About NOTB
North of the Border was started in 1995 during mountain biking’s 2nd explosion in popularity. The founder, Ian Crowne, originally from Canada, wanted to show some national pride, so he came up with the name “North of the Border”.
The shop was initially a one man show. Despite its small size, Ian earned a strong reputation and built solid relationships which enabled him to attract high-end bike lines such as Litespeed , Ellsworth and Voodoo Cycles. Combining top notch wrenching, his reputation along with a strong client-base grew to include a huge following from the late, CANTINA Mountain Bike Shop. NOTB quickly became the “go to” high-end, full-service road, tri and mountain bike shop. At the peak of the dot com era NOTB had expanded to a full time staff of three mechanics. Unfortunately the dot.com era busted and business slowed. Ian felt it was time to sell his interest and pursue a different career.
The sale brought about the birth of the second generation of NOTB, which is now currently located on Pacific Heights Blvd. Two of the original shop mechanics: Michael Crowell and Eric Neubauer, started their management in 2001, carrying the same bicycle product lines as their predecessor. After Voodoo cycles stopped importing to the U.S. and Litespeed turned into American Bicycling Group, the shop persevered relying on a combination of the unmatched reputation, solid, dedicated customer base and consistent sales of Ellsworth mountain bikes. Late in 2004, Eric departed from the shop to pursue a teaching career.
Rather than throw in the towel, Michael Crowell skillfully and proudly brought the shop back to its original glory. In 2006, NOTB became an authorized dealer of both Intense Cycles and Marin Bicycles. North of the Border has worked very hard over the years to maintain its reputation in both customer service and mechanical excellence. Michael is a former Honda factory trained motorcycle mechanic along with over 10 years of bicycle wrenching experience. His passion for all two wheeled things is evident the moment you enter the shop.
This past year (08) was the beginning of NOTB’s third generation…. Doug Wolkon, a long time customer of North of the Border, had been showing extensive interest in the shop. With such a great history and unmatched reputation it was obvious to Doug the shop had enormous potential. Doug had a North of the Border vision. He decided to submit a game plan to Michael to put that vision to work. In September of 2008, Doug’s offer to partner with Michael was enthusiastically accepted.
Doug Wolkon is an avid cyclist, both mountain & road, and a former employee of the legendary CANTINA Mountain Bike Shop (for both Tom Floyd and for the original founder/owner Kurt Ford). Doug has been riding Penasquitos Cyn about 3x per week for over 22 years. You might see him in the canyon, on one of his 29’rs (singlespeed or geared). Doug is also an overall sports enthusiast to include an expert skier, both alpine & telemark, hoop player, volleyball player and a very slow triathlete. As a long time customer of NOTB, Doug understands the value, reputation and importance of both Michael Crowell and NOTB. Doug has many years of corporate & grass roots marketing and over 10 years of successful sales experience. Utilizing an exceptionally strong network throughout San Diego, Doug’s goal is to increase the shop’s visibility, expand product lines & inventory while maintaining the integrity, history and spirit of the North of the Border bike shop.
North of the Border’s long history, perseverance and reputation has earned the title
The toughest little bike shop in San Diego!
