Over the Edge Sports ’ OTE Shop Story & Style

A note from Troy - founder; Over the Edge Sports Ltd.

Spring of 2009 is upon us and great things are at work in the Over the Edge Sports family. In Fruita we have spent the early spring (whihc has been a bit un-rideable and thus slow at the shop, since we won't ”fib” about it to our customers/friends. But as the thaw begins in earnest the shop is looking better than it ever has in the 14 seasons previous. That's exciting and I can't wait to hear what you think of it when you walk in. Beyond Fruita we have had a great early spring in Hurricane Utah where the trails are open and the season is already started; if you haven't had the chance to ride at Gooseberry or Little Creek or the JEM/HUrricane Rim, you need to add that to your list. It's just 4 hours west of Fruita and a ”must ride” destination that gets warmer a little earlier and stays good a little later (thus a little hotter come summer-but that's when they ride the cool Aspen forests of Brian Head). Way far from Fruita in South Australia they are finally lookin' for cooler temps. After highs of nearly 120 degrees in the heat of summer they are excited for their fall and some of us are looking forward to going ”down under” for the Melrose Fat Tyre Festival in June. Want to join us? The more the merrier... Well I hope to see you in Fruita soon; and I'm sure we all are quite ready to ride some prime, fresh, spring singletrack... I know I am. Till we share a ride, a beer or a chat; Cheers, Ciao and Thank You for your support, business and friendship.

Heading into 2009; it's the 15th season of Over the Edge and the magical story of Fruita Colorado. A crazy vision of a young bike shop manager and a few locals who together put a plan in motion to create singletrack trails in the sandstone desert country along the Colorado River in Fruita Colorado. It was during the remodeling days of the 100 year old building at 202 East Aspen Ave that brought manay of us together; Tom & Joe Nix, Scott Winans, Gary Schlagheck and Doug Buniger began expolring the desert out north of Fruita and the Bookcliffs Trail system was born on the back of some cow trails and new creation we called ”Prime Cut” in honor (or mockerey) of our bovine compatriots... heck in thise days we were about the only ones out there. OK us and a few locals looking for a alace to dump an appliance. It might have been a crazy idea to open a bike shop in a bankrupt dusty cow town in the west. But there was something in the soil here and all we had to do was dig it out; that digging started with some passion for narrow fun and challenging trails and the digging continued using even a 100 year old tool found under the floor boards of the Over the Edge Building. Looking back; I'd say it was a destiny that was meant to be and I am just grateful to have been chosen to be a part of it.

Troy Rarick, October 2008

Often people try to compare Fruita and Moab, our neighbor to the west, but really our history has long been tied together. In 1994 Troy was leaving his shop manager job in Denver and heading toward Moab Utah to manage Poison Spider. With a brief stop over in Grand Junction, where he had grown up, Troy was helping found another shop in GJ. While still expected in Moab Jan 1 of 1995 Troy was catching the bug of starting a shop and being urged by industry friends to ”do his own thing”. To make a life long story readable; he stayed here, fell in love with a building in Fruita and began remodeling this abandon 1906 structure for a new bike shop. ”All I knew was that if we had good trails people would support us and stop in Fruita” Troy says ”I never thought we would  be a world destination but I knew all my Denver customers were driving by and just might stop if they heard of some good riding”. So the remodel began and the trail building went off. New lines were scouted off a desert road called ”18” which is still the world renowned Bookcliffs trail system; Edge Loop, Chutes & Ladders, Zippety, Kessell Run... now known around the world, were all carved by early OTE Staff and Fruita locals (both of them). April 23rd 1995; Over the Edge opened it's doors and sold it's first two bikes (Norco Tango's)... after that, we went and rode with them... we still do...

As the shop got rolling and our trails were getting established in the Bookcliffs we started expanding the Kokopelli's system as well. Some new loops being done by COPMOBA and some others created by Fruita/OTE folk, the trail system word was getting out. As we who lived here in the early 90's knew. It was all we could do to win our trails in a power struggle with the cows. We honestly needed some more riders to win this battle. From that cam the idea to launch a Fat Tire Festival; it would show off the new trails, help the struggling economy of Fruita and allow MTB friends to find out about these new trails they were hearing about. The last weekend of April 1996 we had our first Fruita Fat Tire Festival and were surprised with 4 times our expected turnout, snow, guests from BC and the UK... Fruita was off and running.

