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Tom Luman was so impressed with Pedego Electric Bikes that he bought a franchise to open a store in the Ranch Circle Plaza at 4302 E. Ray Road in Ahwatukee.
Tom Luman of Pedego Electric Bikes is a constant presence at store and hopes his outside display of the ebike line will lure potential customers in for a chat.
Tom Luman was so impressed with Pedego Electric Bikes that he bought a franchise to open a store in the Ranch Circle Plaza at 4302 E. Ray Road in Ahwatukee.
At age 57 and a bicyclist for just about half his life, Tom Luman made one of those discoveries that can change one’s life.
A few years ago, he walked into a Pedego Electric Bikes store in Gilbert and discovered a whole new level of cycling.
“I rode one and I just fell in love with it,” he recalled.
A retail management veteran, Luman was a store manager for Lowe’s.
But he became so enamored of Pedego e-bikes that he signed up to work for Gilbert store owner Michael Curtin for a year.
Then he went all in.
Luman opened the Ahwatukee franchise for Pedego at 4302 E. Ray Road about a year ago.
“I’ve been mountain biking for 25 years and Pedego has an electric mountain bike that completely changed the way I ride,” the Chandler resident explained.
“There were times where I would look at a hill and say ‘no, I’m just too old to go up that hill.’ With these bikes, it made it made mountain biking fun again for me.”
And it sure made his long-time hobby easier on his body, given that he suffered four fractures to his pelvis in a “fairly serious mountain biking accident” a little more than two years ago.
“It makes you feel like you have bionic legs,” Luman said, who aims “to put people in their forever-bike.”
Luman has hooked his wheels to a shooting star.
Various analysts have put the value of the ebike market in the United States between $20 billion and $40 billion and all project a compounded annual growth rate of 14.5% every year through 2030.
“Several governments are undertaking initiatives to mitigate carbon footprints by encouraging electric vehicles, bikes, and bicycles,” said Grand View Research, a California research firm that serves a wide variety of Fortune 500 and other clients.
Grand View Research estimated that the e-bike market will top $52.2 billion by 2030.
“The increasing awareness about the harmful effects of vehicles that run on fossil fuels also boosts this trend,” it said. “Furthermore, governments are focused on constructing bicycle-friendly streets, encouraging individuals to choose bicycles as their mode of transport.”
It also noted that Pedego in September 2022 introduced a new line called Pedego Avenue with a 500-watt motor, “well-balanced frame geometry, and an integrated battery.
Tom Luman of Pedego Electric Bikes is a constant presence at store and hopes his outside display of the ebike line will lure potential customers in for a chat.
“The launch of Pedego Avenue aimed to enhance the riding experience for cyclists, particularly in hilly terrains, and offer a reliable and efficient electric bike option,.”
Pedego has a wide range of e-bikes made for a variety of environments, from city to mountain biking. It also offers a wide range of accessories and a 5-year unlimited warranty.
“All we ask the customer is bring it in once a year for a tune-up,” said Luman, who does some of the work himself but also has a part-time tech on board.
Pedego is quick to point out that his bikes don’t take the fitness out of biking.
“The bikes have two systems,” Luman explained.
The throttle mode is similar to a motorcycle or electric scooter, providing a relaxing ride at a speed of up to 20 m.p.h. The pedal-assist ebike provides power only when the rider is pedaling and reaches a top speed of 28 m.p.h.
Luman said that when he hits bike trails up South Mountain, he keeps the pedal assist engaged “so that the output of the motor basically doubles what you’re putting into it.”
“I still ride regular bikes but the electric bike suits me for my age and my condition,” he added. “I think there are a lot of people that fall into that category.
“There may be a lot of people who have biked in the past and feel they’re too old and they don’t want to do it anymore. It’s too much of a chore. So electric bikes make that easy for everyone.”
He said his wife of 31 years, Kathy, and their two daughters will sometimes take family spins, though he admitted, “I don’t think any of them are quite as heavy into it as I have been.”
Luman said “there’s a learning curve” for e-bikes “but fortunately it is very, very small. It usually takes most people maybe the second or third time they become totally comfortable with it.
“If they’ve never been on an electric bike, there’s some apprehension in the beginning. But once they get on and start pedaling and feel that motor kick in, usually what happens at that moment is you see a big smile come across their face.”
“In fact, that’s one of my favorite parts of the job – watching their facial expressions when they’re riding electric bikes for the first time because it’s not like riding a regular bike. It is but it’s not.
“It’s almost like the bike is alive.”
4302 E. Ray Road in the Ranch Circle Plaza
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