About Jake
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.
