Bike Mechanic Hired by NASA

You may have heard recently about a bike mechanic who was recruited to work for NASA. It's no fluke that Stevo Partida, also a certified aviation mechanic, was hired away to work on spacecraft. Stevo is a close friend of Shimano, having worked as a Customer Service Representative with Shimano at our North American Headquarters and then as a Technical Rep with Modus Sports Group.

This podcast takes us to Bike Effect in Santa Monica, California. We talk to shop partners Alison Letson and Steven Carre to learn how Bike Effect approaches customer relationships more like a fine dining restaurant or boutique hotel than a typical bicycle retail store.

Co-owner Alison Letson says at a party, the kitchen is the room that feels most welcoming. Bike Effect has that same hangout-friendly aura for road riders who seek enhanced ride efficiency, speed, on-bike comfort through expert bike fitting, shoe and pedal customizations. The staff bring a high level of technical expertise, but just as crucially, they’re terrific human beings that you want to spend time with. These personality traits compelled a customer to recruit Partida to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.