Pedego GLB, Seal Beach’s new e-bike dealership, started with a bike trip gone wrong.
Nearly three years ago, Brian Ballard and longtime partner Beth Black were riding standard bikes along Pacific Coast Highway when Ballard, a Type 1 diabetic, suffered an extreme blood sugar low that threatened his life. The couple swore off biking.
Then Ballard discovered Pedego electric bikes, which are manufactured in Orange County.
Electric bikes don’t require peddling and can go as fast as 20 mph.
Ballard convinced Black to ride one, and they both fell in love … with electric biking.
Now the couple is sharing their passion with the Greater Long Beach region by launching a dealership offering sales and rentals of Pedego electric bicycles. The grand opening celebration is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 9, beginning with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1 p.m.
A group bike ride will follow with a tour of Seal Beach and Belmont Shore. After the first electric bike ride, Ballard and Black began pedaling 25 miles in a single trip, confident that they could make it home. More than that, they started having more fun bicycling than ever before. Then they decided to open their own bike dealership.
The couple chose Seal Beach for its close-knit community, quaint downtown area and proximity to local bike paths.
A few minutes from the store, Pedego e-bike riders can enjoy the beach bike path stretching from Belmont Shore to Shoreline Village in Long Beach.
They can also head south to Huntington Beach and beyond.
With electric bicycles, distances are no big deal. “My motto is, ‘Hills? Headwinds? Ha!” said Black.
The new shop has already drawn a lot of attention.
“It’s the solid quality and comfort of these bikes coupled with the exciting riding events that draw people out of their houses for fresh air and fun,” Ballard said.
Online interest in Pedego GLB went viral even before the store’s official grand opening.
Black, a former staff writer and associate editor at the Toastmaster magazine, has been composing Facebook blog posts detailing the couple’s quest to open the store.
Her posts have inspired sharing by Facebookers (including a lot of Toastmasters) around the world.
To celebrate their grand opening, Pedego GLB is offering a free colorful Pedego sports watch to the first 50 people, 16 and older, who take a test ride.
For those who want more riding time, Pedego e-bikes may be rented by the hour or day for a fun cruise along the beach or a group event, such as a family-fun quest (a form of scavenger hunt). Special rides like this will be available by request, taking Pedego riders through both Seal Beach and Long Beach, with stops at the Seal Beach Pier, Naples Island and Alamitos Bay.
Pedego GLB has a wide selection of e-bike styles to choose from, including cruisers, tandems, Interceptors, trikes, Trail Trackers (off road) and a petite 24-inch size. Pedego GLB is the Greater Long Beach area’s outlet for Pedego Electric Bicycles where customers may buy or rent a bike or take an electric bike tour. The tours can be customized to meet an individual’s needs, from a birthday celebration to a Grand Prix meetup.
The e-bike store is located at 1065 Pacific Coast Highway, in the Regency Shopping Center at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street. For more information, call (562) 296-5782.
