We got the keys to The Cub House 2.0 in June of 2017. We’d been at our original little shop in South Pasadena for a couple of years and I was extremely nervous about the move to much more “upscale” San Marino, even though it was only a few short blocks away. San Marino definitely has a reputation for being rigid, so The Cub House stands out here. Like REALLY stands out. Have you seen our spot? There aren’t too many multicolor service station turned Bike & Plant Stores in our area.

The first Cub House Bicycle Show in 2017

When we first moved in, if someone told me that we would be able to close the entire block in front of our shop for a party and that the city of San Marino was going to help us do it, I would have fallen over laughing. But that’s exactly what happened. The city came through in a big way.

the Cub House Swap Meet in 2016

Back in 2016, it was just a Swap Meet, then my buddy Adam Masters dreamt up the concept for the Bike Show. His idea was a show for customers and collectors rather than bike brands. Like L’Eroica, but way less refined. If L’Eroica is a nicely aged Bordeaux then we are more of a Safeway Select box wine. Instead of judges voting on the bikes the attendees all get to vote. Then in 2018, we added on the Car Show.

the Cub House Bike and Car Show in 2018

Each person who wants to participate gets 2 stickers. One for their favorite car and the other for their favorite bicycle. This approach is what makes the show special. You have people who know very little about bikes and/or cars voting alongside top-shelf nerds. The vibe is extra chill.  Every year, the night before the show, Adam breaks out his hot glue gun and gold spray paint to create the highly coveted, horrid treasures we call trophies.

The 2019 Cub House Bike and Car Show!

We were surprised the first year when hundreds of people showed up and it has only continued to grow. This year, even with rain in the forecast, we had people driving from all over the West Coast. Our buddies from Competition Engineering out of Phoenix, Juan Antonio Flecha all the way from Spain and Deluxe Cycles from the Bay Area made the trip just to name a few. Our boy Patty made pork tacos, Johnny and Katherine of Geaux Party  served up burgers and Mike from Bicycle Coffee had a pop up at our coffee cart. The swap meet packed our lot, the car show lined the victoriously closed block out front and you already know the bikes were top notch.

The cherry on top for the whole day was the TOY DRIVE. The cost to enter the show is an unwrapped toy and spectators are encouraged to bring toys, too. At the end of the day the San Marino Fire Department swings by in the firetruck and picks up the toys in front of the shop. This year there were too many toys to fit in the truck so we had to bring them to the station after the show!

This year’s winners were as follows:

Best Bike – Scott The 3 Time Winner w/ 3 Different Bikes World Champion (Jack Taylor)
2nd Place – Alexis Pena (Killer Yamguchi Zero Intersec Track)
3rd Place – Jeff Veitch (Merckx Motorla Team Resto Mod)