SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – What started as a passion project three years ago has turned into a boutique bike company, called Apogee, that produces mountain bikes out of South Lake Tahoe, Calif.

“I make a part and I ride it that afternoon,” Collin Huston says, head of operations, who fabricates certain parts at his South Tahoe machine shop, Huston Precision. He’s spent countless days testing the bike and new parts on what he refers to as a “repeatable test track” on the Armstrong Connector and Corral Trail.

The test track offers anything from jump lines, high and low speed areas, to rock gardens, proving to be a worthy and convenient testing ground to forge the full suspension Apogee One mountain bike.

“I don’t know how a mountain bike company would develop a bike,” he says, “if they didn’t live near trails like we have here.”

With his first job at a bike shop as early at 13 years old, bikes have been a focal point throughout Huston’s life.

“I’ve always been very attached to bikes,” he said, often finding himself contemplating bike designs and knew it was inevitable he’d one day be building one.

The dream started taking shape in 2022 as a fun project to try something new with his friend Will Hilgenberg, an experienced designer in the cycling industry, having worked on designs for Ibis, Specialized, Praxis, and Bell/Giro.

“It just seemed like a really cool opportunity,” Huston said, “to build something that [we’re] really excited about.”

Huston and Hilgenberg’s goal was to create a bike that would speak for itself with a ride quality that set it apart. The steel-framed Apogee One targets bike tech enthusiasts who are interested in a ride you won’t find from larger brands focused on carbon bikes.

The low placement of the suspension allows the steel frame to flex with the ride to deliver compliance and absorption, promising a ride tag-lined, “as smooth as it can get without paving the trail.”

Demo riders have raved about how it’s a surprisingly capable jumper while also sticking to the trails.

“It’s very cool to know that you can move the needle with your design decisions,” Huston expressed, who says it’s a rewarding experience when riders tune into the exact capabilities they designed the bike for.

The aesthetic of its unique, narrow steel tube frame gets attention and stands out on the trail. Unlike its carbon counterparts, the steel frame is recyclable.

After two years on a computer and numerous prototypes, the team has grown to include Jake Webski, Andrio Abero, and Henry Nadell, who helped officially launch the Apogee brand last year. Apogee refers to the high point or pinnacle, a place the bike creators hope it takes many riders in its existence as a peak product.

Huston is proud to say that the frame is entirely made in the U.S. with the team and vendor collective located in the Pacific Northwest. Each frame is hand-welded in Seattle, Wash. Certain parts are made at Huston’s shop and assembled with the help of a young up-and-coming local rider, Max Fish.

For Huston, creating Apogee One has been both a learning and rewarding experience. Looking ahead, Apogee hopes to continue to grow in scale while maintaining U.S. operations. The team has a vision for other models of bikes, including a hardtail and a shorter travel bike.

“We want to just keep exploring,” Huston says. “That’s why we started this, to be building cool bikes.”

Apogee offers a small demo fleet that travels around the Pacific Northwest, including an appearance at the Tahoe Mountain Bike Festival in June. Certain sizes are available to demo in South Lake with more sizes coming soon. Anyone interested in a demo can contact collin@apogee.bike to set up a ride.

You can also follow their Instagram, Apogee Bikes, for future demo event announcements.

To learn more, visit, apogee.bike.