about 3 years, finally we hooked him up!

The one and only - Mr. Ben Duke, uhh hows the mocha?

Another cool thing about owning our own business is that Duke and myself have been able to make our own hours and be responsible only to our selves, well actually Ben has a few other mouths to feed, but for the most part…

Heres to more bike rides and working towards what we call, “something cool!”