Meet JR Rollins | Relationship Manager

We had the good fortune of connecting with JR Rollins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi JR, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Thought Process seems like a formal, educated and organized term. We started our business due to a missing component in our town, a disconnect so to say. The bicycle community is that, a Community. We saw the need for a hub for adventure, inclusiveness, support, camaraderie and we like to refer to our bike shop as a Communal Hub”.

What should our readers know about your business?
Our little bike shop was inspired from a chapter in a book I like to call “Covid-19”. We all have that book and a lot of the chapters are the same and are still being written and edited. Before Covid I had purchased a Mac Tool Franchise in the San Francisco Bay Area and was really enjoying myself and my customers. I was commuting 60 miles a day to get to my business from my house. My wife’s commute could take 3-4 hours a day, 3 days a week. Once Covid hit my wife 100% telecommuted and I was still running my business in the bay are. Obstacles arose for my Mac Tool business 3 fold. First obstacle, customers weren’t getting full hours of work and their spouses may have had to stay home with the kids or worked in an industry that was not deemed essential. Second Obstacle, my franchise was in a “Bedroom Community” and they were no longer commuting. If people weren’t commuting they weren’t getting their car fixed or serviced. Which translates to my customers weren’t buying my product/services. Third Obstacle, supply chain was decimated. What once took less than week to acquire was taking 6 to 8 weeks. Also fuel costs were becoming and are out of hand. With all of the doom and gloom just described, I was tired of saying “We Can’t”. So we focused on what “WE Can’. We moved to a less expensive area and simplified our life with no commute. Which in turn improved our quality life in time and money. I get to play with bikes, talk to people who like to play with bikes. I get to interact with people from all over the world who are passing through on their way to Yosemite. It doesn’t suck…

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First things first, we’d grab a beer at “Around the Horn Brewery” where you can see a caricature of our adventure dog “John Muir” on the label of a beer named “Ale Less Traveled” which is a low alcohol “Bike Ride IPA”. It’s name is played off our Bike shop name “Trail Less Traveled. We’d gather a selection of libations and start our adventure. We’d fly fish with Echo Cooperative Adventure Company. We’d also take a little tour of the Yosemite Valley with Echo discovering the flora and fauna of the area. We’d go on an adventure with Miller’s off road adventure and drive one of their Jeeps through the forest and take in the views that most haven’t. When we get back to Groveland we’d stop by the local micro creamery “The Grove Mercantile” for a scoop of locally made ice cream. Weather permitting we’d hike to Hetch Hetchy’s Wapama falls, Tioga pass’s “Pot Hole Dome” or Mary’s Lake. We couldn’t forget Vernal falls with the “Mist Trail” and the “John Muir Trail”. Now that we’d be tired and need a rest day we’d go to the base of El Capitan in Yosemite with a big lunch, beer from Around the Horn and a telescope where we can watch climbers conquer the multiple routes on El Cap. A bike ride around the Yosemite Valley is by far the best way to see its beauty. The cherry on the sundae would be riding the bicycle trails being built by the Groveland Trail Heads. You’ll need a vacation from your vacation…

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Well, funny you ask… Marley Blonsky, co-founder of All Bodies on Bikes. Marley is just plain and simply can described as a Bad Ass. She self describes herself as a fat adventure cyclist, advocate and influencer. All Bodies On Bikes is a movement working towards body-size inclusion in the cycling industry. She believes the bike can be a tool for community building, empowerment, education and fun. She’s an advocate for people of all sizes, genders, races, ages, income levels and abilities to be included and welcomed in the bike community. Just typing this little paragraph I get a little emotional how infectious her vision is and we whole hearted subscribe to her advocacy.

Website: www.tltbike.com

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