European Bike Trip

A 24 Year Old Gives Birth To A Motorized Bike Shop In Austin, TX

I got into the business when I lost my Texas Drivers License was suspended due to DWI. I searched high and low for a transportation solution to help me get around the great city of Austin, Texas. I rode the bus and was quickly fed up with it. I rode a bike and arrived at work covered in sweat. My commute to work, at the time, was about 3 miles.

I purchased an electric bike. I would leave my home with a fully charged sealed lead acid battery. I would only use the electric motor after reaching cruising speed as electric bikes tend to use the majority of their power accelerating. Even though I was pedaling my heart out to conserve power I would run out about two miles from my office with no option but to pedal like a bicycle. I'm not usually one to b!$!# about riding a bicycle but in the Texas heat it doesn't take much work until you're drenched, it makes for a long day. I'd charge my batts back up at my office and get home just as sweaty as when I got to work.

I'm hard headed and kept searching for a solution to my urban transportation problem. I found these cheap looking gas powered bicycle motor kits in China that appeared to just bolt on to a normal bicycle. I ordered one despite my friends thinking that I was crazy and that it would never work. Two days after receiving my kit I was cruising around town at 30 miles per hour and dropping less than two bucks in the gas tank a week.

Everywhere I went people tried to stop me on the street, hanging out of cars and even cutting me off to ask me the same question. Where did you get that? My answer was simple and quick yet the reply was usually "what"? China, I answered. The next thing I knew I was building motorized bikes for my friends, people on the street, word of mouth and then I made my first website. It wasn't long before my girlfriend (at the time) got fed up with all of the bikes, bike parts, bike motors and hoopla that I opened up a shop.

The bike shop quickly grew to two managers and a staff of 5 "motor bike mechanics". We were making good money. So much I even dropped some on a neon fat tire sign. I can remember those first days like yesterday. Now, I'm a driver, I'm a winner. It has been a couple months since I have felt the days hot air and the nights cool breeze humming down the road on a motorized bicycle. I'm sure you can guess what I'm going to do next . . . build me a new cruiser!