I'm visiting a friend in Salida. The day before I left my shop did a complete tune up on my bike. After my first ride in Salida I knew something was wrong with my rear shock. Absolute was able to service the shock in no time. The mechanic was solid. He came out and took the time to explain what he found, and exactly what he did. Fast forward two days, and 90 miles on my mountain bike and before I leave Salida I figured I'd have the shop do another tune up. They inspected the bike with me there, pointed out a few things immediately, and gave me repair and replacement options. I've heard good things about all the shops in Salida, but my experience is with Absolute. Amazing service, friendly staff, reasonable prices. Go ride your bike. read more

Service is top notch at this LBS. I bought a new stem and wanted it on right that second so I could go use it on S mountain. Guess what they made it happen within minutes even though they were slammed! read more

My wife and I did a winter fat bike tour during our honeymoon and we both had a blast! Neither one of us is a world class biker, but our guide, Kim, made the trip very enjoyable. Before heading out to the trail, Kim made sure that we felt comfortable riding the bikes and made sure to talk over the plan with us. Even though there wasn't much snow on the ground due to the warm weather, we were still able to bike through some beautiful Colorado scenery and had some nice conversations. I highly recommend booking one of the Absolute Bikes guides if you're looking for a fun day out! read more

Great shop! Have bought my wife and I's current mtn bikes here and had a great experience each time! Everyone in the shop is down to earth and they're always patient with our questions. My parents live in Salida and they've also bought a couple bikes here and have had really positive experiences. Every time my wife and I make a trip to Salida, we make sure to stop in to say hi and check the inventory. If you're in the Salida area, you need to check this place out! read more

We rented some bikes for the day, and they really went above and beyond! Very kind, exceptional service!

Can't say enough good things about this shop. I was terminating a cross country and they helped with shuttle to Denver Intl and shipping my bike home. A great bunch of guys that go the extra mile. So glad I found them. read more

I actually just went into this shop last weekend while taking a detour back from Crested Butte. I didn't know much about the shop beforehand but someone mentioned I should check it out since I'm into vintage mtn bikes. SO glad I stopped by. I ended up getting a "tour" from Shawn (the owner) and talked shop for a while when he was between helping customers. They have a fantastic collection of bikes and a really well organized store. I'll be sure to visit anytime I'm back in the area and would trust they'd have anything I'd need in stock. read more

I can't say enough to support Shawn, Scot and the gang at Absolute. I've known Shawn since his Flagstaff days but that is still no reason for the King treatment I received when I arrived to pull off a few days of trail and road biking. Their bike touring business is fantastic. We rode everything from the backyard singletrack (which over the years Absolute has generously provided countless hours and bucks to develop in the same way that Ken and Anthony at Absolute Flagstaff have done) to the climb up Monarch and other mountain passes...all gorgeous...with Shawn guiding us on historical detours with stories galore about the region and its people...snapping pictures of the group while ripping along single track! Or was Shawn texting? Touring with Shawn and Scot was a hoot...and incredibly, all the pictures ended up being in focus. I came with the all too typical strains of knee inflammation, hands going numb and upper back/shoulder blade issues. Shawn talked me into getting a bike fitting (my last fitting was nine years ago for my road bike and six years for my mountain bike). It made an enormous difference in the comfort and control of my rides. All of the symptoms from numbing to sharp pains disappeared on the first ride and have never returned. I left them with my road bike and it's the same story. I highly recommend getting a bike fit from these guys--even if you gotta drive all day to get it done. It's absolutely superb. I now ride three days or more a week...and don't think twice whether it's gonna be a day of climbing, rock gardens or endless hours of two-track going around the mesas around Flagstaff where I live. This is another story altogether, and I will try to learn where to post rea full bike review about it elsewhere, but I left Absolute Bikes the owner of a new Yeti SB95. This bike rips. It is the first bike I've ever owned that actually accelerates while descending technical terrain. It is so well balanced (bike fitting credit here) that I swear I ride better now than anytime over the past 25 years. It's the bike equivalent to snowboarding...smooooth. I imagine like any bike-centric town like Salida there are other shops to consider. But consider this; their years of dedication to the sport, technical support, friendly service and expertise are second to none. They are genuine and ready for whatever level of ride and assistance you are seeking. This place is a hidden gem. And don't pass up going to the cafe next door. It's been remodeled and has great food. read more

Having completed the L100 race previously, I was interested in improving my finishing time (who isn't?). I decided to sign up for a guided pre-ride of the entire course over 2 days. Shawn Gillis, who is the store owner, has finished the race 19 times, and is an absolutely outstanding guide. On the first day, we rode Leadville to the Pipeline Aid Station and back. On day #2, we rode Twin Lakes Dam to Columbine Mine, then out to Pipeline Aid Station and back to Twin Lakes Dam. In summary, it was a great experience. Shawn knows this course down to the very last rock, and provides tons of useful pearls for every part of the race. In addition, he has great advice regarding nutrition, gear, bike maintenance, etc., and will be happy to talk about the entire history of the race. Whether you are a new Leadville 100 racer looking to ride the course for the first time, or you have done the race previously and are looking for a guided pre-ride to improve your finishing time, I can't recommend Absolute Bikes highly enough. For 12 hours of one-on-one riding with an experienced guide, $250 per day is an EXTREMELY competitive price. read more

Reasonable prices. Friendly service. I was looking for trail maps. They recommended their FREE app with maps over the $12 trail map. I went with both (I hate getting lost). I'm very happy with both. The app worked great on the trail and I like having the hard copy of plan tomorrow's ride (& for backup). read more

I came in after completing a long bike tour. Scot was really helpful getting my bike back in good shape after days on end of riding. These guys really know their stuff and have excellent value with their service. read more

Very unhelpful on the phone and uptight on site at the shop.

