Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Hersh.
Ryan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
6 years ago I took a job at Emory and was living out in the burbs. I moved to the Kirkwood neighborhood because it was close to work AND it is awesome. My commute was 4 miles but somehow it was taking me over an hour to get to my desk. I knew there had to be a better way. I stared riding my road bicycle to work and drastically reduced my commute time but was often showing up sweaty which presented a new set of challenges.
My research landed me on electric bikes. I test rode one and instantaneously felt liberated and amped that I found the perfect solution. My elation was crushed by the $5,500 price tag of the bike I tested. I’ve always been a tinkerer and a fixer. I KNEW that I could make something that was more affordable and better-looking than what the market had to offer. So I built my own and started riding it to work. People started to notice and I was happy to build bikes for interested friends and colleagues. It was when I started getting feedback that I realized that I was standing at the forefront of what could be an incredible transit revolution.
My feelings of encouragement grew with every bike that I sold. EDISON was born out of a selfish need but quickly matured into a company that is making life better in our city. In 2015, I was inspired to build a bike that was like my iPhone – where all of the electrical bits are integrated INSIDE of the product itself. It was also around this time this I realized that we have the potential to fix a big problem in Atlanta; every bike we sell equals one less car on the road – which is better for everyone! Especially when considering Atlanta’s growth and density trajectory.
Atlantans have better stuff to do than sit behind the wheel of a car and I am so proud to be building a viable and affordable car replacement. This has been one of the most humbling and thrilling experiences of my life!!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s been challenging for my wife and I, especially when I turned our house into a bike shop and was selling bikes off of our front porch. We also have an 18-month old, Micah; he’s my biggest fan. You could say I’m launching a family and a company at the same time. And to be honest, when one’s thriving, it’s often at the expense of the other.
EDISON wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for my wife’s unwavering support and encouragement.
When we officially launched the company and brand in June, we had 12 confirmed guests attending according to Facebook. I was wondering if Atlanta was ready for something like EDISON? Am I doing something wrong? When I showed up to the opening, we had 150 guests and 4 media folks! Seeing all of these amazing people support me was emotional. It really gave validity to what I was trying to accomplish.
EDISON Electric Bike Co.– what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We’re liberating car-caged commuters! The cost of car ownership is absurdly high, in fact, Atlanta leads the nation in that regard. Our mission is to provide an answer to Atlanta’s commuting challenges. And for us to be viable we have to be two things: reliable and affordable. We are so proud to have built a bike that people can count on and afford. I could geek out about our design and how amazing our bikes are BUT I am most proud that we are a company provides matchless mobility for all!
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Part of me feels like we’re already there. A few weeks ago, I was riding from Kirkwood to Ponce City Market.
On my ride I saw 4 other folks riding EDISON bikes! It’s amazing to see people utilizing my dream and design to resolve their commuting challenges – and they were having fun doing it! Try to frown on one of these bikes!
Our goal is to grow this company in a way that we can really make a big impact on our great city. We really want to be able to offer mobility to everyone. I wanna help the lady who has to wait for the bus just to get groceries, or the gentleman who has two jobs and an old car that he can’t afford to keep running. We NEED to help out and mobilize the folks that are too often forgot about in a city that’s becoming increasingly expensive to live in. When you mobilize someone, you EMPOWER them. Seeing lots of bikes on racks is a good barometer of how a community is doing – I want to get to a point where we give bikes to the ones that need them. That IS success to me.
Pricing:
- $1899 for an electric bike
- $3400 for a pair
Contact Info:
- Address: 1619 Hosea L Williams DR
Atlanta, GA 30317 - Website: https://edisonbicycles.com/
- Phone: 470-588-1619
- Email: ryan@edisonbicycles.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edisonbicycles/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edisonbicycles/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/edisonbicycles/
Image Credit:
campfire.social
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