When Decatur residents Rebecca Mobley and Mandi Oeland went looking for e-bikes that reflect their creative personalities, they came up empty. So the entrepreneurial duo decided to make their own.
Mobley and her aunt-turned-business-partner Oeland are launching WKND Bikes with their first limited edition drop on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 4-7 p.m. at Huckleberry’s Corner Store, where Oakhurst meets East Lake.
More than three years ago, Mobley left Phoenix, AZ, for metro Atlanta. When she and Oeland would get together, they’d often discuss e-bike colors and design.
“I have always wanted a bike with sparkle, and I couldn’t find anything like that,” Mobley said.
WKND Bikes offers four bespoke Class II e-bike models with hand-operated throttles and pedal assist to help with Atlanta’s hilly terrain. As longtime bike riders, Mobley and Oeland are aiming to attract leisure bikers.
“Our bikes are for neighborhood rides, like biking kids to school, to playdates, dinner runs, and meetings with friends,” Mobley said, adding that any age and ability can easily ride an e-bike.
At Saturday’s pop-up, customers will be able to try out one of the 100 limited edition bikes in the ATL 100 collection. Bikers can ride off the lot, Mobley said, or order for a very quick turn around. She’s been hand-assembling the e-bikes in her garage and test riding them around town for quality control.
The Weekender is an easy ride for cruising around; The Roadie is a step-over design for the casual rider; The Field Trip comes with child racks on back and storage on front; and The Bindle is a zippy, foldable, fat tire e-bike. Each model sells for $1,996, based on the year Atlanta hosted the 1996 Olympic Games. Mobley said the price is competitive.
The e-bikes come in a range of colors like deep green (East Lake Drive), bright yellow (Summerhill), sparkly dark blue (Midtown Midnight), and more. The names correspond to something unique to Atlanta, whether it’s an important date or the name of a neighborhood.
The images on WKND Bikes’ social media are the work of Oeland, who Mobley described as “thoughtful” and “design forward with a photography background.” Mobley has spent over a decade in stadium marketing and events, with an understanding that “experiences are what drive people, and what people remember.”
“We want people to be happy. We want them to get outside, ride bikes, and get some vitamin D,” Mobley said.
An e-bike could improve someone’s quality of life and community by getting them outside and meeting people, Mobley said. WKND Bikes hopes to elicit the fun, free, youthful experience of riding bikes around the neighborhood.
“Helping to remember how good it feels to ride a bike? That’s us. That’s WKND,” Mobley said.
