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Jeremy Shlachter is Gallus

I would be lying if I said I grew up on a bicycle, or had some successful racing career. That wasn't really how it happened for me. I rode bikes from a young age, but not till the last ten years or so has it played such a major part of my life. I grew up mainly skateboarding and playing typical school sports like soccer. I'd kick around the neighborhood on my bike, but my real fascination with cycling and bikes didn't happen until I began college.

I started college in 2001 at the University of Texas. Once I moved to Austin, I immediately sold my car(still car free by the way), as i found it was much easier and pleasant getting around town on my bicycle. I was also finding that I was getting too old to chuck myself down sets of stairs on my skateboard. I was looking for a new way to get my thrills, and cycling provided that. One of my roommates encouraged me to do a triathlon with her, and I thought I would give it a shot, just to see if I could do it.

This lead me to buying a road bike, an entry level Fuji. The following year I moved to Scotland to attend the Mackintosh School of Architecture at the Glasgow School of Art. My bike provided a great way for me to discover my new home. During my second year, I managed to get a job as a bicycle courier, when the infamous messenger James "Jailbait" Tait drunkenly offered me a job when I met him at a pub. He told me to turn up the next morning, not really expecting me too. I did turn up. It was December 21, 2003, the shortest day of the year, albeit a cold and nasty day in Glasgow. My road bike was instantly torn up by the gritty Glasgow winter.

I ended up borrowing, and later buying, a pal's Trek 850 mountain bike. I eventually bought an On-One Il Pompino. It was a great bike for messenger work on, but nowhere near a true track frame, nor as good looking as the classic handmade frames the other messengers were unearthing.

During my messenger period, a love for bikes and cycling continued to grow. Though I enjoyed learning about architecture and the design process, I could see that my true passion was in cycling. I also found that I did not enjoy sitting in front of a computer all day, but preferred crafting things by hand. I made the decision to combine my passion for cycling, love of making things and my knowledge of the design process to begin building bicycle frames.

After five years in Scotland, I returned to the United States at the end of 2006 to pursue frame building. I first attended the Yamaguchi Frame Building School in Colorado and built a track frame under the tutelage of the legendary frame builder Koichi Yamaguchi, onetime U.S. Bicycle Team builder.

Afterward, I set up my workshop in my hometown, Fort Worth, Texas. About 18 months later, I sought to refine my skills from another master frame builder, Doug Fattic of Niles, Michigan. After a formal course, Doug invited me to stay on and assist at his shop for a few weeks(while I picked his brain for any and all frame building know how), and then two-month stint as a volunteer builder for his Ukraine Bicycle Project. While in Ukraine, I helped complete more than 50 bicycle frames for social workers, educators and church pastors.

In January 2009 I officially established Gallus Cycles as a handmade bicycle company.

In 2013 I moved the operation to Denver, Colorado, where I now live.
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