In that first Fest packet was a zerox printed book; the Fruita Fat Tire Guide... with hours being spent giving directions and drawing maps we started making the books to streamline the effort. That began the run of books and hand drawn maps that still defines the fast moving local scene. The latest edition is a mere 2 months old and much prettier than the early days of bad copies and mis-spelled words. The trails history of Fruita could fill volumes; people came and we launched our strong effort to teach MTB Ethics with IMBA to keep Singletrack Single. We hosted the first ever IMBA Epic Ride and became friends with the industry leaders. We faced stern opposition from the BLM as we still do and fought with every fiber of our souls to preserve these trails for the sport. We struggle against locals who thought these trails (that they seldom helped build) were theres and theres alone; something we still answer with ”anybody with a passion for Singletrack is a local here in Fruita”. Over the Edge and the Fat Tire Festival became leaders in the reincarnation of a town. Fruita was coming alive and has grown into a really cool little town that has benefited greatly form the MTB boom but still feels in no way like a tourist town. I hope we all can say for decades to come; we still love it in Fruita.

As the success of Over the Edge and Fruita has been so unique, genuine to the core and well celebrated. Troy and company have become regulars at conferences on Cycle Tourism, Sustainability and MTB Ethics. With that we have found our passion is kindred around the globe and you may soon be seeing Over the Edge Sports in new destinations around the world; theres already an OTE Grand Junction and coming soon in Hurricane Utah (by Gooseberry Mesa) and Melrose Australia ( a town Troy has been a consultant too and made dear friends in) It's not that Over the Edge or Troy have some special secret or deep wisdom; if you have spent time in Fruita you already may know, it's just a success based in a  ridiculous amount of Passion for ridin' and livin'... it's what we were founded on in Fruita and what we will stand for as long as we stand. Ride to Live and Live to Live Well; as we said on our first sock in 1995, quoted from local legend Chet Peach ”Be Radical About Something” it's a Fruita motto and Over the Edge Sports is, has been and will always be radical about Singletrack and riding your bike.

So; it's 2007 and Over the Edge is in it's 13th season. The town has grown up and we are known around the globe. We have a Brewpub across the street and a great Pizzeria owned by OTE alumni and friends. Trails are still growing and the word is still spreading. Yet if theres one thing I can say about Fruita and OTE is that the best part about what has happened, is that we are still the same. You'll still see a tractor in town here, you'll still feel like the shop is more focused on the trails than anything and the passion we have for the bikes we sell is directly tied to how well they ride the Singletrack or handle the rocks, or climb in the Alps or our personal appreciation for the people who design and build them. OTE has a simple plan; we help people enjoy riding bikes, we think that's worth being about. It's all about the People and Good Livin' and the Ride...

Thanks to you we will be here for another decade or two. Thanks! Welcome to Fruita... Enjoy the Ride.

Some fun facts...

• Over the Edge's building was built as A B Timmermans Furniture and Undertaking in 1906
• The Edge Loops was scouted and planned from a small plane and built using those air photo's
• The first Fat Tire Festival poured Boulder Beer; Kim Jordan owner/founder of New Belgium Brewing Company approached us the next year and we have been proud to have them be an integral part of the Fruita Festival and story ever since.
• We met Chet Peach on the new Horsethief Drop in back in 1997; he had been quietly riding here since before all of us
• In 1998 Shimano held a Skunk Development Camp here in Fruita; on Prime Cut they met a Moab guy who was telling them how much better Moab was than Fruita... (This Skunk Camp was a selection of the ”who's who” of the MTB scene)... they thought he was kidding when he said Fruita sucks and laughed and replied ”yeah, we think this is some of the best singletrack we've ever ridden'” to which he said, to the core of our sport, ”well you obviously haven't been riding very long”. Quick to respond with his eternal wit, Don Cook (founder of Crested Butte Trails and Festival) said ”oh, I dont know, about 3 and a half hours”... I love that story, wish I knew who the Moab guy was, glad I don't.
• The Fox ad with Marla Streb about to jump out of a plane; was done in Fruita at the Festival and that plane never left the ground.
• Our Dinosaur Oval logo was from the dino on the first Festival Poster drawn by a local art teacher and put inside the New Castle Brown Ale Oval by a shop person in 1997. That shop staffer; George still runs the Fat Tire Festival expo. George just got married last weekend (October 2008) Congratulations!
• Over the Edge's first bike brand was Ibis in 1994 before the shop even opened. When Ibis came back in 2006; we signed up again even before the company was officially formed; Dealer #1 I like to say... Scot is also who first brought industry people here in October 1995 in a Cadillac from the Moab Festival.
• The first rider we ever sponsored was 14 year old Ross Schnell; who is now a Trek Factory Team Pro
• The Rockshox ”U-Turn” was co named with a switchback on Moore Fun Trail, over beers, here in the Shop. Thanks Steve!
• Bike people are really cool and having a bunch of them in town is never a bad thing... Technical trails keep the rif-raf away