While showcases like Sea Otter bring the bike industry together, it’s the connections made at these shows that are the literal glue that binds it all together. Last year, John bumped into Jarod and Alex at Sea Otter. The two live in Seaside, just down the road from Monterey, and were in the planning process of opening a new shop in town. Well, a year later, and that shop is here. Let’s take a look inside AMG Cyclery…
Serendipity, Synergy, and Stoke
Shooting people’s bikes at Sea Otter is something I’ve long found great joy in. Regardless if they know about The Radavist or not. If they do, that’s awesome but my motivation is to document the various personalities and their bikes that attend these showcases. With this nerd gravity, I’ve found myself engaging with truly unique people at these shows.
Meeting Jarod and Alex at Sea Otter in 2023, the two were gleaming with stoke. After I documented their bikes, I began with my usual small talk at bike shows, “what do you guys do for work?” or “where do you work?” and Alex immediately lit up, super ecstatic a new bike shop he and his wife were about to open, while noting he was working at another shop in the area. I could sense Jarod wanting to keep it under wraps and calming Alex’s enthusiasm with a reminder that nothing is set in stone, yet.
Over the past twelve months, I’ve been following what Jarod and Alex have been up to on Instagram. Jarod and I exchanged a few DMs six months before the show, where I stated that I wanted to come check it out when I made the annual trek to Monterey for Sea Otter. He was elated, as was I.
We made plans, and then Spencer and I dove headfirst into Sea Otter coverage. On Saturday, we had both had enough of the dusty aisles from the show and decided to clock out for the day; I texted Jarod, “Spencer and I are about to leave the show… We’ll roll over on bikes!” I should say at this point, I thought Jarod was Alex’s partner in the new shop. And then I met Alisa!
AMG Cyclery
The “AMG” in AMG Cyclery stands for Alex Michael Gonzales and Alisa Michelle Gonzales’ initials. This husband and wife team relocated from Houston, Texas, where they ran a family general contracting company. Feeling burned out and with the desire to make a new life for themselves, the two relocated to Seaside in 2023.
Alex took a job at a local shop, where he met Jarod and AMG’s other mechanic, Tylor, who was working at Sea Otter the day we were visiting. Around this time, Alex shelved his desire to race and began to enjoy riding bikes for pleasure and community. The three hatched a plan to open a shop that focused on group rides and non-competitive cycling.
Alisa commented that “Alex’s whole personality is so driven, and once he decides he wants to do something, it happens.” Yet, with any small venture, it’s never easy. She continued, “Still, there were 100 times when I thought the shop wouldn’t happen…” At this point, Alex is just grinning ear to ear. “But it did, ” he interjected.
Building, Physically and Figuratively
Spencer and I spent a few hours picking out shop details with our camera lenses, documenting some of the bikes on display. These afternoons always feel anthropological to me. Spaces reflect their owners’ intentions, and AMG is full of cycling components and catalogs from the 1970s and 1980s. While we framed these vignettes, Spencer inquired about the vintage display cases.
A local shop had shut down, and the owner was liquidating its inventory. He gave Alex and Alisa a lot of his gear, including the display cases, catalogues, and other vintage ephemera. Somehow, for only being open for a year, the team has filled the space nicely, adorning the walls with classic steeds and modern carbon gravel bikes, with couches and seats taking center stage.
The whole vibe feels nice and airy, as Seaside’s Heermann’s Gulls squawk and form squabbles in the sky above. I commented on the ruckus and Alisa replied, “Yeah, they’re a unique and protected species in Seaside and Monterey.” “They poop everywhere too.”
Shooting the bikes outside, I had a few close calls…
“If you build it, they will come.” This quote from the 1989 film Field of Dreams resonates with small shops like AMG Cyclery. Now, a year into the shop’s business, it usually attracts 40 to 50 people for its weekly group rides. Communal appreciation is intrinsically linked to spaces that facilitate. “None of the other shops do chill group rides,” Alex said when talking about his motivations. “People show up from hours away to our rides because no one is really doing this sort of thing in the Central Coast.”
Bourdeau’s Beautiful Bicycles and More
Jarod Bourdeau is a good friend of Alex and Alisa and one of AMG’s mechanics. In his spare time, Jarod builds bikes under his name, Bourdeau. He also modifies bikes into cargo and commuter beauties. We’ll look at Jarod’s creations in detail soon and showcase his story. For now, we have a sneak peek at some of the builds we’ll be featuring on the site tomorrow.
Small shops like AMG Cyclery and the communities they foster are the soul of the bike industry. Seeing what Alisa, Alex, Jarod, and Tylor have achieved in just a year is inspiring and uplifting. Spencer and I had a blast documenting the shop, the bikes, and just hanging out. This sort of stuff is what The Radavist is known for, and every time I leave a shoot like this, I feel recharged, with a reinvigorated sense of hope.
There were a lot of vibes had that day and I truly wish this team the best. If you’d like to help stoke the flames of what AMG Cyclery is doing in Seaside, California, roll through the shop the next time you’re in the area, and follow them on Instagram; their Reels are too funny!
Many thanks to Alisa, Alex, and Jarod for opening their doors to us that day. It’s an afternoon I won’t soon forget.
805 Broadway Ave
Seaside, CA 93955
Tuesday – Saturday 10 AM – 6 PM