Back in 2013, Brad Snyder treated his wife, BK, to a weekend getaway in Austin, Texas. The Dallas/Fort Worth duo wanted to experience as much of the city as possible during their short visit, so when Brad stumbled upon the Foodie Tour by Pedego Electric Bikes Austin, he booked it right away, ready to try something new. BK, on the other hand, was a little more hesitant about this adventure. “I wasn’t sure how I felt about spending the day riding bikes,” she said. “I didn’t want to get all sweaty and gross and then go eat.”
They were in Austin to explore and unwind, and BK said she did not want to feel like she was doing an intense workout while she was supposed to be enjoying the city. With a little convincing from Brad, she agreed to give the bikes a go and quickly realized just how much more of Austin they got to enjoy through the tour.
The bikes were equipped with Pedalsense®, a feature that provides both petal and throttle assistance on most models, activated by a simple twist of the handle. An electric battery ensured everyone was able to switch between leisurely peddling and a speedier pace throughout the entire trip. The Snyders sampled the best of Austin’s food trucks and gastro-pubs in a matter of a few hours, and by the end of the tour, one thing was certain: Pedego Electric Bikes had won them over. From that point on, Brad and BK wanted every Snyder family vacation to include an electric bike tour. Over the next few years, they were overjoyed to find Pedego Electric Bikes and customized tours in locations ranging from Florida to Israel.
Pedego Electric Bikes gained a special place in the Snyder’s hearts, but BK started to think there could be more than just enjoying the bikes on vacations. She wanted to launch her own electric bike store. Brad and BK immediately started brainstorming the perfect place they could move and fulfill this new dream of bringing their favorite kind of fun into a community. They had every intention of waiting for their two sons to graduate college before making this happen, but just like he did in Austin five years before, Brad was willing to try something new. He realized that their own beloved corner of Dallas was lacking in exactly the type of adventure BK desired to bring to a new city. So, why not fulfill their dream in a place they already knew and loved?
Finding the Perfect Storefront
One of Pedego’s founders, Don DiCostanzo, believes that the people who love the brand carry it forward better than anyone else, so the company started inviting and encouraging those same people to open up stores in their own cities across the world. Brad and BK knew that the Dallas/Fort
Worth area would only benefit from having Pedego Electric Bikes within their reach, so they connected with Pedego and got the ball rolling. After getting the go-ahead, the first big step was finding a space to turn into a shop. They needed some serious space to house the bikes, but they also wanted to set up in a central Dallas location that drew in out of town visitors as well as locals.
It was not long before Deep Ellum made it to the top of their list. Deep Ellum is considered the entertainment district of Dallas and is known for vibrant, ever-changing street murals, hole-in-the-wall art galleries, and well-established concert venues. People from all walks of life run in and out
of Deep Ellum all year long, exploring and enjoying one of Dallas’s most creative neighborhoods, so it seemed to be the ideal location to root this new venture. In a stroke of luck, the Snyders found a space tucked away inside the old Brake & Clutch Warehouse building, which dated back to
the 1930s. Brad and BK saw straight through the 90 years of grease staining the floor to the potential joy and adventure this shop would bring to the Dallas area. They knew this was the space they had been seeking, so they took a leap of faith and spent this last year pouring tender love and care into repairing and restoring the warehouse.
The Taco Tour
As they prepared the Pedego Dallas store for its opening in early 2019, Brad and BK are also gearing up to launch their own electric bike tour, much like the one that made them fall in love with Pedego so many years ago. The Snyders are no strangers to what Dallas offers, and they realized there is no better way to introduce people to Dallas than through the ever-growing foodie scene they know and love. Pedego Dallas will offer a taco tour that will take riders through three of Dallas’s hottest and hippest spots: Deep Ellum, the Dallas Farmer’s Market, and the Bishop Arts District.
The tour will begin at the Pedego shop in Deep Ellum and take riders along the bike paths up to stop number one at the Dallas Farmer’s Market, Taqueria La Ventana, a funky and fresh taqueria that specializes in authentic Mexico City street food. Riders will be able to spend as much time as they like in the area exploring the market and enjoying their first round of tacos before continuing on to the Bishop Arts District for the second stop, C. Señor. This Cuban-inspired menu and infamous yucca fries are sure to stand out as a fan favorite on the tour, just like the thriving Arts District it calls home. After guests have their fill of this unique spot, riders will travel back to Deep Ellum to enjoy Tiki Loco, the up-and-coming vegan taco shop owned by Oliver Peck, owner of Elm Street Tattoo and judge on Paramount Network’s Ink Master. This last stop on the tour is meant to show off the area Pedego Dallas calls home by introducing a local favorite brought to them by a man who has thrived in Deep Ellum for over two decades.
Whether a rider is visiting Dallas for the first time, or they have lived in D-Town as long as Oliver Peck and the Snyders, the hope is that the taco tour will introduce people to new places and foods, and also introduce them to a different perspective on exploring the city before them. This tour will surely be the first of many, as Brad and BK work to develop different ways to show off Dallas and all that it has to offer.
Pedego Electric Bikes may be new to Dallas, but it is no doubt they will be a notable addition to the buzzing activity in the city by the end of 2019. The Dallas shop has thirteen different styles, including a three-wheeler, a tandem, and a foldable bike, perfect for the bus, available for rent or purchase. According to a 2016 report by Navigant Research, Pedego brand bikes were rated the number one electric bikes in America due to their focus on finding the balance between a quality build and fun, colorful styling. The Pedego Electric Bikes corporate headquarters in Fountain Valley, California, is constantly rolling out newer, better styles of electric bikes, and the Snyders are excited to spread the joy this activity brought them to the community they love.
