Meet Ralf Medloff, Professional bicycle and race mechanic. I asked Ralf a few questions the other day so you can all get a better picture of the man who’s keeping your bikes in top shape!
Q: Ralf, where were you born? A: East Berlin, Germany in 1974.
Q: Wow, so you lived in EAST Berlin for 15 years before the wall came down! A: Ja.
Q: What did you do the day it came down? A: Nothing, had to stay at home as my father thought it might be too dangerous as there was still so much unknown. But the next day, after school I went to the wall.
Q: OK, how long did you live in Berlin? A: 22 years, and then I left for Munich to continue my study in Carpentry.
Q: When did you first get involved with the bicycle? A: When I was 14 years old I got my Grandfathers old touring bike. This was incredible as it offered so much freedom! Then my coach started a bike shop and I helped him out. When I was 16 I built my first real road bike, a bright red Olmo.
Q: Nice starter bike! What else did you do at this time? A: I played soccer and was a ballroom dancer, even competing a little bit including a third place finish. I also studied carpentry.
Q: Ballroom dancer? You must have met a lot of girls! A: There were some girls, but mostly a lot of boys who didn’t like girls, you know? In the end I put my energy into studying carpentry and working with the bicycle
Q: For the bicycle, any racing? A: Yes, mainly track racing. I did mainly pursuit and points races. Track is by far my favorite type of bicycle racing.
Q: So that would explain why you have the smoothest pedaling action I’ve seen and most likely also answers my next question which is if you could only have one type of bike what would it be? A: A track bike!
Q: I’ve heard rumors that you were almost a casualty of the infamous Pegasus Pro Tour Cycling Team from last year? A: Well, I could have been. They wanted to hire me as head mechanic which including among other things finding a service course in Europe. Luckily I declined as there was no solid proof that the team was officially started from a funding standpoint.
Q: You also work as a part time professional mechanic for the Jelly Belly professional team and have done work with others? A: I have worked with Jelly Belly for two years at the major events like the Tour of California, the Tour of Colorado and training camps where we assemble the bikes at the start of the season. I also worked with the US National Jr Team in Europe and Canada.
Ralf building his favorite type of bike…
And another one, this time a Parlee…
Ralf showing off his immaculate form…
…which is even better on a bike that fits him.
He’s glued more tires over the years than I can imagine,
of all types…
Ralf is the man to see when it comes to keeping your bike in perfect running order and looking good…
Including all the finishing touches, like the perfectly taped handlebar…
Ralf to the far right looks every bit as fit as any of the guys he’s looking after here!
Thanks for reading, for any questions just come on in and ask Ralf personally!
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