Main Street in Maine

Manager finds new sideline as street pedaler

On a personal note, I have to admit how cool I thought this was when I read the article. My brother and his family live in South Portland, and it's cool to know that now there are pedicabs there! And what a beautiful little yellow Main Street! I'll be looking for it the next time I'm out there shopping at LL Bean.

I have another brother in San Diego. When I visited him last year, I got to see the variety of cabs there. While we were strolling through Balboa Park, we met Pops of Pops Pedicabs. He was so nice and friendly, with a great coordinated image - another beautiful yellow Main Street.

This must be a guy-thing

Rickshaw Race Yakuzas in India: loser chops off thumbs

Next time one of my drivers whines, I'm gonna remind him/her how miserable life could be. A picture is worth a thousand words!

The Pedicab of Choice

We subscribed to Google AdSense for this blog. I noticed that sometimes an ad for Cycles Maximus shows up. I just have to be honest and tell you that Maximus is not our pedicab of choice. Although every brand and model has its pros and cons, we would choose the Main Street Pedicab over all other brands everytime -- hands down. Here are Greg's comments that he posted on Rickshaw Forum in June...

"What is all this talk about overhauling and work on the Main Streets? Do any of you turn a wrench? I do and worked at a bike shop for years and the Main Streets are easy to work on and very very lowcost to maintain. (I maintain a fleet of 25 Main Streets)

"There have been some people making a comparison of new Cycles Maximus to 10 year old Main Streets. Give me a break! Let's compare 10 year old Max's to new Main Streets dollar for dollar over the lifetime of these cabs (Oh there are no 10 year olds fleets of Max's). Lets compare operating expenses and see how much for a new Main Street to a new Max. The key is preventive maintenance, just like your car. Why would I want to spend the money on "special parts" I have to order from England or New York when I can get what I need at a local bike shop or wholesaler. I will match operating costs with my 10 to 12 year old Main Streets to your new Max's any day. Show me one that has 40 or 50 thousand miles on it like my Main Streets. Why would anyone want to spend $6000 on one bike and then buy "special spare parts" and then have to stock odd size wheels and tubes? There is not one thing on a Main Street I can't fix myself or get that day. The cost to buy one Main Street and spare parts for 10 years would still be less than the purchase price of one Max. To spend $6000 on one bike is a bad bad biz decision.

"I'll give in to one thing about the Max's -- that they handle well. So what!! What does that do besides jerk your clients around? Little wheels mean your parts have to go around more for more wear. Do the math. There Is NO nightmare to maintaining a Main Street? You want real numbers call me."

Whew! We made it through the week!

What a crazy week in Denver pedicab world! This week, Denver hosted its largest conference and expo ever, the Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) -- 30,000 people; $56 million revenue into the city. Every hotel downtown was booked 100%. Greg pedalled 10 hours a day for 3 days for our client, Snap AV (with a broken big toe, I might add). They are a smaller player in the industry (compared to Sony, Bose, and JBL), so their demo room was set up in a hotel several blocks from the Convention Center. Their inovative marketing director thought they could hire a pedicab to move people back and forth between the two locations. (Great idea!) Here are their comments from an email following the event:

"I just wanted to send you a quick note to thank you for the stellar service that we received from your company during three days of our trade show in Denver. Having decided to have a demonstration room off-site from the convention center, we were uncertain as to how best to get customers to the room. Your Pedicab service solved the problem and also provided even more incentive to visit the room, considering the novelty of the Pedicab ride. Our customers arrived refreshed and happy. Furthermore, by having our Snap AV sign on the back of the Pedicab, we received a lot of exposure that we definitely would not have received otherwise. We were also impressed with the quality of your drivers. They were very clean-cut, accommodating and punctual. We’ll definitely be using your services again!" --Todd Akins, Snap AV

On top of the Expo, Greg had booked a wedding Saturday morning and a special event in Broomfield, one of the Denver suburbs. One of our other drivers rode for Snap AV while Greg headed off for the wedding. That was after we delivered 4 pedicabs and 2 drivers to Broomfield at 8:00 a.m. for a parade and outdoor event known as Broomfield Days. Greg took over downtown from 1:00-6:00. Things got more complicated when the wind picked up with gusts of 40-70 mph in the afternoon.

