Offering electric bicycle sales, rentals, tours, and repairs for electric and traditional bikes, Big Bam eBikes and its exuberant owner Pamela Flume, together with her husband Ray Fiume, are at the forefront of the electric bike revolution. The bikes, which feature small battery-powered motors, assist riders as they pedal. Popular in other regions of the country, they are just now gaining ground in Florida.
“Three years ago, I was reading an article about ebikes and how common they are in California,” says Pamela. “I knew they would be in demand here because they make riding easier for people who have physical issues, who are getting older. It came to me like a message from above. For the next four months, I researched everything about ebikes. I’d never even ridden one!”
Pamela—a Riverview High School grad—had returned to Venice after spending long stretches of her business career in California and Kansas. She and Ray, who also manages an insurance agency, named their new ebike business after two different ebike lines—Big Cat and BAM Power—and put one of their beloved dogs, Arthur Underfoot, in their logo. They rented a space at the Venice Farmers Market and began selling ebikes and testing the public’s interest. The response was instant.
“I was talking to 30 or more people every Saturday,” Pamela says. “Then in December 2019, we found a location for our store right at the end of the Legacy Trail on Venice Avenue. It became the very first ebike store in Venice. I had so many people coming in saying, ‘There is so much information and so many options online, I had to come into a real store and look through the bikes.’ People get tired of all the information online and they want to actually see and experience the bikes.”
The onset of the pandemic made interest in ebikes explode. People in lockdown needed new forms of entertainment and just to get out of the house. They flocked to Pamela’s ebike lines like Magnum, Bagi Bike, Gazelle, Emojo and others. Along with her husband Ray, Pamela’s Big Bam eBikes now has four employees.
“We call ourselves ‘The Happiest Place In Venice,’ because of how happy people are when that motor kicks on and they suddenly feel like they are flying,” Pamela explains. “People feel really elated. We are dedicated to making sure everyone finds their perfect ebike and that they can ride them safely. When our customers are getting started, some haven’t ridden a bicycle in many years, others feel unsteady. I run behind them holding on to their bike, just like you would with a kid on training wheels.”
The bikes come in a wide range of styles and prices from $1500 - $5000, can go a variety of distances on a full charge, some have throttles, and plug into ordinary outlets—all of which Pamela and her staff at Big Bam eBikes are happy to explain. But despite their variety and differences, ebikes share one thing in common.
“When you get on an ebike and start pedaling,” Pamela says, “all of the sudden the motor kicks in and the bike starts pedaling with you. And suddenly, life is wonderful because the weight of the bike, and the weight of the world, is lifted.”
412 E. Venice Ave, Venice. 941.240.1717. Bigbambikes.com.
