FreeWheelin’ Live Site

About Us

The Bergerons

///The owners

Meet the Bergerons, the first family of the New Orleans bike tour & rental industry.

Ryan’s family first set foot in the territory in the 1690’s – 13 generations ago. His great-grandfather, French-Canadian soldier Barthélemy Bergeron d’Amboise, accompanied Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville (the founder of New Orleans) on many military and exploratory expeditions through Canada and the Louisiana Territory.

Melissa’s family migrated from Paris in the 1750’s. Her New Orleans lineage includes a multitude of famous jazz musicians, riverboat captains and the architect who built the first New Orleans skyscraper. Melissa’s father is the drummer of arguably the most famous living musician from the 1960’s, and is on a ‘Never Ending Tour.’

Though Ava is young, she’s off to a grand beginning. She’s an exemplary student, and her interest and talent in the arts are beginning to blossom. To celebrate Ava’s birth, her grandfather wrote her a song called, ‘Ava Magnolia.’ It is a track on the Grammy Award winning album, Dockside Sessions (Best Regional Roots Album category), by Zydeco artist Terrance Simien. Here’s the link if you’d like to hear it.

10 years ago, nudged along by the news that they were going to be parents of the beautiful & charismatic Ava Magnolia, Ryan & Melissa saw an opportunity to create a niche service that did not exist in the New Orleans tourism industry, bicycle tourism.

Family Owned New Orleans Business

During many midnight conversations on the living room sofa, the plan for The American Bicycle Rental Company was developed. We found a small office in the back of the French Quarter, bought 12 American-made bikes from the country’s oldest (and last) bike manufacturer, and began working 7 days a week for the next many years to build this new service and spread the word throughout the city. Riding the success of the rental company, and listening to the requests from their customers for bike tours, Ryan & Melissa launched FreeWheelin’ Bike Tours with Teddy (Ryan’s cousin) as the company’s first (and only) tour guide.

A decade has passed, and despite the rise of a multitude of competitors (the “copy & paste krewe” as we call them), the implementation of a bike share program that decimated locally owned bike rental & tour businesses e.g. Blue Bikes, unusually regular street flooding (that rarely happened before Hurricane Katrina), a hotel collapse just two blocks away, dubious practices by online business listing platforms, and constant hurdles thrown before us by the tragically inept and aloof City Hall, our companies are still battling to stay atop the ultra-competitive bicycle tourism industry.

Being trailblazing entrepreneurs in a tourism-centric city hasn’t been easy, but the rewards of smiling customers the world over has been worth all of the headaches, setbacks, long hours and hard work.

The Bergerons love their home town of New Orleans and would like nothing more than to host you for a bike tour or rental during your visit to the one and only Crescent City.

New Orleans Family Owned Pic

What are you waiting for mes amis? You can’t get more New Orleans than FreeWheelin’ unless you can summon Iberville from the great beyond. Click over to the tour page that interests you most and book your next great vacation experience – we’ll see you soon!

Freewheelin Bike Tours New Orleans
Freewheelin Bike Tours New Orleans
Freewheelin Bike Tours New Orleans

MEET OUR TOUR GUIDES

Freewheelin Bike Tours New Orleans

Theodore Schiro III aka Teddy, aka Lord Mayor

///General Manager & Tour Guide
Click to view Teddy’s Bio Video

Teddy is the O.G. (Original Guide) of the New Orleans bike tour industry; he wrote FreeWheelin’s original “Creole & Crescent” tour almost a decade ago, and he continues to charm our customers from around the world.

Teddy’s tour style is loaded with sharp wit & humor which is part of what makes touring with Teddy such an enjoyable time; his tours are so entertaining that customers come back year after year to go on another ride with the “Lord Mayor” of New Orleans (a nickname given to him by a media writer from London).

More worldwide media articles have referenced Teddy’s guide style, content and wry humor than probably any other tour guide on the globe – he’s famous y’all.

If you haven’t experienced New Orleans with Teddy leading the way, mais you really haven’t experienced the city at all. If New Orleans was a person, it would be named Theodore Schiro III, and dat’s the truth mon cher.

Freewheelin Bike Tours New Orleans

Ryan Bergeron

///Owner & Tour Guide
Click to view Ryan’s Bio Video

Ryan is the fellow who after his last active duty mission ended, Task Force Gator, went out on a limb a decade ago to launch The American Bicycle Rental Company and FreeWheelin’ Bike Tours.

Ryan is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and the Louisiana Air National Guard, his love for all things American runs deep.

When you come to the shop, you’ll probably see him on the phone or the computer, paying bills, or working on our bikes, … but he’s never be too busy to greet you with a smile and sincere ‘thank you’ for choosing to ride with us.

Barry Stalnaker
Barry Stalnaker
2024-03-02
We had a great time on our e-bikes exploring the French Quarter, Mardi Gras World, the riverfront, and New Orleans City Park, all without having to worry about traffic or parking.
Brad Seamans
Brad Seamans
2024-02-23
Great way to see the other side of New Orleans. Away from Bourbon Street. Teddy was a fun and knowledgeable guide, a true New Orleanian. A fine story teller and you can tell he loves his city.
Robert Drake
Robert Drake
2024-02-23
We had an awesome time on our tour with Ted! The e-bikes were a fun way to see the city. Ted was very knowledgeable and his passion for New Orleans shines through.
Karen Emtage-Elliott
Karen Emtage-Elliott
2024-02-12
Great tour guide, interesting tour, nice bikes would definitely recommend.
Katie Hagan
Katie Hagan
2024-02-12
We had a great tour with our group of five! Would definitely recommend this to anyone traveling to New Orleans if you want to learn about the history of the city.
bob pallay
bob pallay
2024-02-07
Teddy rocks! Awesome ride, whitty narrative, a must do when in NO.
Christine Panella
Christine Panella
2024-02-02
Matt was our tour guide for the Nola safari 20+ mile ride and it was awesome! He was so fun to have taking us around and felt comfortable with his lead on the route. If you’re in NOLA this is a must do!
Leo Addis
Leo Addis
2024-01-30
Matt was a brilliant guide and the electric bikes are awesome
Scroll to Top