“Thank you so
very much ZC.
Our engine is
running like a
champion after
1250 miles. ”
very much ZC.
Our engine is
running like a
champion after
1250 miles. ”
About Me
Nature of the Business:
Hello Friends -
I'm Brad Smith I come from a long line of successful garage tinkerers.
Microsoft started in a garage. So did Google, Black and Decker and Harley
Davidson. And so did Smith's Zippy Cycles.
Smith makes engines for bicycles and sells them all over the world.
Back in the early 1990s, he was selling cars during the day and spending
nights in the garage working out a way to attach an engine to a bicycle.
Besides just generally being a gearhead, he could foresee the day rising
gas prices would force people to find a cheaper way to get around.
He remembers visiting a neighborhood fence company in those days to use
its band saw to cut strips of aluminum. Back home in his garage, he would
drill holes in the strips and then use a vice to bend them into a frame that
would secure an engine to a bicycle frame.
That first motor came from a chain saw, a 25cc Sears Craftsman. To see
how fast the motorized bicycle would go, he took it to a race track in
Venice.
"It came in second to a Ford Mustang," he boasts. Actually, the Mustang
stalled at the starting line and lost a lot of time before it could be restarted.
"We laugh about it now, but it was serious business back then," Smith said.
"How else were we going to find out how fast we were going?"
The bike motor kits Smith now offers are street legal and get about 250 &
150 miles per gallon at 35 & 25 mph. The bikes will go faster and they can
easily be geared for climbing. And, if you feel like it, you can turn off the
engine and pedal like a regular bicycle.
The engines start at $250, about the cost of five or six tanks of gas for an
SUV or full-size truck, Smith likes to point out.
Zippy Cycles can be reached by e-mail: brad@zippycycles.com, or through
its Web site,
www.zippycycles.com .
I'm Brad Smith I come from a long line of successful garage tinkerers.
Microsoft started in a garage. So did Google, Black and Decker and Harley
Davidson. And so did Smith's Zippy Cycles.
Smith makes engines for bicycles and sells them all over the world.
Back in the early 1990s, he was selling cars during the day and spending
nights in the garage working out a way to attach an engine to a bicycle.
Besides just generally being a gearhead, he could foresee the day rising
gas prices would force people to find a cheaper way to get around.
He remembers visiting a neighborhood fence company in those days to use
its band saw to cut strips of aluminum. Back home in his garage, he would
drill holes in the strips and then use a vice to bend them into a frame that
would secure an engine to a bicycle frame.
That first motor came from a chain saw, a 25cc Sears Craftsman. To see
how fast the motorized bicycle would go, he took it to a race track in
Venice.
"It came in second to a Ford Mustang," he boasts. Actually, the Mustang
stalled at the starting line and lost a lot of time before it could be restarted.
"We laugh about it now, but it was serious business back then," Smith said.
"How else were we going to find out how fast we were going?"
The bike motor kits Smith now offers are street legal and get about 250 &
150 miles per gallon at 35 & 25 mph. The bikes will go faster and they can
easily be geared for climbing. And, if you feel like it, you can turn off the
engine and pedal like a regular bicycle.
The engines start at $250, about the cost of five or six tanks of gas for an
SUV or full-size truck, Smith likes to point out.
Zippy Cycles can be reached by e-mail: brad@zippycycles.com, or through
its Web site,
www.zippycycles.com .
About Me
Auxiliary power for human-powered vehicles (HPVs).
What was done to overcome first challenges?
I bought a hail-damaged motor home and hit the road running. No phone,
no food, no pets, but I had bicycle engines.
As the nature of the business was to be a manufacturer, not a retailer, I
attended international bicycle trade shows so attendees could get a "hands
on" opportunity. But most attendees were bike shop owners feeling engines
on bicycles was absurd, even offensive. It was a tough sale. While sales
were obtained, margins were small. But I did manage to make contacts
with enough customers to pay the bills. But it was not satisfying me.
I called different entrepreneurs of HPVs. One of the contacts gave me
good advice: Forget about trying to sell to bike shops at wholesale. Retail it.
no food, no pets, but I had bicycle engines.
As the nature of the business was to be a manufacturer, not a retailer, I
attended international bicycle trade shows so attendees could get a "hands
on" opportunity. But most attendees were bike shop owners feeling engines
on bicycles was absurd, even offensive. It was a tough sale. While sales
were obtained, margins were small. But I did manage to make contacts
with enough customers to pay the bills. But it was not satisfying me.
I called different entrepreneurs of HPVs. One of the contacts gave me
good advice: Forget about trying to sell to bike shops at wholesale. Retail it.
Cheryl and Joe,
The Lavanders
The Lavanders
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Why start this business?
Necessity was the mother of invention. I wanted to offer a reliable form of
transportation that did not require insurance costs and in most states, no
registration, license plate or motor vehicle operator's license. Florida
Statue 316 will confirm this. Check the Laws
transportation that did not require insurance costs and in most states, no
registration, license plate or motor vehicle operator's license. Florida
Statue 316 will confirm this. Check the Laws
All Content Copyright 2004-2008 ~ WWW.ZIPPYCYCLES.COM
E-MAIL:
brad@zippycycles.com
brad@zippycycles.com
| MY FEATURED BICYCLES |
| BEST ENGINE 150MPG |
| SAVE $$$ DRIVE A BIKE |
| Zippy Cycles |
Super Fast Motorized Bicycles
| FAST ENGINE 40MPH |
WWW.ZIPPYCYCLES.COM - 2 cycle motor engine gas kit for bicycle, Gas Powered Bicycle Engines, Motorized Fast Bicycles, Motor Gas Engine Bicycle, Gas Motor Bicycle Bike Kit, Bike Conversion Engine Kits, Motor Assisted Bike Engines 80cc and 49cc, Peddle Start Motorized Bicycle Engine Gas Engine Assisted Bicycle Kit, Motor Bicycle Assisted Bike Kit, Motorized Kit Convertion Bicycle Kit and more!