Written by Helen Goelet
JACKSON, Wyo. — Whether a mountain, road or commuter biker, everyone in Jackson has the shop they’re committed to. For Tim Hoff, owner of Hoff’s Bikesmith and winner of Best Bike Shop for the second year in a row in “Best of Jackson Hole,” offering everything from scrap pieces to the top-of-the-line equipment makes his shop the best.
Photo: Buckrail // Nick Sulzer
“Whether you want the highest-end stuff or you just need a little part that you want to run upstairs and look in our bins and unscrew a piece for a dollar, we’re going to have that,” Hoff says. “That’s what we offer to the biking community that’s a little different from our competitors.”
Hoff’s understanding of the importance of scrap pieces and his business acumen is embedded from his childhood. “I grew up in a small business scenario and worked as my Dad’s mechanic in his two used car lots,” he says, “so I’ve always understood how a maintenance shop is run. It’s ingrained in me.”
After moving here in 2002 from Steamboat Springs, Co., Hoff quickly became an active member of the bike maintenance community. He worked as a maintenance manager at Hoback Sports (Best of Jackson Hole awards winner – Silver 2019) for two years, then moved on to Fitzgerald’s (Bronze 2019) for six before opening his very own shop in 2011.
Hoff’s experience and longevity in the community is another important factor to their success. “We’re the same faces that you’ve seen at all of the bike shops for the past fifteen years,” he says. “I worked with Ponse (James Ponsiglione) at Hoback and Tom Davidson at Fitzgerald’s and my maintenance manager Bryce Carroll came from a big bike shop in Cody, so he’s a familiar face to a greater Wyoming community. It makes a huge difference to see familiar faces in local businesses.”
After running his shop on Glenwood for six years, Hoff decided it was time to expand his reach and opened Hoff’s current location off Broadway in 2017. Now in their third summer, it seems that the move made all the difference. “Winning Best of Jackson Hole feels like a great accomplishment. It was really scary at first, but it feels like we’re not the little place in the corner anymore,” Hoff says. “We had the hearts of a lot of locals before, we had a core community, but as soon as we expanded, our reach expanded. Winning Gold two years running means we’re supported. The fact that people in the community support us makes us want to push more for the community. They give, we give, and everyone wins.”
Photo: Buckrail // Nick Sulzer
When asked what his favorite local business is, Hoff’s answer makes it evident that local was the key delineating factor: Stone Drug. “They have everything, and it feels like they’ve never changed since the day they opened,” he explains. Other favorites include Hungry Jack’s and Wilson Backcountry. “It’s so important to who we are as a community to continue supporting these people. Keeping Jackson Hole Jackson Hole. At the end of the day, we still need to have our town.”
As summer comes to a close, Hoff’s is offering a storewide sale. Swing by for any bike necessities before your fall Moab trip and Hoff’s will be sure to see to your needs.