Scandia, Minnesota

Ride.
Build.
Explore.

Trail reports, custom builds, race recaps, and honest bike reviews from a shop that actually rides.

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What’s Here

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Trails and Rides
01
Trails & Routes
MTB trails, gravel rides, and road routes with trailhead info, maps, photos, and Strava links.
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Racing
02
Racing
Race-day setups, results, gear choices, and lessons learned the hard way.
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Bike Reviews
03
Bike Reviews
Shop-owner perspective on bikes, parts, and gear we actually ride.
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Custom Builds
04
Custom Builds
Galleries, specs, and stories from our best builds.
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Built
by
Riders.

Steve and Lynn Hamlin own and operate Maklin Bike Shop in Scandia, Minnesota. The name is a mashup of Lynn’s maiden name Makela and Steve’s last name Hamlin.

We rotate through bikes every season so we can tell customers what actually rides well. The reviews, trail reports, and race recaps here all come from real time on the bike — not press releases.

CervéloSanta CruzNinerBianchiSalsaJamisTIMEShimanoSRAMMoots

Ready for your next bike?

High-end gravel, road, and mountain bikes built and backed by riders who live this every day. Stop by the shop in Scandia, MN.

Visit Maklin Bike Shop
Latest from the Journal

  • Vintage Masi — Custom Ultegra 11-Speed Upgrade | Bike Review

    An old Masi road bike brought back to life with an 11-speed Shimano Ultegra drivetrain and a modern cockpit — a quill-to-threadless adapter for current bars, the original crank and brakes retained, and the customer’s own wheels. When a vintage upgrade is worth doing, and when it isn’t.

  • USA Cycling Gravel Nationals | Minnesota

    Kyle and Reid raced USA Cycling Gravel Nationals in La Crescent, Minnesota in 2025 — their first USAC race. 74 miles, five big climbs, a mid-race crash that took them both down, and a finish for both. La Crescent hosts again in 2026.

  • Big Sugar Gravel Race | Arkansas

    Kyle and Reid raced the Big Sugar Gravel in Bentonville, Arkansas for the first time in 2025 — the finale of the Life Time Grand Prix. The race was shortened to 50 miles due to weather. Race notes, bike setups, and recaps from both boys.

  • Little Sugar Mountain Bike Race | Arkansas

    Kyle and Reid raced the Little Sugar MTB 100K in Bentonville, Arkansas for the first time in 2025. 61 miles of technical Ozarks singletrack, three days of pre-riding, and a lot of lessons learned about tires, sealant, and hydration.

  • Niner RLT 9 RDO — Custom Two Carbon Builds | Bike Review

    Two custom Niner RLT 9 RDO carbon builds ordered together — one Shimano, one SRAM — for a pair of sisters-in-law whose husbands both ride aluminum RLTs.

  • Niner RLT 9 RDO — Custom Force 2×12, HED Belgium / Chris King | Bike Review

    A Niner RLT 9 RDO built with SRAM Force 2x Wide, hand-built Chris King hub / HED Belgium 32-spoke wheels, and Easton EC90 AX carbon bars.