Jennifer Susan Klish was born in Lansing, Michigan, in 1970, but most of her formative years were spent in Minnesota. At the age of 18, Jen was doing double duty as an aspiring road racer, while working on a philosophy degree at the University of Minnesota. On a sub- zero winter training ride, Jen thought, "I don't have to do this! I'm going to move to California." A few months later, the charismatic diva was living at a friend's house in Oakland, road racing, and wrenching for AFRAM, an organization that hosts the "Ride Across America" bicycle tours. Jen moved to Berkeley, and began working at a co-op bike store called the Missing Link. Her detail oriented, but not freudian, thoroughness led Klish to be the one of the best Bike Mechanics in the Bay Area. She became a cartoonist on the side, and hand-drew advertisements for the Missing Link, which appeared in the San Francisco Bay Guardian and East Bay Express for over 7 years.
Klish stopped racing the road in '93 and started racing cross-county on the dirt in '94 and downhill in '95. Jen turned pro in '97, racing for a small builder named Chris Kelly. In '98 Jen raced for Karpiel designs, that same year Jen had a bad accident (broke her back) which eventually put her out of racing. Ambivalent with competition, Jen decided to pursue her career as a bike mechanic. By the year 2000, Jen was contracted as the first female professional bike mechanic and wrenched for World Cup downhill mountain bike racer, Lisa Sher.
With over 10 bikes in her garage, Klish now resides in Redding, CA and works for Chris King Precision Components: a high end manufacturer of bicycle hubs, headsets, and bottom brackets. She continues to volunteer her time teaching bike repair classes to kids, creating sculpture out of bike parts, trail building, and her cat: Zoe the squeakn'heimer.
back to startlist >> |
