Today we’d like to introduce you to Gavin Brennan
Hi Gavin, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m a lifelong cyclist who grew up cycling & sailing in Australia, taught scuba diving (+ led dive tours) at Egypt’s Blue Hole and throughout Thailand, and then moved to the US to become an adventure cameraman (Ice Road Truckers*, Storage Wars, Tiny House Nation and Beyond Oak Island) *Nominated for an Emmy 🙂
Evangelical about the Eastside of LA, I’ve called Atwater Village home for the past 20+ years, where I ride and hike daily. When I discovered e-bikes I was astonished at their ease, efficiency and inclusiveness. They unlock this magnificent city for folk who otherwise may be hesitant to ride. It’s so easy now to glide through Griffith Park and uphill to the trailheads because the e-bikes do all the work. It’s literally a magic carpet ride. There’s also an intimacy with the city on a bike that you simply don’t get in a car. And finally there’s the quiet “helmet time” where it’s just you, the bike and the adventure ahead.
I first bought two e-bikes just for fun, so I’d always invite a mate along for a ride. But then as more friends came along I started threading together all of my ‘best of’ cycling routes across this extraordinary expanse of the Eastside – crowned by Griffith Park and the LA River – plus eclectic, often-overlooked neighborhoods such as Atwater Village, Frogtown/Elysian Valley, Glassell Park, Elysian Park, DTLA, Mt Washington, Montecito Heights, Lincoln Heights and MUCH more. I was then inspired to start the business and officially launched this year. Safety + Fun are our two anchors, so I’ve rigorously developed a few key routes that are 80% off street and really give a true sense of Los Angeles.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We’re the first bike tour company on the Eastside so there have been a few peaks and potholes to be sure! The first obstacle has been perception, that most folk don’t see LA as a safe, cycling city. Which is something we’re definitely hoping to shift as there is an incredibly engaged cycling community here, from the huge public events like Ciclavia and Critical Mass to smaller meet ups with dozens of very active bike groups like Midnight Riders, Sins and Sprockets etc. Early on we were contacted by Thousand Helmets, another Eastside LA company, who asked us to host a Team Ride for their 9th Anniversary in business. Great opportunity but we confessed didn’t yet have enough bikes! So we all got creative and they brought a few of their own e-bikes along and everyone had an awesome day! We’ve since done several terrific creative collaborations together. Launching a start up in LA in this tourism sector has been challenging, with no clear business support for entrepreneurs, so it’s been trial and error. And then there’s the steep learning curve for tech (reservation systems and online booking platforms which take hefty commissions) so we are working hard on outreach and partnerships, letting folk know we are here and to contact us directly.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I lead small group, guided tours of Los Angeles on electric bikes. We are proud to be the first electric bike tour company on LA’s Eastside and the first to introduce electric bike tours of the LA River, across Eastside LA to Downtown Los Angeles.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My mate in Yosemite, Chris Van Leuven, who introduced me to e-biking. He’s a world renowned rock climber and adventure author who also owns Yosemite E Biking. Props also to my wife Shelli-Anne, who deeply understands the power of community and helped realize my crazy vision with creative marketing and rolling collaborations.
Pricing:
- Tours start at $100 for a 2 hour tour of LA River and Elysian Park.
- Our most popular is 3 hr tour of Griffith Park, Griffith Observatory, Hollywood Sign + LA River for $150pp.
- The Best of Downtown LA tour (weekends only) is 5 hours, $250pp
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ebiketoursla.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ebiketoursla/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ebiketoursLA
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ebiketoursla
