ITSA Bike Shop is a San Diego bicycle shop, owned and operated by me, Eric.

I find my beginnings in the bicycle industry at a family run bike shop in Bonita, known as Mission Cyclery. This was a very exciting opportunity for me as I always wanted to work in a bike shop, and specifically, this bike shop. The following years would be full of many interesting stories and lessons. Did you know that you could turn a bunch of shock pumps into a ball-bearing cannon? Ask Memo (“el gran Memo” is still a mechanic at another buddy’s local shop) about that one if you ever see him around.

After the family sold the shop to a very large internet bicycle company, that shall remain nameless. I got my first taste of work in the corporate world. I can say that I learned some very valuable things from the “big” company, but there are also quite a few ideas of theirs that work for them, but don’t necessarily for me.

A few years after leaving the “big” company, I found myself as one of the partners at Zumwalt’s Bicycle Center in the College Area. It’s quite interesting doing things for yourself as you learn a lot about yourself and what you’re really made of when what you do is yours. We had quite a few milestones in my life, both in the shop and in “regular” life. I got married to Marie during these years, “had” two dogs, and learned that I could sleep on concrete at the shop for four days (a couple of friends made a world record stationary bike attempt at the shop). Here we are at 2010, and I am no longer at Zumwalt’s, or “Zoom-eez” as those of us at the shop affectionately called it. Life has a way of happening and I’m on to more growth and more experiences in a place that is completely my own, in Point Loma.

Point Loma is “home” to me and my baby brother. We both went to grade school at St. Charles Borromeo, which is quite literally just down the street from the shop. Across the street from the shop is Liberty Station, which, when it was NTC, my Dad was stationed at for many years. Upon retirement from the Navy, Dad actually stilled worked for the Department of Defense at the Navy College in the submarine base at the tip of Point Loma. Going back to St. Charles, can you believe my Mom brought me and my brother to school every day? Well, here I go rambling again… Which if you get to meet me, you’ll find I do very often.

I am excited to have this opportunity to take care of my customers, friends, and family on a truly personal level. It really does thrill me that when you walk through the doors of ITSA, you’ll be working with me 1 on 1, every single time. Perhaps, the shop will grow to a level where extra hands will be necessary, but for now, you got me, and I got you. It’s going to be great!!! Please stop by and check out the shop. I’ll be here. We can chat about bikes, life, your new haircut… regardless of what we chat about, I will enjoy the company. Hopefully in the end, more people will be aware about our little way of life we call cycling, simply because there are more of us out there on two wheels. That’s how I plan on doing it, one person and two wheels at a time.

See you at the shop ; )

Eric