About Us

I’m Martin Chenoweth, the designer and builder of Martin Custom Cycles. While I have a degree in Mining Engineering from Colorado School of Mines, bicycling and frame building have always been my passion. Growing up in Grand Junction, Colorado helped fuel that passion with the Colorado National Monument, the Grand Mesa and the thousand miles of farm roads in-between them. Then when you throw in The Lunch Loop and the desert north of town, how could you not love the bicycling scene in the Grand Valley? I worked on the committee that brought the Coors Classic to town along with the 1st Ride the Rockies tour. I even worked for Warner Brothers as technical support for the filming of American Flyers.

I grew up with a love for bicycles, not just riding them, but also being able to repair them. This love eventually led to the fabrication of the first Martin frameset in 1983. The combination of engineering, craftsmanship and athletics was the perfect blend for my talents.

As a kid growing up on the edge of Grand Junction, Colorado; my bike was a great way to explore the desert. During high school my bike was a great cross training tool for my competitive running. At that time the first high quality bike shop opened in town, and I bought my first lightweight bike. I was hooked. People always asked me how much they should spend on a bike. First get an idea of how much you want to spend. Try out every bike in your price range, as well as a little more, and a little less expensive. If you can’t tell the difference between the less expensive models, or if the more expensive one feels good enough to justify the cost, you will know which one to buy. I had to save up an extra three weeks to buy the Campagnola equipped bike.

The next summer I entered my first race. It was a community race sponsored by Mesa College (now Colorado Mesa University). There I met Rich Gängl who would eventually start building his own framesets in Golden Colorado. A couple of years later Rich repaired that Campy equipped bicycle of mine, and I got a glimpse into the next level of the craft. Rich has been a great inspiration. I can’t thank him enough.

Unfortunately, the rigors of my engineering profession periodically stifled that passion. While it’s been rewarding to work on some major project around the country, there are few things more satisfying than building a custom bicycle and seeing the joy it brings the proud owner. Loving bikes has taken me to great places, and I hope a custom built Martin Bicycle will take you where you want to ride too!