Five star all the way. They made my Salida Visit awesome. We rented two specialized Enduro bikes for a day. The bikes were dialed in to our sizes and shifted/rode great. The World class staff and ownership were friendly and knowledgeable of the bikes and the riding areas. The shop is stocked with great apparel and gear useful to the traveler that may have left something at home. After your ride is finished cool down in the Arkansas River out back. Glorious! Thanks Absolute Bikes. read more

Salida has three great bike shops so it's hard to go wrong but I've been an Absolute Bikes customer since I moved to Salida 12 years ago and in addition to friendly, knowledgable sales and service staff no other shop has done as much for the bike culture and lifestyle as Absolute. Absolute has donated thousands of hours and dollars to helping build the trail network up from a mostly rag-tag illegal and unsustainable trails to the amazing network of trails riders of all skill levels can pedal to straight from town. They are involved in, and frequently financially support, virtually every bike event in this town. I know out-of-towners who call Absolute their "hometown" shop and refuse to take their bikes elsewhere to get worked on. Racers - road or mountain bike - passing through Salida know they can count on Absolute for repairs, directions, good conversation and maybe even an adult beverage next door at the sweetest restaurant on the river, River's Edge. (formerly Bongo Billy's Salida Cafe; you'll barely recognize it now! read more

So may good things to say, where to start! My experience with Absolute Bikes began when I called to inquire about one of their daylong individual training sessions for the Leadville 100 MTB. I spoke with Earl on the phone and he could not have been nicer or more accommodating. My husband and I soon thereafter met Shawn Gillis in Leadville for our training day. Shawn is just awesome! We rented bikes for the day since we were just coming for a day. The bikes were excellent and he was able to do quick fits in Leadville so they would work well for each of us. Shawn was extremely knowledgeable about the Leadville race and how to best prepare for the course and the entire experience. He is an extraordinary coach and a truly lovely person. The whole daylong experience was well thought out and seamless in execution. He continues to help us from a far prepare for the race. I liked the bike that I rode for my training day that I ultimately decided to buy it and use it for the race. Shawn is also an expert at custom fits. Between his coaching and the efforts that he made to adapt my mountain bike to my needs, he took my riding performance to an entirely new level. My husband and I both raced far beyond our expectations which we attribute in large part to the help we were given by Shawn. From start to finish, he went out of his way to make everything easy and exceptional for us and we are truly grateful. In addition, the bike shop itself is beautiful and has everything you could possibly need. Highly, highly recommend this shop and Shawn!!! read more

This is a great bike shop. The staff are friendly, knowledgeable, always willing to help and to answer questions. The go out of their way to be helpful. The store is nicely organized and worth doing "window shopping" with their great products, including great bikes. It matches the atmosphere of Salida. Do not miss it even if you do not need any help with bikes. read more

I was in Leadville for the MTB race in August 2014. These guys setup a popup store with Specialized Bicycles. Two friends and I had various problems with our bikes during our week in Leadville before the race. Each problem was sorted out quickly and completely by Scott and his team. They were under huge pressure as the week progressed before the Race but kept up their great work. The cool thing with these guys is that they really know what they are talking about and made good recommendations based on that knowledge resulting in the three of us getting through the 100 mile race problem free! read more

Great local bike shop. The mechanics are great and very cool. They provide excellent information about local mountain bike trails and you can rent great demos to check out bikes on some sweet mountain bike trails just next to town. read more

Can't say enough great things about this bike shop; these guys are absolute legends! Not only are the bikes they rent very high-end models and really well maintained, but their customer service is unbelievable! We were a large group from all around the world who had come together for a buddy's bachelor party. The guys at Absolute opened up early for us so we could get our large group of 12 set up with their rentals, and then organized a special shuttle for us to the start of the Monarch Crest trail. In addition to that, they helped our guys out with any gear that they may have forgotten (water bottles, camelbacks, backpack loans, etc.) much of it totally free of charge. On the way back from the ride, they were happy to come and pick us up from the brewery that we stopped at on the way for again, no extra cost. The final bonus was when we got back to the shop and discovered that there was a standing wave behind the bike store. Finding out we were surfers, one of the guys at the shop (Shaun, I think) called his wife to bring down two SUP's from their house, and let us surf them until dark. A totally great experience from beginning to end! Thanks again guys! read more