BUSINESS NEWS Pete’s Bicycle Store - Delivering Sales, Service, Safety & Tourism story and photos by by Bill Koelzer
cyclists and cars pass on N. El Camino Real. He adds, “Now, since July 2,
2010, this old Metrolink building welcomes cyclists with cold drinks, energy snacks and even ice cream. Also tubes, tires, tools, mirrors, seat packs, and locks… the stuff you need but sometimes forget on your way north or south. Bicyclists often rest here using the picnic tables and um- brellas outside our entrance. They especially appreciate our free air and restrooms.” A League Certified Instructor,
Pete Van Nuys rents & sells bikes at North Beach. W
hen Pete Van Nuys, 61, opened his North Beach bicycle store on PCH, it was by design that he
chose this location - the old Metrolink ticket office - -because it faces one of the busiest bicycle routes in the whole County. But then it is no accident that Pete would open a store that sells bicycles, ac- cessories, and rents bikes for touring, be- cause, you see, most of his life has been about bicycles and tourism. “As long as I can remember, I had a
bike that I rode everywhere,” says Pete, widely waving towards the dozens of bicy- cles lined up in his store and standing on its front lawn just 20 feet from where bi-
(LCI-League of American Bicy- clists) Pete also conducts classes on bicycling. He notes that, “The Smart Cycling program is a set of curricula for adults and children. The purpose is to take the fear out of cycling and let people ride competently, courteously and confidently anywhere.” Pete is proud of his bicycles.
“We stock small wheel bicycles, including Breezer folding models, ideal for daily rid- ing. Fast, nimble, and fun, the Zig7 and Zag8 fit perfectly in your home, office, car, train, or boat. And occasionally we offer special deals on touring, racing, and recre- ational bikes, too, especially tandem bikes, and even on high end Fuji’s.” The store also provides free brochures
outlining bicycle tours for Dana Point Har- bor, Mission San Juan Capistrano, Ocean- side, and even remote destinations including Los Angeles, San Diego and other cities served by train (and, say, a folding 7- speed, Zig-7 rented bicycle. Pete was most
A League Certified Instructor, (LCI-League of American Bicyclists) Pete also conducts classes on bicycling.
instrumental in helping Metrolink design their program whereby passengers can easily and quickly load and unload their bikes for remote tours). This man really knows bikes and
travel: “At twelve, I began touring all over the US and Europe with American Youth Hostels on their Teen Treks, which you can read all about at
bikingtrips.org. At 21 I be- came a tour leader for them for 10 years, with many trips involving bicycling, and before long I became the paid Executive Director of the AYH Council in the San Gabriel Valley.” Pete did that for sev-
eral years and then went into the commercial travel business operat- ing jet exchange charter travel. (Remember sav- ing money on “charter flights”?) For six years, he managed European, South American and Asian tours and youth study tours, many of which included bicy- cling. A skilled writer, for
years he’d written ad and promotional copy for many of his clients, including several motor- cycle firms. Then in 1980, Pete started Van Nuys Communica- tions, an advertising business serving clients in action sports such as bicycling, snowboarding, skiing and surfing. His ac- counts were mostly manufacturers of bikes, tires, accessories and sports cloth- ing.
A couple of years ago he served as Web
Content Manager for the Surfing Heritage Foundation (
surfingheritage.org), San Clemente, a non-profit organization dedi-
30 SANCLEMENTEJOURNAL The store sells and rents bikes and accessories.
bers of member clubs. Beyond that, the non-profit group speaks for all bicyclists, including the poor, the elderly, and chil- dren, and for the bicycle industry.” One thing’s for sure…if you want to
know most anything about bicycling or bi- cycling tours, talk to Pete Van Nuys. You’ll be glad you did.b
Learn more at (949)492.5737
www.BicyclesSanClemente.com
cated to preserving, presenting and pro- moting surfing’s heritage for the apprecia- tion and education of current and future generations; and to achieving a goal of surf- ing being more accurately understood, rep- resented and enjoyed. Pete became Executive Director of the
Orange County Bicycle Coalition (
OCBike.org) in 2009 which is a non-profit bicycling advocacy organization for Or- ange County, California. Their mission state- ment says that they “…promote bicycling as an everyday means of transportation and recreation and represent about 2000 Orange County bicyclists who are mem-
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