Ed has been a cyclist his whole life and started racing when he was 12 years old. 44 years later, Ed is still cruising along in the bike industry serving the greater Quakertown area with his business Mr. Ed’s Mobile Bike Repair.  After departing from his shop in Harleysville in 2017, Ed started a mobile repair bike company, driving client to client, fixing bikes on the spot.

For Ed, his work is directly tied to the success of bike paths. “The more bike paths there are, the more people that will be out using them”, says Ed. He continues, “bike paths allow more people to get outside to recreate and make a massive difference when it comes to safety, which is one of the biggest issues facing on-road cyclists right now.” Most people don’t feel comfortable riding on roads and safe, alternative bike paths are the solution to this to accommodate more users.  Wherever there is a bike path, is where Ed’s business ends up.

With numerous years in the bike industry, Ed felt like the industry always focused on the enthusiast. When he started his business, he focused his attention on families, which make up a heavy user demographic on shared use paths. Covering a 20-mile radius around Quakertown, of which the population is about 1 million, Ed has his work cut out for him.

The greatest joy for Ed is seeing the positive social and economic impact that interconnected trails bring to communities. “When people ride their bikes, they do it recreationally. People will drive from Doylestown to Quakertown to ride the Upper Bucks Trail. When they come, they stop to get a coffee or maybe they stop for lunch. Cycling is a social activity for people. And, if you’re connecting these trails together to get from one place to another where folks don’t have to ride on the road, they’re going to use it and enjoy it,” says Ed.

Ed reiterated one of the most important amenities for him while riding are bathrooms, comfort stations, and water fountains. One of his favorite sections of the Highlands Trail is the Upper Bucks Rail Trail and the Saucon Rail Trail, as well as the Brayton Gardens Trail. Ed’s final comment was that cycling makes great people, and the more people that cycle, the better off the world will be. He says, “bike and be happy!”