There are three things that capture the eye while first walking into Pedego Electric Bikes in La Jolla: The far right wall that’s entirely dedicated to pink, blue and neon green woven baskets; the shiny red tandem showcased in the middle of the store; and, last but not least, Pedego Riley, the small and scruffy bike shop pup sunbathing on the left-side couches. The store is designed to resemble a high-end car dealership with tall glass doors and clean, colorful, artistic displays of various bike models. The shop opened three months ago and has received customers from all age groups and backgrounds, from cancer researchers to Australian cyclists. “We have a bike for every purpose and every functionality,” said the shop’s co-owner Tracy Sheffer. “We just had a 15-year-old boy in here who is going to commute to school and doesn’t want to get a car. So, he’s getting a bike in a couple days he can ride up to La Jolla High.”
She added, “We also had a single mother of two in here the other day who is a Ph.D. linguistics professor up at UC San Diego. She has a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old and she puts them on one of our Cargo Bikes, which holds 400 pounds, in the morning to bring them to school.” Sheffer and her partner of 17 years, Terry Galka, decided to invest in the electric bike business after taking a ride with friends at Pedego Coronado last year. As a former cyclist, triathlete and runner, Sheffer was against the idea at first. The idea of riding a bike with a lithium-ion battery and 500-watt motor seemed foreign. But she then saw the benefits. “I used very little motor going out, but coming back in there was a massive headwind and we ended up using more of the throttle and peddle assist,” said Sheffer. “We were just like little kids. We were laughing so hard and smiling ear to ear. It really was like being a kid again.”
Sheffer and her fiancé “fell in love” with the product and started the process of becoming co-owners of their own shop. Having worked for Nike, Tommy Bahama, K-Swiss and Power Bar, Sheffer said that Pedego was a brand that struck her as unique, not just with their product, but with their sales and distribution. “I saw something really special in it right away, just with how heartfelt the business was,” said Sheffer. “There’s not a lot of companies today that are focused on customer service because they’re all online, but Pedego is relationship driven. Buying one of these bikes is very touch-and-feel so it’s all about the customer’s experience.” Founded in 2008, Pedego is the largest-and longest-living electric bike company in the U.S. “All companies have a culture,” said Sheffer. “To have really good culture…that’s a company that is just skyrocketing. This brand is changing people’s lives for the better, on every level.”