Q&A with Bill and Carla Sauerwein, owners of Pedego St. Louis
Conducted by Trailnet Marketing & Communications Coordinator Justin Seaton
Justin: Hi Bill! I understand you and Carla have long histories as bike/walk advocates. Tell me about how you got involved in this world.
Bill: Both Carla and I have been cyclists all of our lives. Carla is a pediatric RN and for years ran the St. Louis SAFE KIDS Coalition. She led education and advocacy to prevent childhood injury, including supplying and promoting bike helmets and car seats. I served as Mayor of the City of Oakland form 1997 – 2001 and with the idea of providing safe streets and walkways for residents, constructed almost all of the sidewalks you see in the city of Oakland and redesigned many of the streets. As Mayor, our city-wide capitol improvements plan was nominated for a state-wide landscape architect design award.
J: How did you first become involved with Trailnet? Tell me about your partnership with us over the years.
B: I suppose my first connection to Trailnet came when I attempted to acquire a small strip of abandoned railroad property within the City of Oakland in order to construct a park. In that process, I met Ted Curtis, then the Director of Trailnet, who introduced me to Trailnet and its mission. Trailnet ended up completing the northern leg of the Grant’s Trail with the property and the City constructed a park around the trail. Our store is adjacent to the park. Thereafter, Carla and I became supporters of Trailnet, participating in Trailnet rides and learning about the many projects undertaken by Trailnet.
More recently, as we met the dedicated staff of Trailnet—Cindy, Corrine, Kevin and others—and witnessed firsthand their hard work and dedication, we knew that Trailnet was an important organization to support. We share its mission…. and over the years we have helped raise funds so that they can continue to make streets and trails safer and available to all.
J: When/How did you open Pedego St. Louis, and how has your business connected you to the St. Louis cycling community?
B: We opened Pedego St. Louis in June, 2019 by rehabilitating an old, run-down building adjacent to Grant’s Trail in Oakland. From our location, we meet and talk to cyclists and trail users every day. We have greatly expanded the cycling community by putting people back on bikes that had for one reason or another gotten away from cycling. We have gently introduced the St Louis cycling community to electric bikes which are now widely used for commuting, leisure riding, trail riding and for the all around enjoyment of bicycling.
J: Speak briefly about the E-Bike that you are contributing to Trailnet’s upcoming raffle (winner to be announced at the 2023 Paving the Way Soiree)
B: The bike we have donated to Trailnet this year is a Pedego Avenue. Since this model was introduced a year ago, it has become the number one selling Pedego Electric bike. The Avenue utilizes a “hybrid style” frame that is familiar to everyone and is a great bike for riding and commuting on streets and paved trails. It is quality-designed, lightweight and balanced. Like all Pedego Electric Bikes, it comes with a 5 year warranty that includes the electrical components. Everyone loves this bike.
Try the Boschert Greenway with us! Family-friendly, slow, and social, all ages and abilities are welcome on this ride. Our “Try the Greenways” series of rides are intended to introduce local Great Rivers Greenways trails to folks who don’t know about or use them.
The Boschert Greenway is in St. Charles County and links the Missouri River and Katy Trail, goes through Historic Downtown St. Charles, through Fox Hill Park, and up to New Town, a planned community within the city of St. Charles. You can also connect to St. Louis County and the Missouri Greenway: Earth City Levee via a new protected walking and biking path on the 370 Discovery Bridge.
FREE. No registration is required.
Email Trailnet Bicycle Educator Sarah at sarah.heyman@trailnet.org with questions.
Bike Maintenance Class | University City Public Library
Bike Maintenance Class | University City Public Library – Join us for a basic bike maintenance course! We’ll cover: how to fix a flat, brake adjustments, shifting adjustments, fitting a bicycle, and any related topics that come up in questions from participants. We will be specifically working from the League of American Bicyclists’ Smart Cycling curriculum. The clinic will take place at University City Public Library. It will last no longer than 2 hours. With questions or to reserve your spot email sarah.heyman@trailnet.org
The Giro Della Montagna (“Tour of The Hill” in Italiano) is our showcase of the City of St. Louis. Giro is less forest green and more red brick, featuring unique, bike-friendly routes through neighborhoods like St. Louis Hills, Carondolet, and the Central West End. The Giro is the perfect complement to our rural rides but with more big-city charm.
