About Us

How Did We Get Into This Stuff?

From Geoffrey, founder of Slagheap Cycles and lead mechanic

I inadvertently became a motorcycle mechanic as soon as I bought my first motorcycle, a 1980 Suzuki GN400 purchased from Craigslist for $500 that hadn't been running in years. It took me most of the riding season to get that bike running, but it started me on a journey of long-distance motorcycle camping trips that always seemed to involve fixing a bike on the side of the road somewhere, in a parking lot, or getting the help of a few small shops that were willing to work on a 30-year-old bike. After a few years of this I realized I actually enjoyed the tinkering and moved out to San Francisco to learn to be a mechanic at an actual shop instead of on the side of the road.

When that shop closed in 2013 I moved back to Pittsburgh and began Slagheap Cycles. I've worked on many different motorcycles, mopeds, and scooters over the years, from as old as the 1950s all the way to modern fuel injected bikes and now electric motorcycles. As someone who got started on motorcycles from the desire to go long distances, out into the wilderness, I appreciate the simplicity and repairability of the classic bikes. I also appreciate the reliability of modern vehicles, and this is what I have brought to our approach at Slagheap Cycles.  We strive to help our customers keep their vintage rides on the road while also improving reliability and performance in ways that retain the original character.

While riding bikes may not change the world, we believe there is an opportunity for genuine community and connections here and we hope to support this through making our shop a welcoming place for riders of all backgrounds and experience levels. We work to maintain a balance of sharing our knowledge and expertise so that anyone with the desire can learn how to maintain their own ride as much as possible, while also being compensated for our work and dedicating our time to understanding these machines. We strive to embrace the diversity of riders in this world, and to treat all of our customers with respect, only demanding that you show us and each other the same.