Bikes of BBP & Their Humans: Meet Jason
Heyo! I’m excited for another week of “Bikes of BBP!” It was a long time coming for Jason to join our team. We knew he was a skilled home mechanic with a big passion for bikes, but we both had to be patient until a spot on the mechanic schedule opened up. I am continuously impressed by Jason’s commitment to ongoing, self-led education and his extremely happy and easy-going attitude. I can’t wait for you to meet his bike…
Your name: Jason Marden
Your pronouns: he / him
Your role at BBP: mechanic
Your bike make & model: 1980s Olympia MTB
When did you build your bike?: About 2 years ago
Your bike name: Crush, as in Orange Crush
What’s the story of your bike?: Crush is my everyday driver. I picked up the frame about 3 years ago from a guy on Craigslist, along with a bunch of other vintage bike parts. The frame is an 80s Olympia brand. You might think Pacific Northwest when you hear Olympia; but actually, it is an old company in Italy, the second oldest Italian bike manufacturer behind Bianchi. According to my research, only a small number of Olympias were imported to the US through a dealer in New York in the 80s, which makes me wonder how this one made it all the way to Boise.
The brake calipers, fork, and headset are all original to the frame. The bull-moose style handlebars I fished out of a LBS scrap pile with the owner's permission. Most everything else on the bike is recycled parts from the BBP.
I built up the bike at the BBP before I became a mechanic here. The paint and decals were very scratched up, to the point some rust was coming through, so I sanded it down and rattle can painted it orange. It was originally a reddish color. It's a good 20 foot paint job, meaning it looks pretty good from about 20 feet away.
The frame was bent. N helped me straighten it. I spread the rear drop outs from 126mm to 130mm to accommodate a wider hub and its current 3x6 drivetrain. Interestingly, even though the frame is Italian, it has an English standard bottom bracket with 1.370" x 24 tpi and right handed tread on the non-drive side.
I've since swapped the wheels a couple times (I'm still searching for the perfect pair). I usually run 1.5 or 1.75 semi-slick tires for a smoother ride around Mountain Home, where I live. Crush gets me wherever I'm going; I rarely drive in town. I don't know how many miles I've put on it, but it's a lot—in the thousands. The entire initial build cost me about $60.
What’s your favorite feature on your bike?: Probably the frame. I had fun researching it and learning about the Olympia bicycle company. I really enjoy researching the when, who, where, etc. of older bikes and trying to find their original catalogs (I have yet to find the catalog for this bike. If anyone has a lead, I'd really appreciate it). Mountain biking had just become a thing not long before this frame was made. It's cool to ride a piece of history. The bull-moose bars are a close second. I actually climbed down into a big dumpster to pull them out; otherwise they would have been melted down as scrap. I've got a thing for bull-moose bars.
What’s your favorite ice cream?: Coconut. I love pretty much anything coconut.
What does Wes (BBP Mechanic and Inventory Influencer) appreciate about Jason?: “Jason is steadfast and dependable. His PMA (positive mental attitude) keeps everything humming along pleasantly even when the shop is busy. Jason is committed to growing his skills and always looking to learn something new.”
What does Emily (author of this post) appreciate about Jason?: I already shared a bit about what I admire about Jason in the intro of this post. I really do admire his commitment to continued education and skills improvement. Our staff members each have a locker, and Jason displays his certificates from ongoing education courses on his. I think this is a real example of who we strive to be at BBP—inspired to always be learning. Jason is so genuine and kind. He walks the walk. Or I guess I should say, he rides the ride.
What’s are you currently doing during our shop closure? I have a little shop set up in my home garage. I've been fixing up some sweet bikes at home for the BBP so we have an awesome inventory ready when we can re-open our doors to the public (also, check out the current inventory of great bikes for sale on the BBP website!)
