With a buzzing cycling culture, tight-knit cycling community, year-round sunshine, and miles of bikeways for cyclists to explore, Boulder is a great place for bicycling and is constantly rated as one of the best places to bike in the country.
Catering to new riders and professionals, Boulder residents and visitors alike, Full Cycle offers unique ways to explore and connect with the surrounding community. The company is once again elevating its hospitable, welcoming and encouraging customer experience by adding guided tours and ride clinics to its list of offerings.
A fixture of the Boulder community for more than 30 years, Full Cycle merged with Colorado Multisport in 2020 and relocated to 2355 30th St. in 2021. The bike shop also reopened The Tune Up espresso bar and taproom as a full-service bar with indoor and outdoor ped-friendly seating. Full Cycle has become a one-stop shop for all cycling needs, including bike fittings and performance, service and repairs, rentals and now guided cycling tours and experiences. What sets Full Cycle apart, though, is its sense of culture, community and team of experts.
“We pride ourselves on being all-inclusive, catering to all types and all levels of cyclists—from novice to pro, from urban commuter to triathlete, and everything in between,” says Davide Giardini, marketing director at Full Cycle, Colorado Multisport and The Tune Up, and Leah Van der Linden, tours and experience manager at Full Cycle and Colorado Multisport. “[We are also] creative, progressive and competitive in our approach as one of the few remaining brick-and-mortar, independently owned, local small businesses. But what really sets us apart is our hyper-focus on the customer experience in this super competitive and ever-evolving town.”
Full Cycle is able to provide great customer experience because its staff is knowledgeable, enthusiastic and welcoming. The staff has worked together to develop a curated product selection and fun environment for people to gather. “We’re not so much in the business of pushing products, but rather feelings, experiences and true human connections that are so hard to come by these days,” Leah says.
The bike tours and experiences division officially launched last summer when Davide’s niche bike tour side gig joined the Full Cycle family and was fully integrated into Full Cycle’s business model. “After the merger and move, we needed to do something in response to shifting consumer demands due to COVID and heavier competition from online retailers. With encouragement from the rest of the team, Leah was brought on to take the business I started to the next level,” Davide says.
Today, Full Cycle offers a plethora of experiences ranging from private or guided bike tours with a cycling professional to self-guided adventures for road, mountain, gravel and city e-bike tours. These tours are provided by Leah or another professional guide.
Within the same division, Full Cycle hosts cycling clinics, mechanic classes and free weekly community group rides. This new division, along with The Tune Up bar, further drives the company’s mission of “inspiring and empowering more people to ride bikes.”
With world-class riding on all types of terrain and surfaces in and around Boulder easily accessible from the shop, guests get to explore the best off-road cycling in the area like a true local.
The most popular tours at Full Cycle this year have been its Gravel Adventure and Mountain Bike Adventure, according to Leah. Cyclists get a chance to explore world-class gravel, dirt and fire roads in the surrounding area with the three-hour Gravel Adventure. The Mountain Bike Adventure option, also three hours long, takes place on nearby mountain bike trails with bike transportation to and from the trailhead included.
“Boulder is truly an amazing place to cycle. Dubbed the ‘endurance capital of the world,’ we have a community and culture of active people and endless adventure. From our own experience of riding bikes around the world, we know that nothing beats local knowledge and riding with a local,” Davide says. “Cyclists flock to Boulder wanting to discover what the hype about riding in Boulder is all about. We want to show them an amazing local experience on two wheels.”
All guided tours and experiences include helmets, locks, nutrition, hydration and lots of encouragement. Bikes are available to rent at a discounted price when packaged with a tour. “While safety is our first priority, we really focus on the fun aspects of cycling,” Leah says. “Even when things don’t always go as planned, people always return with big smiles on their faces.”
Most tours and experiences end at Full Cycle’s in-house espresso and beer bar, The Tune Up. People from all walks of life gather here to enjoy coffee, beer, cocktails, conversation and quick-serve food, making the shop a great local watering hole to further connect with and learn about Boulder’s cycling community.
Sidebar:
Full Cycle’s free summer ride schedule is as follows. Start times vary by time of year.
- Tuesday morning casual ride
- Wednesday morning e-bike ride
- Wednesday evening gravel ride
- Thursday evening road and gravel rides with Boulder Cycling Club
- Flagstaff Friday morning ride
- Saturday road rides (year-round, weather permitting)
- Sunday gravel rides (year-round, weather permitting
