PRINCETON EBIKES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Princeton Free Wheelers
Barbara has been a member of the Princeton Free Wheelers for 20 years. Cycling is now a part of her life and has grown into a passion, spending many hours on a road bike with new friends. After retirement from a career in social services, she began volunteering at the Trenton Bike Exchange helping to coordinate bike drives with all proceeds supporting The Trenton Boys & Girls Club. She is looking forward to continued promotion of cycling and support of The Boys & Girls Club by volunteering at the new Princeton E-Bike Shop…..and checking out an e-bike ride!
Brian has been working on bikes since he was in high school and has over 30 years of professional experience as a bicycle mechanic. Working his way up from basic service to full overhauls, he started at a bike shop in Battle Creek, MI in the 1990s. During his undergrad years he spent his summers working at a shop in Portage, MI. Fast forward to his grad school years and his wrenching skills helped put food on the table as he worked in stores in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne. In all cases, he worked on the retail floor, interacted with customers, and assembled and repaired thousands of bicycles.
Brian is an avid cyclist and enjoys BMX, road, and mountain bike racing, bicycle commuting, family rides, and bicycle touring. He does all his own upkeep on his own bikes and does everything he can to purchase parts and accessories from local businesses. Advocacy is important to him as well, and he is currently a member of Hightstown Borough's Complete Streets Committee and a Trustee on the West Windsor Bicycle Pedestrian Alliance. Brian also serves as the NJ State Coordinator for the Ride of Silence. His philosophy is simple: he wants to get as many people on bikes as possible, and safety is the top priority.
Job Titles:
- Resource Director at Starbucks
Carlos is the Partner Resource Director at Starbucks for the New York metro region and has a longstanding interest in bikes of all types. He's volunteering for Princeton eBikes to combine his interest in ebikes and serving the community.
Hunt has been a casual bike rider most of his life. He discovered ebikes in 2018 on a bike/barge trip down the Poe River in Italy. He loved the ebikes - and the trip. He is also an environmentalist (as a long-time active member of Citizens Climate Lobby) and sees ebikes as a more climate-friendly mode of transportation than some fossil fuel alternatives. Because of the "green" nature of eBikes, he fully supports Princeton eBikes and the Boys & Girls Club of Mercer County.
As a boy in Milwaukee, WI in the 60's, Jay remembers riding his Schwinn one speed all over the south side of the city, most of the time without hands on the handlebars. In recent years he is not so brave (or reckless) and prefers rides along the canal, or on occasion, with his friends on Princeton Freewheelers rides. His interest in bikes and biking have been put to good use as a volunteer with the Trenton Bike Exchange, which devotes its proceeds to the Boys & Girls Club of Mercer County. Recently Jay has also developed an interest in electric vehicles of all kinds, including the purchase of an electric car. His fascination in this area continues with electric bikes and he is proud to be associated with Princeton eBikes and its further association with the Boys & Girls Club. Jay and Theresa with Russ donated the funds for the Princeton eBikes start-up.
Amy and Jeff Watkins are avid recreational riders who enjoy cycling on wooded paths and coastal trails, especially downhill or with the wind at their backs. They want to bring that enjoyment to others and love working together to build new things. Volunteering at Princeton eBikes is a natural fit for them since their son also worked in several bike shops while growing up.
I remember growing up riding my bike every day to Clifton Junior High School. Back then I was constantly tinkering with the disk brakes. I also added things like a speedometer; I wanted to check the distance I rode on my 26" "Roadmaster" bicycle. After retiring as Vice President of Sales at ADP (Automatic Data Processing) I moved to Lawrence Township, NJ to live near my grandchildren. When I met my ‘ew wife Bette, she suggested that I might consider giving back through volunteering. We searched on Volunteer Match which resulted in meeting Russ White at the Princeton Ebikes location in 2019. The relationship between Princeton EBikes and the Boys and Girls Club of Mercer County was a perfect start for me in volunteering. Since that 2019 interview with Russ, I have been volunteering my time by building and now selling Ebikes.
Job Titles:
- Retired Publishing Executive
Russ is a retired publishing executive and was a founding partner of Firehouse Cycles in Yardley, Pa and Sourland Cycles in Hopewell, NJ. Twelve years ago Russ started the Trenton Boys & Girls Club Bike Exchange. The Bike Exchange is an all-volunteer effort that collects, repairs and sells donated bikes. The missions of the Bike Exchange are 1) to help low income families get decent bikes at low cost, 2) to raise money for the Trenton Boys & Girls Club, and 3) to provide intern opportunities for Trenton high school youth. Since its founding in 2008, the Bike Exchange has sold over 20,000 bikes and raised more than $1,200,000 for the after school programs of the Trenton Boys & Girls Club. The success and satisfaction of the Bike Exchange experience led Russ to found Princeton eBikes. Along with his wife, Sharon, Russ has been cycling all over the world for 30 years. Sharon got an eBike in 2019. Since then, Russ and Sharon cycle together in the Sourland Mountains and throughout Central NJ. Russ is an avid cyclist, but now Sharon is able to bike with him except on the hills where Sharon is now much faster. Russ and Sharon typically bike about 30 miles leaving about 35% of the charge in the battery. Russ is especially proud of the team that has joined him in this effort to bring the largest selection of eBikes in the area (supported by eBike service) to Central New Jersey while benefiting the kids in Trenton. Russ, Theresa and Jay donated the funds for the Princeton eBikes start-up.
As a young boy growing up in Philadelphia, two very important parts of Scott's life were his bike and The Northeast Boys Club. Being involved in the Boys Club and its summer camp were key factors in developing his values and leadership skills. Fast forward a few dozen years and Princeton eBike gives him that feeling back.
After a successful career in the nuclear power business and a followup as a high school physics teacher, he went looking for a way to give back to the community. Princeton eBikes was a perfect fit. Over the years he stayed with biking and incorporated it into Sprint Triathlons, in which he still competes. During a trip to Italy he biked in Tuscany and the use and fun of an eBike led to his first purchase. Being able to help people experience the fun and flexibility of riding an electric bike, while raising funds to help the Boys and Girls of Mercer County is very rewarding.
Theresa found her passion for biking among the steep hills of her home town, Ithaca, NY during her teenage years. She continues these endeavors with rides in hilly northwest Mercer and western Hunterdon counties with the Princeton Freewheelers and mountain bike riding in Utah. In recent years she combined her love of biking with community involvement by volunteering time with the Bike Exchange and the Boys & Girls Club of Mercer County. She is excited to continue these efforts at Princeton eBikes. Theresa, Jay and Russ donated the funds for the Princeton eBikes start-up.