Pedego Electric Bikes Store Steered By Industry Vet

Pedego Long Beach Island offers cycling fun for all

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., July 08, 2020 — The new Long Beach Island Pedego® Electric Bikes store makes its home in the longtime Walters Bicycles shop, bringing with it a multigenerational following. Owner Tom Walters and his partner, Pat Albanese, are excited to offer sales, rentals, service and accessories of the country’s No. 1 electric bike brand. Free test rides are also available.

Walters brings lifetime of bicycle expertise to help riders go electric

Tom Walters, whose father opened Walters Bicycles in 1957, knows a thing or two about bikes. That’s one reason why he recently decided to open a Pedego Electric Bikes store in the shop that’s so familiar to locals.

In addition to the regular bicycles the family has sold at the location for generations, he’s offering the full line of the country’s No. 1 electric bike brand to introduce the island to a fast-growing approach to cycling.

And as he likes to say, “Friends don’t let friends ride junk.”

Walters painted the Ship Bottom “mom-and-pop shop” in the Pedego colors of orange, blue and white, and hung an electric brand sign. The otherwise familiar store sits in the middle of the 18-mile-long island, just over the bay bridge and conveniently between the hubbub of the south end and the tranquil north end, with its old fishing village and Barnegat Lighthouse.

In fact, he steers Pedego renters northward, where ice cream, sandwich and other pitstops await on the route.

Walters has ridden bikes all his life. Over the decades, he’s seen cycling accelerate in popularity and he wants to introduce more people to the electric version because it opens cycling to those who might otherwise not have the physical capacity to pedal much.

“At first, people think that you don’t get exercise,” Walters says, “and we all know that’s not true.”

He and Pat take their own Pedegos on Florida vacations. They met Pedego CEO Don DiCostanzo at a Las Vegas bike show in 2009 and were impressed with him and his product. So Walters bought two models for his shop. Pat ended up riding the Cruiser model, and Tom soon took ownership of the Trail Tracker so he could keep up with her.

“We put 1,500 miles on (hers) in three months,” Walters says. “I don’t think I can go more than a mile without being asked about the (Trail Tracker) … I give them an education, and the next thing you know, they’re looking at an Interceptor or another. That fat-tire bike stops people.”

Walters even put a fishing pole holder on the back of his Pedego. “I let some air out of the tires. We have sugar sand, so it’s pretty soft, and I get down to the hard-pack, and I can actually troll with it.” On one such trip, he caught a bluefish that way.

He hopes his son will carry on the shop’s legacy one day when he decides to slow down. But for now, he and Pat are excited about its new focus. Besides Pedego’s quality, Pat points out that you can’t beat the five-year warranty and antitheft insurance with the purchase of a lock.

About Pedego Long Beach Island
Pedego Long Beach Island is the region’s premier dealer in Pedego Electric Bikes. The store offers electric bicycle sales, rentals, service and accessories. Located at 418 Long Beach Blvd., the store sits just across the bridge from the mainland in Ship Bottom. It’s open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays, and off-season by appointment. Call (609) 494-1991 to arrange a free test ride. Visit www.PedegoLBI.com for more information.

About Pedego
Pedego® Electric Bikes is the No. 1 electric bike brand in the United States, according to Navigant Research. Sold at more than 125 Pedego-branded stores in the U.S. and additional branded Pedego locations in Canada, France and the U.K., Pedego Electric Bikes start at $1,895. The 250- to 500-watt motors empower riders to conquer hills and breeze through headwinds, cruising distances of up to 60 miles on a single battery charge. The twist-and-go throttle gives riders instant manual control over speeds while the pedal-assist functionality automatically adds power to pedaling. Available in hundreds of color combinations, Pedego’s high-quality, innovative “pedal or not” models include cruisers, tandems, commuters, fat-tire bikes, mountain bikes, cargo bikes and a convenient electric folding bike. Pedego electric bikes deliver fun, exercise and a green alternative for transportation — transforming lives with fun and delight. Free test rides are available at every Pedego store. Founded in 2008, Orange County, Calif.-based Pedego inspires riders to say, “Hello, Fun!”

PR CONTACT:
Hannah Mitchell
hannah@pedego.com
949-877-4019