Bicycle Czar

Bicycle Czar started in Brooks' garage in 2007 and has continued to grow with a life of its own as word has spread about the Czar's finely reconditioned bicycles. The Czar now employs some of Sonoma County's best bike mechanics and cycling nerds.

brooksBROOKS VAN HOLT
A notorious Sonoma county bicycle "tweaker", Brooks started his mechanic career in 1989 at Pedal Pusher building bikes for Frank. Even though mountain bikes were all the rage, this fledgling "wrench" fell in love with the spirit possessed by the lugged steel road bike. He then spent several years working at North Valley Bikes in Chico doing bicycle assembly, repair, and sales for another guy named Frank. Kind of creepy, eh? He moved back to Santa Rosa in 1996 and was hired at ZAP to develop the "Electric Law Enforcement Bicycle Program". After ZAP was taken over by the "dark forces" in late 1999, Brooks abandoned ship and took a job with Smith and Wesson selling Police bikes in Massachusetts. He discovered early on that the East Coast did not agree with him culturally or climatically, so he moved back to Santa Rosa, again, and started selling used bikes and related "schwag". Bicycles are in his blood, he has spilled many drops of blood via skinned knuckles putting bikes together and pulling them apart. Brooks receives orders directly from "The Czar"and believes strongly in the Czar's vision of bringing order to the used bicycle world.