8 eBike Shops in Kern County, CA

How to use the Kern County shop directory

Seven of the eight listings are in Bakersfield: GET A BIKE, Pedego Electric Bikes Bakersfield, Action Sports, Grizzly Cycles, Bike Bakersfield, Snider's Cyclery and Locksmith, and Team Factory Cycles Bike Shop. The eighth, Cycle And Go Cyclery, is in Tehachapi. The cards use the business categories we have on file. Pedego Electric Bikes Bakersfield carries a rentals badge, and several others are listed as bicycle repair shops, but a category is not a promise of a specific service.

Before you drive anywhere, call and describe the job. For repairs, give the brand, the motor system, the battery, the approximate age of the bike and the exact symptom. Ask whether the shop works on motors and batteries or only on the bikes it sells. If a battery is swollen, leaking, hot or physically damaged, follow the manufacturer's safety instructions and do not charge it just to test the fault.

For a rental or test ride, give the date, rider heights and group size, and say where you plan to ride. Ask which class the bike is, what is included, where pickup happens and when the bike has to come back. Claim links let owners update a listing. They are not endorsements.

Kern River Parkway Trail: what the sources say

The Kern River Parkway Trail is the corridor most Kern County riders will care about. TrailLink lists it in Kern County, California, at 30.3 miles with an asphalt surface. It gives the endpoints as Kern River County Park at 10500 Alfred Harrell Hwy. in Bakersfield and S Enos Ln. in Bakersfield.

Lengths differ between sources. SJV Water describes the path as nearly 40 miles long when it counts the northern extension as an addition to it. We show both numbers rather than pick one. Plan your turnaround point so you keep battery for the ride back, and treat any mileage as approximate until you have checked the current city or county map.

Projects, extensions and closures to check

Several projects touch the Kern River Parkway, and construction can change which segments are open. We list what the public records say and leave the current status to the agencies.

The County of Kern's Kern River Parkway Multi-use Path Safety & Connectivity Project is described on CEQANet. The document says it will construct 1.3 miles of new multiuse path, resurface 4.2 miles of existing multiuse path, resurface 860 feet of road for a Class 3 bikeway, and install 1 crosswalk and 6 flashing beacons, among other improvements. Expect work zones on those segments while it is underway.

A separate CEQANet record describes the Kern River Bike Path Western Extension Project, a 7-mile extension of the Kern River Parkway path with an asphalt concrete bike path and shoulder adjustments. It ends at the Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area, and Kern County is listed as lead agency. We have not confirmed whether it is open, so check before you plan a ride around it.

Another CEQANet record covers a 12-foot-wide paved bike path on the adjacent levee and weir structure, which will connect existing paths on both sides of the river. It is located approximately 200 feet upstream of the Coffee Road Bridge in Bakersfield.

The City of Bakersfield's northern extension is the largest addition. SJV Water reports it as a 6-mile addition that takes users north at Coffee Road along the Friant-Kern Canal up to 7th Standard Road. The city went out to bid, and the article says it expected to break ground in June and finish in two years. The Kern COG Annual Listing for FY2024 also includes project KER191004, a 6-mile Class I multi-use path along the Friant-Kern Canal bounded by 7th Standard Road and the Kern River Parkway. Treat the finish date as a plan, not a guarantee.

On safety, BakersfieldNow reports that the City of Bakersfield launched the Kern River Bike Patrol with 10 community volunteers trained by the National Ski Patrol. It also reports that Bakersfield Park Rangers introduced an e-bike program with four new e-bikes bought with a $24,000 grant from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.

State park rules for eBikes

If a ride crosses into a state park unit, the rules change. California State Parks' e-bike policy, effective August 27, 2021, says no person shall operate an e-bike in a park unit except on public roadways and in areas allowed through a Superintendent's Order. The same policy says e-bikes may be allowed on paved asphalt or concrete bike trails used for local or regional commuting, where that is consistent with e-bike designations of adjoining trails run by other agencies. We have not found a specific state park unit in Kern County for this page, so look for posted signs at any park entrance.

eBike rules in California

According to our California eBike laws guide, California uses three eBike classes: Class 1 is pedal-assist up to 20 mph, Class 2 has a throttle up to 20 mph, and Class 3 is pedal-assist up to 28 mph. The guide says no license, registration or insurance is required for any class. It lists a helmet requirement for riders under 18 and for Class 3 riders of any age, and a minimum age of 16 for Class 3.

Cities in Kern County

Bakersfield holds seven of the eight listings and sits on the Kern River Parkway. Tehachapi has one listing, Cycle And Go Cyclery. Pick the city closest to where you will ride or stay, then call the shop.

Frequently asked questions