Meet Todd Heath of Moonmen Bikes in Fort Collins

Today we’d like to introduce you to Todd Heath.

Todd, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Moonmen Bikes was established in May of 2014, but it was a culmination of years of professional experience, moonlit bike rides, and late-night dreaming. My passion for bikes began well before then. I first fell in love with bikes as a kid. My parents like to tell stories of me pedaling loops around the neighborhood, oblivious to what time it was or the chores I was actively ignoring. They would eventually drag me inside around sundown and then I would do it all again the next day.

I had my first gig in the bike industry in high school when I started an internship at Black Sheep Bikes of Fort Collins, CO. After helping out around the shop, I realized how much I needed to develop my skills. I went to trade school at Front Range Community College and specialized in machining and welding techniques. I then went back to Black Sheep and got hired on as an employee, where I remained for ten years. It wasn’t until 2005 that I began building custom mountain bikes entirely by myself. At that point, I had been working in the industry for over ten years, much of which I had spent riding with my friends, often under the moon, and dreaming about running my own bike business.

After creating over 500 bikes, by 2014, I was ready to take my experience and talent to start Moonmen. I began the process of starting a business, but what kept me going was a little bit of luck and a lot of support from friends and family. With their help, I was able to make my dream a reality. I was able to officially establish Moonmen Bikes. Moonmen Bikes is now in our 6th year of operating and are still going strong. I spend my days working on custom bicycles with my partner and my nights with family – including three dogs – or riding my bike.

Every full moon, you can find me out romping the local trails and howling at the moon on my own Moonmen bicycle. My business has allowed me to travel the world in pursuit of beautiful trails and new friends. Honestly, some of my happiest moments happen on my bicycle. Every time I ride, I can let my thoughts go and be present on a comfortable ride. I created Moonmen Bikes so that I can use my passion, knowledge, and skills to provide my customer with the same joy of the ride that keeps me going.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It certainly has not always been a smooth road at Moonmen Bikes. Some of the biggest struggles we as a business faced happened in the first year of operating. I began on a short time frame to get into a warehouse space and had a shoestring budget. Moonmen was initially established as a three-person venture, but we all soon discovered the other two business partners were no longer able to commit to such a risky and time-consuming start-up.

I was alone and had more work than I knew what to do with. Around that same time, I was in a car accident and shortly after, my partner required major surgery. Needless to say, I had to set my timeline back. Life happened, and my priorities had to change. So they did, along with my business plan. My partner Jess and I sat down and started again from scratch. We recreated my schedule and pricing list, re-established communication with my customers, came up with a customer service plan, hired new accountants and got her involved in the finishing work required for handlebars. It was a tough transition, but we slowly started to see signs of progress. While we are still implementing positive changes to this day, I am happy to say I see a stable future for our business and our family.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Moonmen Bikes story. Tell us more about the business.
Moonmen Bikes products are known for being so comfortable that our customers can focus on the ride, not the bicycle. We use our customer’s measurements to create a product custom made for their specifications. This allows them to celebrate their unique riding style, rather than have to adjust it to fit standard builds.

One project I am very proud of to this day was my first tandem build at Moonmen in 2015. A good friend and customer at my old shop contacted me. He found out I had started my own company and immediately placed on order for an electric-assisted tandem for him and his son to ride together without worrying about physical limitations. I was intimidated by this project but ready to take on the challenge. I dove in headfirst with no idea how much time, work, and funding this build would take. I adjusted my plans, budget, and timeline to accommodate every request and obstacle I could.

Trust me, shipping an electronic assist battery overseas was no easy or timely task. When I finally finished it, it was an incredible feeling seeing it in person. I had focused on every last detail and it was clear in the final build. I shipped it to its home in New Zealand, where the owner and his son can be found pedaling it around the hillsides. It is still one of my most shared and inquired about builds to this day.

I would say it is that attention to detail that sets me apart as a builder. Even when I am on a timeline crunch, I refuse to rush and sacrifice the quality of the build. Down to the finish, each product is created with extreme care. I want each bike or component we ship out to be just right for our customers to ride.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I am a very lucky person. I am super privileged to live the life I have. From a family that has supported me through all my endeavors to a community where I was accepted and had an opportunity for education and growth, I have had chances many don’t. I was raised in a family that was stable and could afford for me to follow my interests as well as further my education in trade school to hone my skill set as a machinist and welder.

I am lucky to have had a teacher (Dustin Dike) at Rocky Mountain High School recognize my interests in bicycles and working with my hands, which led him to connect with a local frame builder who let me see what the bike building process was all about. I am lucky that the frame builder let me intern and then come on as a full-time employee where I could push my skills and explore new techniques that would help form my process and philosophy on building bikes today. The place I live, the family I come from, the community I have is all a privilege and I am lucky to have that.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.moonmenbikes.com
• Phone: 970.732.2943
• Email: todd@moonmenbikes.com
• Instagram: MoonmenBikes

Image Credit:
Moonmen Bikes

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