This month, our Reserve Wheel Builder series concludes in the capable hands of Alan Ramirez. Also in the capable hands of Alan have been countless thousands of Reserve wheels since he came on (check your builder card now, you might be riding around on a set of Alan's craftwork). Alan's trail here has been a twisty one having worked in many production work centers in the Santa Cruz brand before landing on the Reserve team. Along the way he picked up a couple of nick names, and a wealth of bike knowledge. Innate to him were his ability to learn and employ new skills quickly, a solid work ethic and generally good vibes. He's stoked to be here and we're stoked to have him.
Q: What’s your hometown?
A: I was born and raised in good ol’ Watsonville.
Do you have a nickname? If yes, how’d you get it? If not, make one up that suits your character.
I think Gizmo is the one that stuck the longest. When I first started working here (Reserve) I somehow got tagged as Guillermo which shrunk to Gizmo and then the whole group just knew me as that for a good while. I never even saw Gremlins till then.
How long have you been at Reserve?
I think just under two years in the wheel world.
How long have you been riding?
I've been riding off and on since I was 13 back when suspension was your knees so in total I guess a few years.
How long have you been building wheels?
For as long as I've been here. I never saw myself getting this good and making some sweet wheels.
How many wheels do you estimate you’ve built since you’ve been at Reserve?
Oh man, if I had to guess it'd probably be in the tens of thousands by now.
What brought you to wheel building?
I wanted to try something new after moving around the company a few times. I originally joked during the dark times of early covid working on the humble pedal bike, then jumping over to the blasphemous E-bike world before ultimately ending here, on the Reserve line.
Would you rather build a wheel by machine or by hand?
The machine can make building easier but it feels pretty nice making one by hand and being able to make small adjustments easily is nice.
Tell us something about wheel building that most people wouldn’t know.
When you build as many wheels as we do, you get a nice coating of grease and oil on you. It makes the wheel building process super smooth.
What kind of riding do you typically do? Mountain, Gravel or Road?
For a time it was just what you'd expect with me on that mountain but I've slowly been going down the path of the roadie.
What is your favorite trail or favorite place to ride?
I have some favorite trails but I never really bothered to learn the names so let's just say I like cruising down West Cliff after work.
Garage-check, what are you currently riding? Which wheels? Who built them?
I currently have two bikes on opposite sides of the spectrum. A nice X01 Megatower and a dingy single speed road bike with some blue and orange Hasbro Nerf gun color scheme going on.
What do you do when you are not building wheels?
If I'm not building wheels you can catch me at the gym or out with my buddies either skating, biking or playing card games. Aside from that, there’s not too much in between.
Rapid Fire
Beer, wine, cocktail or seltzer?
Can I interest you in a carbonated flavored water?
SRAM or Shimano?
Why not both?
Coffee, Tea or Red Bull?
My want for caffeine is questionable but a classic cup of coffee suffices.
Thick or thin grips?
I love them chunky grips but thin works best.
Burrito or hamburger or pizza?
The ‘Zaa has endless possibilities.
RockShox or Fox?
Foxy all the way, but honestly my exposure to RockShox is limited.
Seinfeld, Friends or Rick & Morty?
I've seen them all an equal amount which is not that much. I don't really watch the Television.
I9 or DT Swiss?
Honestly both again.
Puppies or kittens?
I love them both but picking up a dog always feels awkward compared to a cat.
Describe your perfect day.
Waking up on a sunny day, birds chirping and not having to do anything other than what I want to.
What is your special power?
The ability to make myself laugh and if I explain no one will laugh. It's a win-win situation.