e-mail: jake@stxandstones.com
Jake Otsuka was born and raised in Southern California where he spent his summers working on the
family farm which provided the foundation for a strong work ethic. After graduating from Servite High
School in Anaheim, CA, Jake enrolled at Saint Mary's College in Moraga, where he graduated in 1998
with a Bachelor's of Science in Economics and Business Administration degree. During his four years
at Saint Mary's, Jake found a love for snowboarding, mountain biking, and the outdoors. Jake
invested years working in ski and bicycle shops in the East Bay. Managing a premier East Bay bike
shop provided the ideal "school" to obtain knowledge on bicycle repair and service.
In January, 2002, Jake and his wife moved to Truckee, CA where they took advantage of "epic" Tahoe
winters, gorgeous summers, and the two best seasons (fall and spring). Jake found a new love for
backcountry snowboarding and skiing, and obtained a avalanche level I certificate from Alpine Skills
International. While in Truckee, Jake managed a backcountry ski and bicycle shop where he obtained
invaluable knowledge on the backcountry ski industry and expanded his bicycle repair skills. Jake
mounted and serviced backcountry ski equipment from Black Diamond, G3, Fritschi, Garmont, Scarpa,
K2, and Karhu among others. He also serviced and built custom bikes including Merckx, Pinarello,
Colnago, Intense, and Santa Cruz to name a few.
Jake saw an enormous flaw in the ski and bicycle industry: most ski and bicycle shops operate very
inconvenient business hours for ski and bike enthusiasts. Most shops close at 6PM or shortly after,
making it difficult for customers (most of whom end their work day ends around 5PM) to get to the
shop before closing. In July, 2003, Jake began providing a convenient, exceptional service to the
North Lake Tahoe Area with Stix & Stones.
In August, 2005, Jake and his wife recently relocated back to the East Bay where they will raise their
children. Stix & Stones brings convenient, professional expertise to San Francisco's East Bay ski and
bike enthusiasts.
Jake currently races cyclo cross, road crits, cross country, and downhill mountain bikes; and skis and
snowboards both at the resort and the backcountry.
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190 pounds and my riding style. On the road bike, I favor the sprints and descend aggressively.
I tend to notice road bikes that flex in the bottom bracket and front end of the bike in these
riding conditions. I like the flatter rides for the sprints and the hilly rides for the descents. On
the mountain bike, I come from a downhill background and prefer riding bigger travel bikes. I like
to descend the technical terrain and jump almost everything. Everyone rides differently and
enjoys different aspects of biking. Hopefully this information helps you in your buying and setup
decisions for your new or existing bikes. Feel free to contact me with any questions.
clinchers.
The ride: This bike is AMAZING!!! It provides adequate lateral
stiffness for sprinting and precise steering when cornering and
descending aggressively; yet, vertically compliant enough to be
comfortable all day long. The Zipp 404's are the best road wheels I
have ever ridden. They are like cheating in the winds coming at you
from any direction. These wheels are worth every penny!!! They
make everyone an instantly faster rider. This is hands down one of
the best road bikes I have ever ridden.
Where do I ride the Orbea Orca: Everywhere!!! Berkeley Hills,
down the Boulevard to Sunol and up Palomares, out to the "Trees,"
Franklin Canyon, Mount Diablo.
components. Fox DHX5.0 rear shock. Rock Shox
Totem fork. 8" rear travel, 7" front travel.
The Ride: This bike rails the turns. It soaks up the
gnarly terrain. But most impressively, it is super easy to
handle in the air. Trek's ABP and full floater make this
one of the best riding DH/FR bikes out there. The
suspension is fully active under rear braking. The Fox
DHX5.0 provides a good pedal platform while still
providing small bump absorption and a nice progessive
feel. The Totem fork is the best 7" single crown fork I
have ridden. It provides good small bump absorption, it
ramps up nicely when I hit something big, and it does
NOT brake dive when I hit the brakes. The Session 88
FR is the best big travel bike I have ridden. It instills so
much confidence under any condition. This bike does it
all.
Where do I ride the Session 88FR: Northstar,
Joaquin Miller Park, Briones.
Fulcrum Red Zone XLR wheelset. Fox RP23 rear
shock. Rock Shox Lyric 2 Step AIr fork. 160mm Travel
front and rear.
The Ride: The Trek Remedy climbs amazingly well as it
weighs 29 pounds. It shines just as well on the
descents, if not better, on the descents. The 20mm
front axle provides super precise steering in the
gnarliest terrain. The rear suspension provides an
amazing platform, yet still has good small bump
absorption. The ABP keeps the travel fully active under
rear braking, and the Full Floater creates a bottomless
feeling in the travel and ramps up nicely. The Lyric fork
performs just as good. It is by far one of the best
160mm travel air forks out there. It eats up the small
bumps and has a nice progressive feel when I hit
something big. The Fulcrum wheels are super light and
laterally stiff to provide great steering.
Where do I ride the Remedy 8: Everywhere!
Briones, Joaquin Miller Park, Shell Ridge, Mount Diablo,
Lime Ridge, Soquel Demo Forrest, Rockville, Auburn,
Calistoga, Mount Tam, Camp Tamarancho, North
Umpqua Trail (Oregon), Hole in the Ground Trail.