Youngblood Bicycles- Asheville, NC

Rolling through the lower southern states was quite enjoyable. I would have like to have documented more shops that I came across but...so I'll post what I snippets are left on my iPhone.


Leaving AL, up to Knoxville then over to NC with some morning Mojo!

Along Merrimon Avenue, in Asheville, NC there sits a tight little shop called Youngblood Bicycles. Youngblood the owner, and his two employees, Marshall and Shanna keep the repairs flowing out the door, always offering advice to new commuters and helping the local mtbr's get addicted to riding 29ers.

YB is a stocking Bianchi dealer. Aside from the Via Nirones on their hooks, Shanna and Marshall have a side gig making Kick Ass Cogs.


Single speed, aluminum, bomb proof cogs.


As the conversations were flowing regarding 29ers, Marshall convinced me to go tubeless on my SOK SRAM. With his recommendations I purchased a new front tire- WTB Weirwolf LT and had him convert it to tubeless. Cleverly using a modified 24in presta valve tube as a rim strip and 3 scoops of Stan's Sealant, my front tire was transformed to tubeless. (I did the rear once I got home from the trip.)

Thursday evenings the shop owner is usually at the Mellowdrome supporting the local track racers but a slamming storm at 5pm soaked the track to the point of canceling the evening's events. After closing the shop at 6pm, I dropped my car off at Shanna's and she, Marshall and I rode our bikes into town for an evening of sushi.

After dinner and goodbyes, I packed up and headed onward to Winston-Salem, NC...140miles 'down the road'.
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Will Mahler