Local Aims to Take Bike Business to New Heights

Mark Becker knows about starting his own company. He and his wife, Debbie, are the proud proprietors of on Jimmie Leeds Road in Galloway.

Now, Mark aims to start up another enterprise, one whose scope encompasses the rest of the country and the entire world.

Becker and his father, Bill, are the innovators behind Elev8, a company that is introducing a new type of “comfort bike” to bicycle enthusiasts. The bike features a mechanism that allows the seat to be elevated, both as a person is riding the bike and when they wish to get on. A person can stand flatfooted over the seat, hit the red mechanism located on the handlebars and the seat raises to lift them off the ground.

“My dad retired and moved to Hilton Head, South Carolina,” Mark Becker said. “There’s a lot of bike trails out there, and he began riding a lot, but he got sore from riding.”

Bill Becker came up with the idea for a seat that can be elevated while a rider is sitting on it.

“He had an office chair that had a cushion, and he tore it apart to see how it works,” said Mark Becker, adding that this bike has been in the works for 10 years.

The bike has a dual suspension system and a seven-speed nexus hub in the rear of the bike, which allows a rider to change gears, even while the rider isn’t pedaling.

It’s a light bike with a steel frame and comes in 24- and 26-inches.

“It’s a bike that baby boomers and beyond would like,” said Mark Becker, although there is a bicycle aimed at children in the works.

There have been various prototypes drawn up over the years. Many of the prototypes were bikes that were reconfigured in the image of a mountain bike. Mark Becker constructed the first bike made from scratch.

According to Mark Becker, several manufacturers have expressed interest in the design over the years, but no one ever picked the idea up until Bill Becker’s neighbor, Matt Papka, picked up on it. He purchased the patent, and Bill Becker still owns a piece of the company, Mark Becker said.

“Matt was an estate planner,” Mark Becker said. “He knows a lot of people and secured a lot of investors. He brought it to the market.”

Through Papka’s efforts, the idea went before Fuji Bikes President Patrick Cunnane.

“Pat saw it and he believed in the bike so much, he set up a deal with a manufacturer in China,” Mark Becker said.

The manufacturer is Ideal. The bikes have also made their way through Fuji’s distribution network.

Currently, Tuckahoe Bike Shop in Tuckahoe, Mays Landing, Sea Isle City and Ocean City is the local assembly and service shop for the bike in the area, although the bike is not available for purchase at the shop.

To purchase a bike, one must contact Mark Becker locally. The bike is on display at Barista’s, and those interested may take a test ride. He said 280 bikes are available in the local warehouse, with another shipment soon to come.

The bike is available for $998.

“The average comfort bike could be  $1,000, maybe $600,” Mark Becker said. “The nexus hub alone is over $300, and the split frame with the added suspension brings the price up.”

Becker said people who have gone for a test ride for the bike so far have been excited to purchase one for themselves.

“It’s for comfort and exercise,” Mark Becker said. “The handlebars are upright and when you ride the bike, your back is straighter.”

It’s not a bike designed for racing, but he said the bike can be taken to trails, including the proposed county bike trail on Route 9 in Galloway. He also said a racing bike could be in the young company’s future.

“You can ride it right over a curb without thinking about it,” Mark Becker said. “It rides like a Cadillac. … There’s a slight learning curve when you first start riding this bike, but you’re riding it with no problem in 15 minutes to a half hour.

“I’m excited. … My dream is to eventually design a bike custom built for racing. To have a racer win a race with that bike … that’s something I’ve dreamed about.”

A video demonstration for the bike is attached to this post. For more information, visit elev8bikes.com.