Note: This story is part of a paid advertising partnership between River City Bicycles and BikePortland.
Next year, River City Bicycles will mark its 30th anniversary. It’s an impressive achievement in a challenging industry that has seen many large independent shops shut down. But River City is going strong. And in recent years they’ve made a significant bet on electric bikes.
You might recall in 2011 when River City opened an outlet store on SE Belmont just two blocks from their original location. For the past seven years, the store had steadily evolved its offerings to be mostly e-bikes. As customer interest grew, it became clear the store’s future should be all electric. This year River City decided to make it official and the sign outside now says “River City E-Bikes”. It’s a major, notable change for Portland’s most iconic bike shop.
River City started selling e-bikes at their flagship store in 2017, but the big spike in demand didn’t happen until a few years later. “Over the last four or five years, we’ve seen demand for e-bikes absolutely skyrocket,” said River City E-Bikes Store Manager Hayes Kenny during my visit Tuesday.
The 4,000 square foot store on the corner of Belmont and 6th is one of the largest e-bike only shops in the region and offers everything from cargo-haulers to svelte road bikes. And while there are plenty of bikes to choose from, they’ve carved out enough room for an indoor test track, a dedicated e-bike service area, and a fitting station to make sure you’re comfy before you ride a new bike home.
The store attracts a variety of customers — some of whom are older and have set aside their old “analog” bikes (Kenny’s term for non-electric bikes) and others who want to carry more stuff, or keep up with a faster partner.
Kenny, who grew up in Eugene and has worked in shops since his first “volunteer bike shop rat” job right out of high school, has done just about every cycling discipline. His current favorite is e-mountain biking. Kenny and all the other shop staff ride and test all the bikes on the showroom floor, and the service staff have years of e-bike-specific training under their belts. He says that’s one reason the shop is successful. When it comes to what bikes to sell, “We’ve developed a really good sense for what’s important and what’s not important,” he said.
And with River City’s long track record in the industry, they’ve tapped existing relationships with top brands like Santa Cruz, Specialized, Cervelo, Scott, Cannondale, and BMC to fill out their selection. It’s a sign of the times that all those brands established themselves before e-bikes hit the market, but today they offer top-end battery-equipped bikes befitting of their premium brands.
Santa Cruz’s “Skitch” is one such bike. As Kenny effortlessly rolled it off the rack, I had to look closely to even notice the battery and motor. At just 30 pounds, it’s an example of a growing segment of the e-bike market; lightweight bikes that give you more power without the pounds. With a carbon fiber frame, wide tires, flat bar, and massive gear range, this thing would be a perfect Forest Park gravel road shredder.
“It’s a high performance, do-it-all bike — that just happens to have a motor,” is how Kenny described it.
The Skitch’s battery is light enough so that you have to work hard to reach its top speed of 28 mph. “It’s a bit like a tailwind, rather than a fully mechanical assist experience,” Kenny said. At just 30 pounds, you could even switch the motor off (or ride in “Eco” mode) to increase your range or heart rate and it’s still fun to ride.
At 77 pounds, the Specialized Globe Haul cargo bike won’t win any weight weenie competitions; but it can carry about 14 Skitch’s worth of weight. It’s under $3,000, a bargain when you replace your car with it, and it’s got tons of accessorizing options to optimize it for kids, cargo, or both. My favorite thing about the design is the telescoping seatpost and easily adjustable bars so it can fit riders from about five feet to well over six feet tall.
For folks who want an additional layer of security and comfort, the Haul can be equipped with a throttle so you can cruise along at 20 mph without pedaling. “That’s really useful if you have the bike loaded down with cargo and you need to get going from a stoplight,” Kenny said. “Or if you’re in a hilly neighborhood or need to get across town quickly.”
The gamut of bikes mirrors the clientele at River City E-Bikes. It was a buzz of activity when I was in there, and the customers seemed to have lots of questions. Beyond answering them, Kenny says he and his crew encourage folks to try before you buy.
“If you haven’t tried an e-bike yet, especially a modern pedal-assist bike, it might not be exactly the experience you’re expecting it to be,” he said.
While customers are often surprised after a test ride, Kenny said there’s one part of the experience they can count on. “Almost everyone’s coming back from a test ride with a smile on their face when they first get a sense of that motor assistance and how fun it can be. And for some of our customers, it’s unlocking that experience for them for the first time since they were a kid.”
— River City E-Bikes
Note: This story is part of a paid advertising partnership between River City Bicycles and BikePortland.
