John Karnes – owner/mechanic/guide – I started mountain biking back in 1993 on a used Gary Fisher Pro-Caliber in Morgantown, West Virginia.  Ever since my first ride, I found that I was not only interested in the actually riding, but the bike itself and the mechanics involved.  My need was originally born out of necessity, since I didn’t always have the money to take my bike into a shop, but by 1998, I found that my bike almost never went to a shop, and when it did, I usually tweaked it a bit more when it came back.  By this time I had already acquired a pretty good set of tools, and most of my friends were bringing me bikes and having me help them out with mechanical issues.  When I moved into a new house in 2003, it was time to get serious, and I created a dedicated workshop in the garage where I started hosting monthly maintenance nights for the Atlanta cycling community.  Out of those humble beginnings, the Mango Bike Shop has emerged.

As for riding, in the past 10 years, I have mountain Biked in 26 states, and participated in events including the Ouachita Challenge in Arkansas, the Assault on Mount Mitchell in North Carolina, the 24 Hours of Adrenaline series in Georgia, and the 24 hours of Rocky Hill in Texas. I also travel to Moab every spring to serve as a guide and ride leader for Adventure Trekkers, and have been doing so since 1999. In October of 1997, I bought my mango colored Specialized S-Works, which along with countless upgrades and replacement parts was my faithful steed until January 28th, 2005.  The Mango Bike was the inspiration for my nickname "Mango Boy" and the Mango Bike Shop.

For me, mountain biking is more than a sport, more than exercise, and more than just a social activity.  It gives me a great connection with people all over the world and most importantly with the outdoors, my true passion.  Mountain biking has given so much to me over the years, and through the Mango Bike Shop, I’m glad to have the opportunity to give something back.

Clifford Robertson – mechanic/guide/instructor – I believe that on the whole people are significantly more capable than they give themselves credit for and I see it whenever someone is pushed beyond his or her comfort zone. It is certainly why as an instructor I strive to push people to what I see they are capable of even though it appears to them to be out of reach.

I believe biking is more than exercise. While working as a mountain biking instructor and trip leader at Camp Mondamin in North Carolina, I have watched as a 13-year-old saw the striking similarity between academics and riding: A solid foundation of skills that build on one another - Practice - Tenacity. I have listened as a business executive likened biking to so many other obstacles in our lives: Look past the obstacle and focus on where you want go realizing that at times you will be only guiding the process on the edge of out-of-control.

Anyone who rides a bike beyond simple recreational rides should know how to work on it. It isn't magic. It isn't even all that hard. Having worked from 1998 through 2001 as a Mechanic and sales representative at Richard Bike Mart in Richardson, TX, and from 2002 through 2003 as a mechanic and sales representative at Paul's Schwinn in Greensboro, NC, I can say that easily 75% of work that needs to be done on a bike could be done by owner cheaper and as well as most shops. Without question some things do take some training and a lot of practice to do correctly. But the rest only needs your desire to learn. That is one of the reasons I am very happy to be a part of the Mango Bike Shop. Not only do I have the opportunity to work on bikes, but I have the luxury to instruct people how to work on their own bike and hopefully not need my help anymore.