Riders will be allowed to start anytime after 6:30 am check-in but must leave before 8:00 am. If we allow riders to start later than 8:00 am, we have to keep rest stops open much later in the day which puts a strain on our amazing volunteers who have given their time to keep you hydrated and fed. They appreciate your cooperation and so do we.
Fix-a-Flat – Join us for a Fix-a-Flat course—a condensed version of our basic Bike Maintenance Clinic that focuses specifically on… fixing a flat!
Our Bicycle Educator will walk you through removing and replacing a bike tire, patching and replacing an inner tube, and a handful of other tips and tricks to get you back on two (fully inflated) wheels in no time!
No registration is required. All ages, experience levels, and abilities are welcome!
Email Trailnet Bicycle Educator Sarah at sarah.heyman@trailnet.org with questions.
Family-friendly, slow, and social, all ages and abilities are welcome on this ride. Our “Try the Greenways” series of rides are intended to introduce local Great Rivers Greenways trails to folks who don’t know about or use them.
This section of the Dardenne Greenway parallels Dardenne Creek in St. Charles County, north of Highway 64.
While it extends through a residential area and is near some commercial development, it feels rural and offers lots of green, open space to explore and enjoy.
It is part of the surrounding 80-acre Barathaven Park. Part of the greenway winds around a 15-acre lake, and along the way, you will see new wetlands that have been created to enrich the habitat of native animals and plants.
You can enjoy quiet and calming views of Dardenne Creek, stop and have lunch at a picnic table or sit on a bench to relax and breathe in the fresh air. Be sure to pay attention to the lovely native Missouri plantings that were specially selected not only for their hardiness and beauty but also to provide privacy to neighboring homes.
FREE. No registration is required.
Email Trailnet Bicycle Educator Sarah at sarah.heyman@trailnet.org with questions.
Come celebrate the St. Vincent Greenway connection between St. Vincent County Park and the Rock Road Metro Station!
Enjoy free dessert and transportation safety activities (like how to load and unload your bike on a bus bike rack) from 6-7:30 pm! At 6:30 pm, join a guided greenway walk or bike ride. The greenway walk will be 2 miles total from the Rock Road Metro Station to St. Vincent County Park and back. The greenway bike ride will be 5 miles total from the Rock Road Metro Station to the University of Missouri – St. Louis (UMSL) campus and back.
The Jewish History Ride starts at the Missouri Historical Society Research Library—the old United Hebrew Temple on Skinker Blvd—Warren Rosenblum, Professor of History at Webster University, and guides from the Missouri Historical Society will take us on a tour of Jewish History in St. Louis.
Come for the synagogues, and stay for a good schvitz!
About Trailnet Community Rides
Trailnet Community Rides are guided, slow-paced, group bike rides that explore the history and culture of the St. Louis Community.
Community Rides generally last around 3 hours. There are no staffed rest stops on these rides, and we cannot guarantee access to restrooms or water. Please plan accordingly.
Community Rides registration is capped at 75 participants. A smaller group allows us to safely manage riders on open city streets; ensures our docents/guides can effectively deliver information; and guarantees that local stops (museums, churches, businesses, etc…) won’t be overwhelmed when we roll up.
Trailnet‘s Free Adult Learn-to-Ride courses are a grown-up companion to our popular Bike Rodeos—geared toward adults with little to no experience who want to build confidence on two wheels.
We’re limiting this course to a maximum of four participants, so our Bike Educator can give each student the individual attention they need to leave steady on two wheels.
For more information, contact sarah.heyman@trailnet.org.
Again, space is limited, so reserve your spot via email^ today! Once you reserve your spot, you’ll receive an email with a specific location and more detailed instructions.
A bike rodeo is a safe, controlled environment for kids (ages 3-12) to practice bike handling skills, build confidence, and help start good habits on the bike alongside their parents and guardians.
We encourage parents to join in and help lead the simple exercises to build skills for riding safely. Our Bike Educator will make sure bikes are checked for safety and children are fitted with bike helmets.
For more information and to register your child, contact sarah.heyman@trailnet.org.
