Giantnerd staff, all cyclists, are pictured in their warehouse near Stapleton: (left to right) warehouse manager Jake Knobbe, owner Mike Eddy, operations manager Justin Essler and marketing and sales manager Chris Schuerman.

Mike Eddy and his wife, Andrea, met because of their love for recreational biking. And, today their Stapleton home’s garage is filled with bikes that also fit their children: Bayden, 10; Kenneth, 6: and Ryder, 18 months.

His family’s love for biking helped Eddy decide, about a year ago, that he should take over an online bicycle sales business, www.Giantnerd.com, where both road and mountain bikes are sold.

“We bought it from a company in Boulder,” Eddy explained. “We also own a bicycle brand, Tommaso. It stands for ‘Thomas’ in Italian. It was started by an Italian in 1985. We still have a designer who designs the bikes in Italy. We do all the specifications. She does the colors. We work with the factory. It’s a combination of three continents—Europe, the U.S. and Asia—because about 95 percent of all bicycles are made in China.

“We sell both our bikes and other brands on the Internet,” he said. “We try to provide the consumer with a lower-cost alternative. We want to have a high level of service. If you order a bike from us, we build the bike and tune it in our warehouse. Then we ship the bike FedEx to the customer. There is a low risk of damage.”
The bicycle is broken down into about three pieces for shipping. Eddy says putting the bike together is easy for anyone to do upon receipt of the shipment.

“You screw five bolts,” he said. “Literally, it’s less than 10 minutes before the bike is ready to go riding. For us, it’s about giving the customer value and then going above and beyond in customer service.”

The Giantnerd warehouse is located north of Stapleton in the warehouse district off the frontage road northeast of Quebec Street and I-70. Customers can select bikes from the website and pick them up at the warehouse or have them shipped, or they can call the warehouse to schedule a consultation about purchasing a bicycle.

At the warehouse, between four and eight employees will be there to show customers bicycles ranging from $400 to $2,800, as well as bike shoes, pedals, helmets, lights, bags, pumps and some bike components.

Bike parts are manufactured in China and shipped to the warehouse where the Giantnerd staff either fully assembles the bike or ships it to the buyer in three pieces (above) to easily assemble.

“It’s an employee-centered company,” Eddy said. They’re all cyclists. They’re all really into it.

“Everything you need to ride a bike you can buy from us,” he added. “In special cases, we will make modifications, but usually you just pick the size bike that you need. You can pick the pedals, for example, if you want something different. We had one customer who had a problem with his hand that made it inconvenient for him to use a normal gear shift, so we custom built a shifter for him. If someone wants to change out a part and we have the part, we’ll do it for them.”

Because Giantnerd.com makes the bikes and sells them directly to the consumer, a price markup is avoided and bikes will be 30 to 40 percent cheaper, according to Eddy. Military personnel stationed overseas receive a 10 percent discount, and the Giantnerd.com staff is familiar with military shipping rules.

“Our bikes are for people who want to get more for their dollar and are comfortable with the Internet,” he said. “A bicycle is a fairly expensive purchase.”

To see the bicycles, go to www.Giantnerd.com or call the warehouse at 720.881.8120 for an appointment.