Ted Schwartz arrived at Above Category earlier this year to take over as Service Director and Lead Mechanic, a role that had belonged to one person for the previous eight, and he came to it after nine years at Métier in Seattle. What became clear quickly had less to do with the workstand than with everything around it: Ted is a Cat 1 racer and a lifelong cyclist who spends as much time thinking about how a bicycle rides as about how it goes together. We sat down with him to talk about where he started, what brought him to Marin, and why a good build begins well before anyone picks up a wrench.
Let’s start at the beginning. Do you remember your first bike? What got you into cycling?
I think the first bike that was truly mine, and not just a clunker in the garage, was a chromed-out Schwinn BMX I got for Christmas when I was probably five or six. Growing up in Fort Collins, Colorado, I rode a variety of cheap mountain bikes and my dad’s steel Bianchi road bike around town, on the Spring Creek Trail, to school, and to go and get candy whenever I wanted. I remember watching the Tour de France when Lance was winning.
Nothing serious until I moved to Seattle at 18, where there was a huge culture of young people riding bikes and going to parties. I had a crush on a girl who was part of that scene, and naturally I wanted to be part of it too. So I started riding a cheap fixed-gear, raced a few alleycats, had my dad ship me the Bianchi to commute on, and met some good people who got me into racing in my early 20s. Around that time I’d come back from a touring trip from Jasper National Park to Fort Collins and was working as a bike messenger, but I wasn’t making enough money, so my buddy Bryan got me an entry-level mechanic job at the local bike shop, which led to my career in the cycling industry.
You spent nine years at Métier in Seattle, working with a wide range of riders and bikes. What did that experience teach you about service and bike fitting?
Most of what I know about racing and wrenching I owe to the people I worked with there. It was a place created by and for passionate cyclists, very community-driven, which meant I was regularly riding and racing with people whose bikes had passed through my workstand. That gave me a better understanding of how people really use their bikes and the conditions they ride in, whether that’s club riders or some of the best racers in the state.
What attracted you to Above Category?
I’d been aware of Above Category for a few years. The bikes were stunning, and it was clear there was a lot of passion for cycling behind it. As a novice mechanic, it was always at the top of my list of places I dreamed of working.
You’ve traded Seattle for Marin County. How has the transition been?
Seattle had been home for so long. I really miss my friends, the racing community, swimming in the lake, and the weather from about July 15th to October 1st (ha). That’s really been the only hard part. Otherwise we love being so close to the ocean, the roads, the weather and the access to nature. My fiancée and I both have jobs in industries we’re passionate about, and we can ride our bikes to work, which is easy to take for granted around here.
You’re also a Cat 1 racer. How does being an active racer influence the way you approach building and servicing bikes for clients?
Essentially every product our clients use, I’ve also used extensively, and most issues clients have with their bikes, I’ve had with my own. I believe racing is the ultimate test of how a product holds up over time and performs in the most extreme circumstances. I want to build and service bikes so they not only look beautiful but are enjoyed and ridden hard, as they should be.
Above Category is known for thoughtful custom and stock builds built around the rider. What’s one thing you’ve seen surprise clients about a modern high-performance bicycle setup?
How long it actually takes to build the bike to our standards.
You’ve worked on everything from professional race bikes to supporting the U.S. Women’s National Team. Is there a particular build that excites you the most, and what makes it special?
Any bike I know is going to be ridden. I’ve always enjoyed working with athletes who really test their equipment. It’s not quite as satisfying knowing a bike is going to sit in the garage or be overly babied. Personally, I’ve been really into Baums lately. There’s something raw about them, with so much precision underneath it all. An Orbis would be my first choice if I were building a titanium bike for myself.
Asked which build excites him most
Any bike I know is going to be ridden.
Ted Schwartz
In your opinion, what separates a great custom bike from simply an expensive one?
A bike that’s put together with intention and suits the rider’s needs: geometry that works, good paint, and reliable components.
Marin has no shortage of incredible roads. What’s your current favorite ride, and what makes it special?
I’ve been really loving a gravel route that starts about ten minutes from my front door and ends at AC.
Looking ahead, what are you most excited about in your new role at Above Category, and what can clients expect when they bring a bike into the service department?
I’m a die-hard roadie at heart. I think a lot about performance and love talking about aerodynamics, marginal gains, training, nutrition and new tech, so a lot of that is reflected in how I build and service bikes. I’m excited to see how AC grows into the new space next door, and how we can offer our clients more in the way of a club, events and service packages, and get to know some new faces who share the passion.
I want to build and service bikes so they not only look beautiful but are enjoyed and ridden hard, as they should be.
Ted Schwartz
The wheels
Since early September Ted has been riding the Factor on ENVE’s new SES 6.7 PRO, which joins our wheel lineup today. When the UCI capped rim depth at the start of this year, ENVE took the occasion to engineer the wheel from the ground up, drawing on everything the SES 4.5 PRO had taught them and on the crucial input of UAE Team Emirates and Tadej Pogačar, and the result is a 59 mm front and a 65 mm rear shaped around a 28 mm tire, turning on Innerdrive PRO hubs and ceramic bearings, 1495 g for the pair and built in Ogden, Utah. See the SES 6.7 PRO. His full review will follow in the Journal.
Everything you want from an aero wheel and nothing you don’t. Next to the 4.5 PRO you feel the extra mass at lower speeds, but on flat and rolling roads they’re effortless, and they ride with less harshness than some of the alternatives at this depth.
Ted Schwartz
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