Mike_Z

Bay area/Peninsula bicycling legend Hugh Enochs passed away Thursday morning, after a long bout with Parkinson’s disease and other related issues, complicated by COVID.

Hugh was a dedicated bicyclist for most of his life, who travelled to and rode across Europe while still in High school and returned many times to ride, race and study with frame builders there. He worked as a bike mechanic at several shops around the Bay Area, eventually running his own businesses, Bicycle Express in Palo Alto and Jevelot in Mountain View, where he was known to be a master of frame repair and painting, and would even build full custom frames if he liked you (Paragon and Jevelot). Even after he shut down his last shop, he kept making and selling his products, Jevelot Tire Life and his ubiquitous rainbow elastic pant cuff straps from his home workshop in La Honda.

He wasn’t much for self promotion, and didn’t jump on the mountain bike bandwagon like many of his local contemporaries (even though he built a few frames), he stuck with what he loved, which was filet-brazed steel-frame road bikes, and sadly had to stop building before people started getting back into them. I think having to shut down his last shop (to make way for Silicon Valley progress) really took the wind out of his sails. He could be stubborn, and he put up with my crappy bikes and dumb questions, often pretending like he didn’t know the answer, but then appearing several minutes later with a part or tool that I’d need to make a repair.

Not sure what sort of memorial the family wants, but probably something quiet up in La Honda, but I’ll just say, if you knew him, think about him next time you go for a ride. (Edited for spelling errors)