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Announcing....A New Folding/Electric Bike Shop In Los Angeles!

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Announcing....A New Folding/Electric Bike Shop In Los Angeles!

Old 07-17-08, 11:26 AM
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Announcing....A New Folding/Electric Bike Shop In Los Angeles!

I am pleased to announce the opening of a bike shop devoted to electric powered ones-and folding bikes. This shop celebrated it's partial grand opening yesterday (the full grand opening won't be celebrated until around September of this year). I personally went to El Segundo, CA yesterday to see for myself this new shop. I took my Brompton folding bike along with me for transportation to and from train/bus stops since I expected to go to areas not well served by public transportation. While I saw some MTA buses around the downtown area where the bike shop is located, I figured right that it is not very frequent between the buses and they do not go close to the shop as I liked.

I was surprised that the light rail “Green Line” trains were not very nice or convenient to use. The recorded or e-annoucer wrongly stated that the train was going out of service-right before the stop I expected to disembark. And there were people still on the train! (go figure) I waited another 10-15 minutes for another train that it seems that was not needed. I finally arrived at the Mariposa/Nash Streets Station. I made a mental note to myself next time to take the express buses, instead of the trains. I was running a bit late. It seems to me once I got away from that awful overcrowded train, I was fine with just me and my bike. I moved along at a quick pace through the Aerospace area of El Segundo.

I crossed Sepulveda Blvd. into a quiet middle class area with wide streets-perfect for cycling. My little Brompton was more than enough to tackle the rolling hills similar to what we have around my house. The main difference is the streets don't cross each other at the base of the hill. This made it far more safer to ride a bike even with hills as I did not have to hard brake all the time. I was in Bike Heaven for once as the cool sea breeze along with safer, better designed streets made all the difference in the world.

The proprietor was on hand to greet customers. And there were no lack of customers. While I was in the shop taking pictures and talking to her, there was a couple of people running in there asking questions about the bikes. One man even left his shuttle bus running with passengers while he dashed in there to talked to her. She told me she already sold several bikes just that day! This unexpected development even took her by suprise. It sure did me! But this did make me think that a shop like this one is long in demand (though hidden) and overdue. People will search it out once it dawns on them that affordable transportation is not a luxury anymore but a true necessary. I do not think that this is a freak occurrence. People might still drive. But they cannot afford to do much of that anymore. There is a hidden need for real affordable options that public transportation alone cannot completely address or take care of. Bicycles will do so as they have done in the past and will continue to do so in the future. This unique bike shop's time has already arrived (and long overdue). Oceanside is too far away for most except for the most driven (like me). I wish her and her husband all success and look forward to visiting again in October for a Brompton luggage block. Finally I have a real folding/electric bike shop store I can recommend to others close by in the Los Angeles area.


Folding Bikes West

221 Main Street
El Segundo, CA 90245
310/640-BIKE(2453)

Hours:
(Call To Verify)
Wednesday + Thursday: 1–5
Friday: 10–5
Saturday: 10–4

https://electricvehiclesnw.com/fbw/

My Own Photos Of This Bike Shop On Flickr:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/world-o...7594461421431/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/world-o...7594461421431/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/world-o...7594461421431/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/world-o...7594461421431/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/world-o...7594461421431/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/world-o...7594461421431/

Last edited by folder fanatic; 07-18-08 at 11:20 AM.
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Old 07-17-08, 01:40 PM
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Shoot, I was just around the corner from them yesterday -- on my Bike Friday NWT no less. And I saw a lady ride by on the electric folder.

Oh well, I'll try and stop by next week. It would be nice to have somebody who can work on Bike Friday's -- I've lot had great luck with my LBS's
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Old 07-17-08, 02:21 PM
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Very nice! Might be a future ride idea to hop on over there.
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Old 07-17-08, 02:34 PM
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thats awesome, now make a website and mess up the service area.. it looks far too clean!
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Old 07-17-08, 03:32 PM
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Originally Posted by TheMadBrewer
Shoot, I was just around the corner from them yesterday -- on my Bike Friday NWT no less. And I saw a lady ride by on the electric folder.

Oh well, I'll try and stop by next week. It would be nice to have somebody who can work on Bike Friday's -- I've lot had great luck with my LBS's
The proprietor did gave me a hint that she will stock Bike Friday tikits very soon. I am looking forward to actually seeing these bikes as I never saw one in person.
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Old 07-17-08, 03:33 PM
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Thanks for sharing the pics, Fanatic!

1. The shop looks great, and the workshop area is beautiful
2. We need to get the proprietor in here to say hello
3. It's nice to see a bike shop themed around a concept (like folding bikes), rather than tied to a particular set of manufacturers. The bike shop in my town could sell you all manner of bikes, as long as you wanted to buy a Trek, Specialized or Elektra.
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Old 07-17-08, 03:45 PM
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see below for response

Last edited by folder fanatic; 07-18-08 at 11:26 AM.
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Old 07-18-08, 10:12 AM
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Fantastic news!

I bought my Brompton from the FBW person in Oceanside a few years back.

Even though I've since fled SoCal, I really enjoyed riding my Brompton in LA. And was it ever a conversation piece -- people took photos, stopped their cars to get the info on getting one, etc -- all before the gas price hysteria kicked into overdrive. I'd imagine there's a real market for these now.

Good luck to them.
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Old 07-18-08, 11:05 AM
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Excellent! Even before moving here from Cologne, Germany, I had visions of opening a shop similar to a great concept shop in Cologne (https://www.zweipluszwei.com) that specializes in folders, tandems and bike trailers (in other words, transportation for families). I'm psyched someone else has taken the initiative and to have a place that can hopefully service my Brompton and where I can shop for a folder for my wife.
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Old 07-18-08, 11:22 AM
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Originally Posted by bookishboy
Thanks for sharing the pics, Fanatic!

1. The shop looks great, and the workshop area is beautiful
2. We need to get the proprietor in here to say hello
3. It's nice to see a bike shop themed around a concept (like folding bikes), rather than tied to a particular set of manufacturers. The bike shop in my town could sell you all manner of bikes, as long as you wanted to buy a Trek, Specialized or Elektra.
Thank you for the compliment, Bookish Boy. I already sent a thank you e-mail to her this morning letting her know about this review and this Website. I hope she wants to participate like Thor and Yan does sometimes.
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