February 26 2011, 3:42 AM  by Martin & Virginia Krieg

Listen as we have great fun with Peter Stull at his huge bike shop in Alfred Station, NY.  In the words ahead you will hear how Peter wanted to be a bike shop owner from the time he was 11 years old. And about Willy, the harmonica player pictured in the slide show below, who inadvertently helped him make his dream real. Along the way, Peter will also tell you about the odds he overcame to become the owner of one of the nation’s biggest recumbent dealers, the Bicycle Man,  as well as the  manufacturer of the Linear Recumbent!

Here is his LinkedIn profile:

“I founded Pedal Pusher with two donated relics in 1969. Using a buy-repair-resell business model I established production facilities in my parents basement with a sales office in their front yard. I grew Pedal Pusher into a powerhouse that dominated a 5 mile square market area encompassing a population of over 500. I relocated the business to a dorm room in 1974 and again in 1975 to a rent free (and utility free) house that had last been painted in 1920. I managed a staff of myself and overcame challenges like reading by kerosene lamp, rebuilding decrepit chimneys and transporting firewood 1/2 mile on an old Schwinn. My capstone project here was building “Bikezila.” With 5 speeds and a rear disk brake it was one of the first mountain bikes outside Marin County Ca. In the fall of 1976 I was recruited by Social Services for position “recipient” but refused because their offer to pay my rent if I moved to an apartment with plumbing required that I give up and close Pedal Pusher. I was evicted from the rent free location at the insistence of a building inspector in early 1977 and founded Bicycle Man that spring with rent subsidy from my parents. Thanks Mom and Dad!”

[audio http://www.radio4all.net/files/NBG@bikeroute.com/1680-1-BicycleMan2-06-06.mp3]