For the proprietors of Pedego St. Charles, the newest bike shop in St. Charles, Missouri, riding is believing. All three of the store’s co-owners — David Horst, Lisa Haug, and Sue Richardson — weren’t sold on electric bikes (ebikes) until they had a chance to take one for a spin. According to Haug, all of them “fell in love.”

“David is our founder. We’re neighbors and best friends. He bought a used Pedego and, after about a week, decided to buy a new one. We thought he was crazy,” Haug said. “When his manager quit, David asked if we would help out. I wasn’t sure, but after I rode [a Pedego], I told him I was in. It’s true freedom for me. I bought a Cruiser and love it.” 

Pedego is the leading brand of ebikes in North America, offering a complete line of 16 models ranging from adventure bikes to beach cruisers to city commuters — even tandems and trikes.

Pedego St. Charles

The 2,000-square-foot Pedego St. Charles store at 603 South 5th Street features a showroom with approximately 30 Pedego ebikes on the floor — many of them high-end Platinum editions. The store also carries accessories such as Sena and Nutcase helmets and tires, pedals, baskets, mirrors, lights, seats, and bike trailers and bags from various brands. All service and repairs are done in-house, and Pedego offers a lifetime warranty on its frames, a five-year warranty on parts (including the battery), and five-year anti-theft protection.

“It’s been going well. Our customers are mostly 50 and older, folks who want to get out on the Katy Trail or ride around Main Street St. Charles or Newtown. Some folks even use them for hunting because they’re quiet, can have fat tires, and you can put a gun rack on them,” Haug said.

“We take pride in what we do and want to really build our community,” she continued. “We’re trying to do community rides once a month and may do an overnight ride to Clinton [Missouri] and back this year. We want our customers to feel they can trust us to care for their bikes and help them get out there and have some fun.”