How Tariffs Nearly Derailed a Fitler Square E-Bike Startup
In today’s issue:
How Tariffs Nearly Derailed a Fitler Square E-Bike Startup
A Night Under the Stars: Gathering for the Schuylkill River Park
How Tariffs Nearly Derailed a Fitler Square E-Bike Startup
By David Aragon
For Alex Cunnane, the hardest part of launching a small business was not designing the bike.
It was trying to survive global trade policy.
Last spring, as Cunnane prepared to launch Higbee Bikes, the Fitler Square entrepreneur thought he was finally reaching the exciting part. After nearly two years of development, his family’s startup had ordered its first 250 compact electric bikes from factories in Vietnam and Taiwan. They had filmed a glossy launch video. Pre-orders were about to open.
Then tariffs hit.
New federal tariffs on Vietnamese imports threatened to add hundreds of dollars to the cost of every bike before a single customer had taken a ride. Instead of debuting the company with a marketing campaign, Cunnane found himself posting a very different kind of launch video: a sober explainer about tariffs, supply chains, and whether a tiny Philadelphia startup could survive either.
“It’s been very hard to plan production with all those changes,” Cunnane said in a recent interview.
For many businesses, tariffs are an abstract political talking point. For Higbee Bikes, they became an immediate threat to survival.
From shore rides to a startup
Cunnane, who lives in Fitler Square, did not come to the bike world as an outsider. His father, Pat, spent decades in the bicycle industry, beginning as a 12-year-old sweeping floors at a Montgomery County bike shop before eventually leading Advanced Sports, the Philadelphia-based company behind Fuji Bikes and SE Bikes.
Higbee Bikes, however, began less as an industry play and more as a personal frustration.
Cunnane loved riding bikes down the Shore, where cycling felt easy and instinctive. In Philadelphia, he found himself riding less. City bikes often felt too bulky, too technical, or too cumbersome to store in rowhomes and apartments. He wanted something lighter, simpler, and easier to live with. So he designed one.
The company’s flagship e-bike, the Martini, combines a compact frame with an intentionally understated look. The goal was not to build the fastest or most powerful e-bike on the market. It was to make something approachable enough that people would actually use it every day.
“We wanted to bring that [Shore riding] feeling,” he said. “A bike that is very simple to own, to ride, makes you want to hop on, but takes up less space.”
A global problem hits locally
Like many modern consumer products, Higbee’s bikes depend on a global manufacturing network.
The frames are built in Vietnam. Final assembly happens in Taiwan. Key components including motors and batteries come from suppliers across Asia.
When new tariffs were announced last year, Higbee suddenly faced a brutal math problem. Cunnane estimated the tariffs would add more than $400 per bike if fully absorbed into retail pricing.
For a giant corporation, that kind of disruption can often be absorbed. For a startup with a single shipment of inventory, it can threaten the entire business model.
Cunnane and his father flew to Taiwan to accelerate production, fix issues directly on the factory floor, and rush the shipment through California before higher tariff rates took effect. The company ultimately avoided the worst-case scenario, though shipping changes and added costs still squeezed margins.
Rather than fully passing the increases to customers, Higbee absorbed part of the cost itself to keep the bike priced below $2,000.
“It made it still a viable product,” Cunnane said.
Growing one shop at a time
Today, Higbee Bikes remains tiny by design and necessity.
The company is effectively run by Cunnane and his father, with help from family members and friends in the industry. It rents warehouse space from a South Jersey bike shop.
Yet despite the rocky launch, the company has steadily expanded. Higbee bikes are now sold in roughly 20 bike shops nationwide, including Cadence Cycling in Fitler Square.
Cunnane said growth has come the old-fashioned way: driving bikes to shops personally and convincing owners to test ride them.
“Once we bring our bike into shops, they get it,” he said.
Philadelphia itself has not yet become Higbee’s largest market. But Cunnane hopes that changes as warmer weather arrives and more city residents look for alternatives to driving.
The company is planning a public demo event with Cadence later this summer.
For now, Higbee occupies an increasingly familiar position for small urban businesses: local in identity, global in dependence, and vulnerable to economic forces far outside neighborhood control.
A Night Under the Stars: Gathering for the Schuylkill River Park
Submitted by Friends of Schuylkill River Park
There is a distinct magic to the Schuylkill River Park when the sun goes down, a quiet transformation from the daytime neighborhood hub of strollers, dog walks, and basketball games into a serene, leafy escape in the heart of our city. Next Saturday, June 6th, our familiar green space will transform once more, hosting the annual Party in the Park.
This year, we are making sure every generation of park-lover gets to join in on the fun, starting with a lively lineup of daytime activities just for families.
Sunrise to Afternoon: Fun for the Whole Family
We aren’t leaving the kids out of the celebration. The festivities kick off early on the plaza with a schedule packed with neighborhood favorites:
10:00 AM – 10:45 AM | Mister John’s Music: Bring the little ones, grab a spot on the plaza, and get ready for the city’s beloved, high-energy interactive music class. It’s the perfect way to jumpstart the morning.
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM | Plein Air Painting: Throughout the day, the park becomes an open-air art studio. Artists from across the city will pick up a brush, capture the beauty of the park on canvas. Stop by and watch local artists at work and stay for the party to bid on these unique treasures.
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Coco Academy: The afternoon brings engaging, hands-on activities and creative play designed to get kids moving and thinking.
As Dusk Falls: The Adults-Only Glow Party
This year’s evening affair takes on a vibrant new energy with a sophisticated, adults-only “Glow Party” theme. Designed to celebrate and support the Friends of Schuylkill River Park (FSRP), the night bridges the gap between an elegant night out and a casual, community block party. Neighbors can look forward to a beautifully illuminated plaza, local bites, and a chance to toast the community under the canopy of Center City’s favorite park.
This is an evening where the neighborhood’s familiar faces, the people you pass daily on the paths, the local business owners, and your closest friends, come together to step away from the daily routine and invest back into the green space that anchors our neighborhood.
Whether you are a longtime resident who remembers the park’s early days or a newcomer who has quickly found a home on its lawns, the evening is a celebration of shared stewardship. Pull together your best touch-of-glow cocktail attire, gather your neighbors, and join in for a night dedicated to keeping our park vibrant, safe, and beautiful for seasons to come.
The Details:
Event: FSRP Party in the Park: Glow Edition
Date: Saturday, June 6, 2026
Location: Markward Plaza
Featuring: live band favorite, the Panamaniacs with food from Miles Table and Pizzata, open bar and delicious sweets
All proceeds directly fund the maintenance, landscaping, and community programming for Schuylkill River Park. Come meet your neighbors or break away to catch your friends at the best party of the year.