Jeff Scanlan opens electric bike store Pedego in downtown Menlo Park
In what was once a real estate office now sits two rooms filled with shiny electric bikes of one kind or another. The brand—and store name—is Pedego which Jeff Scanlan opened about a month before Christmas.
While Jeff has been a cyclist his entire life, he’s new to both owning a business and doing retail. He previously held executive positions in both the non-profit and private sector. “I actually started out in politics,” he told us. “I worked for S.I Hayakawa during his Senate term from the late ’70s to early ”80s.”
Jeff has lived on the Peninsula for 30 some years and figured Menlo Park would be a great location for an electric bike shop.
“Pedego has built its brand around the boomer market,” he said. “These are folks who cycled in the past, but may want a little assistance now.”
The electric bikes sell from about $1700 to $5500 with the popular cruiser style in the mid-range price wise. Pedego bikes—cruiser and off-road—are available to rent with prices starting at $25 an hour for the cruiser and $35 for the Fat Tire off road.
Jeff is working hard to get the word out about the store and is encouraged by the growing popularity of electric bikes, including support on the Federal level.
On February 9, U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) along with Congressional Bike Caucus Chairman Earl Blumenauer introduced the Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment (E-BIKE) Act to provide a 30% tax credit to consumers who purchase an electric bicycle.
“E-bikes are not just a fad for a select few. They are a legitimate and practical form of transportation that can help reduce our carbon emissions,” Congressman Panetta said in a statement. “My legislation will make it easier for more people from all socio-economic levels to own e-bikes and contribute to cutting our carbon output. By incentivizing the use of electric bicycles to replace car trips through a consumer tax credit, we can not only encourage more Americans to transition to greener modes of transportation, but also help fight the climate crisis.”
Jeff admits there’s one downside to launching his retail business: He doesn’t do as much cycling in as he used to!
Pedego, located at 807 Santa Cruz Avenue, is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm and Sunday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Photos by Linda Hubbard (c) 2021
