MADISON – Food, music, an electrical bike experience round city and a go to from the corporate CEO marked a kind of second grand opening for Pedego Electric Bikes on Main Street on Sunday, May 22.
For Pedego Madison Owner Debbie Benjamin, a borough resident who opened the store in September, the “Pedego Madison Palooza” occasion was additionally a approach to thank everybody who has supported her enterprise throughout its first eight months.
One didn’t want to see the balloons in entrance of the store at nor the taco truck parked in again to know that there was an occasion occurring early Sunday afternoon. A cavalcade of Pedego e-bikes whizzed by the downtown on a six-mile tour up to the Loantaka Brook Reservation and again, guided by a Madison police escort that halted visitors at intersections.
Among the riders was Madison Mayor Robert Conley, who mentioned it was his second time on an electrical bicycle.
“It was great. A bike ride on a day like this was not on my list, but that’s the way to do it it,” mentioned Conley, referring to Sunday’s 90-degree warmth. “I sweated a bit, but we covered a good amount of territory in a short time. As you get older, the hills get flatter with an e-bike”
Benjamin says she has Madison clients who commute to work in Morristown and Summit day by day on their Pedego bikes. They lower your expenses on fuel, get exterior and burn energy to begin their work days, she mentioned.
“The misconception about electric bicycles is that you’re not going to get enough exercise, but you are getting a lot of exercise because you’re going to go farther,” she said.
Pedego Founder and CEO Don DiCostanzo, who was in town from Southern California, later echoed the thought.
“You’re going longer distances and you’re going more often,” he mentioned. “These bikes get people back into cycling because they realize they can do it. They minimize the challenges of an ordinary bike.
“The main reasons people stop riding bikes are two four-letter words: hill and wind. What this does is overcome that. It allows people to get the experience and the fun of getting back on a bike again and getting some exercise.”
Pedego bikes have various operating modes, allowing riders to choose when and how much they want to rely on the electric motor. Riders can choose to turn off the motor entirely or go full-throttle without having to pedal at all.
Benjamin said most riders who buy Pedego bikes use the “Pedal Assist” mode, offering seven to nine gears that boost the rider to their desired degree as they pedal. Both Benjamin and DiConstanzo said riders may want to activate or crank up Pedal Assist as they climb a hill, for example, or to make for easier pedaling in general.
The variability of the bikes makes them suitable for all riders, Benjamin said. For some, she said e-bikes change people’s lives. Benjamin said the shop sold an electric trike to a resident with multiple sclerosis, and two bikes to children with autism.
“I’ve had clients that come in and tell me that they never thought they would ride a bike again,” she mentioned. “They say, ‘I got knee surgery’ or hip surgery, ‘I have cancer, I’m doing chemo and I can’t keep up and I’m scared to go on a regular bike.’ These bikes change things for them.”
Regardless of means, all people might use a break from time to time, together with Patrolman Travis Daniel of the Madison Police Department. Daniel helped to escort Sunday’s e-bike tour on a Pedego bike, and used a Pedego to patrol the annual Christmas Parade in late November.
“Usually I do all the work on a regular bike,” he mentioned. “It helps, especially on a hot day like this.”
Beyond promoting the bikes, Pedego gives leases, which is how DiConstanzo encourages residents to introduce themselves to the gear.
“You can rent them by the hour, you can rent them by the day,” he mentioned. “Take them on a trail and try them out. I tell people don’t buy one, just rent one and see how it feels.”
In phrases of buying a Pedego, licensed pre-owned bikes begin at about $1,500. Most new Pedego bikes promote for about $2,000 to $4,000, with some mountain and fat-tire bikes costing about $4,500.
Benjamin mentioned Sunday’s “Madison Pedego Palooza” was a part of a roadshow wherein members of Pedego’s company staff go to outlets throughout the nation.
Parked subsequent to a taco truck behind the store Sunday was a big Pedego RV that travels from retailer to retailer. DiCostanzo mentioned he drove the RV usually throughout final 12 months’s tour, however he’s making fewer journeys this 12 months. The CEO shall be in Haddonfield, Harlem, Croton-on-Hudson in New York, Maine and Canada within the coming weeks and months.
The Madison occasion featured a second ribbon-cutting for the independently owned store, together with a raffle and giveaways, meals and drinks.
“This is really our way of thanking everybody who has supported our business,” mentioned Benjamin, who was joined by her husband, Scott, on the occasion.
The two first turned concerned with Pedego once they helped to open a retailer in Cape May two years in the past, she mentioned. Six extra areas adopted.
“But then, I thought, we live here in Madison, let’s get out of these other stores and just put our heart and soul into this one store,” mentioned Debbie, who’s the only proprietor of the store at 82 Main St. “So that’s what I did. We got out of those and here we are.”
For Benjamin, a part of proudly owning and working a store in her hometown means giving again to the neighborhood that has supported her. Since opening in September, Pedego Madison has donated some $11,500 to native causes and establishments, together with native private and non-private colleges and the Interfaith Food Pantry.
“I’m really just trying to give back,” mentioned Benjamin. “I know how important that is.
“We’re selling to our friends, to our neighbors, and we’ve met so many nice people. We live here, so as we often tell people: We sell a quality product and we’re not going anywhere.”