We followed up the conference with a Broncos football game on Sunday - a major event for pedicabs in Denver. Greg didn't pedal this one and leased his cab out to the driver who helped cover him with Snap AV on Saturday. Every pedicab was out with another 5 drivers on the waiting list. Greg and I went to breakfast, then headed downtown at 11:00 a.m. We got all the cabs out before kickoff at 2:15. We had pizza and sodas waiting for the drivers when they rode in around 6:30. Our day finally ended when we arrived home at 9:45 last night. What a long day!

We learned a lot through the week. The experience at the conference was great, and we have lots of ideas when they return to Denver next year as well as for other conferences coming up. We'll share our experiences with the folks in our next Pedicab Operators Weekend Intensive training class.

Although the Broomfield Days event was challenging, we got some great feedback that will help us continue to learn and grow. We probably overextended ourselves through the weekend, and we need to learn to say "no" a little more often. Picking and choosing which events to do is always difficult, but you can't do everything even though you might want to.

One thing we realized is what a great group of drivers we have now. After the game, it was fun to stand around eating pizza and chatting with the drivers, and watching them interact with each other. Most of them finished the day tired and sore, but with a smile on their faces and money in their pockets. It's a good feeling when you know you're offering people and opportunity they couldn't get from anyone else - a job that generally pays well and is fun and entertaining.

Seth's Blog: Top ways to defend the status quo

Seth's Blog: Top ways to defend the status quo

Before you say "no" to pedicab advertising, read this. Do any of your reasons not to do it sound anything like this? If so, you need to think again. Advertising your products or services on a pedicab is an effective way to get your message directly to the people you want to reach. It's experiential. It's eye-level. It's face-to-face. And best of all, it's effective!

Call us at 303-PEDICAB to discuss your needs and options.

Testimonial by Weekend Intensive Graduate

In June, Neil Lubin of Sacramento Rickshaw Co. posted this great testimonial on Rickshaw Forum after attending Big Tree Pedicab's Pedicab Operator's Weekend Intensive.

"I flew into Denver from Sacramento specifically to attend the Big Tree Workshop. It was informative, inspiring and most importantly, I became connected with people who are building businesses like myself. There was a classroom component, a "hands on" component and an observational session. We absorbed lots of information, got to study the "anatomy" of the units and spent an evening shadowing the management of Mile High Pedicabs. Anyone who is serious about developing a successful and professional business model would be wise to attend their program."

Pedal-power taxis gearing up [in Sacramento]

Another successful graduate of our Weekend Intensive, Neil Lubin of Sacramento Rickshaw, is working with the city to expand pedicabs in California.

Shuttlebugz :: pedicab service in Fresno

Check out Shuttlebugz, Fresno's new pedicab company! Owner Joe Burke is a graduate of our Pedicab Operators Weekend Intensive. Our little bird left the nest and is a great success!

If you're thinking about starting your own pedicab operation, come to our next Weekend Intensive in October. For more information, go to http://www.milehighpedicabs.com/intensive.htm.

Pedicabs on Good Morning America's Job Swap: Catch a ride with Chris!

Watch as Manhattan Rickshaw Company's Peter Meitzler trains Good Morning America's Chris Cuomo on a Main Street Pedicab. Spend the day with them as they give rides on a summmer day in Manhattan, NYC.

Manhattan Rickshaw is a sister company of Mile High Pedicabs.

Welcome

Welcome to the new blog for pedicabs!

We look forward to posting information for both operators and drivers, and receiving comments from both as well.

You'll get a look into the innerworkings of the pedicab industry - the good, the bad, and the ugly! It should be a fun ride, so hold on!