Kevin Rea considers himself a true “Bendite,” recalling what Bend used to be like when he moved to the area in 1960.

“Highway 97 still went downtown and Wall Street was a two-way street,” he said.

To share the good old days of Bend but with a modern twist, the owner of Let It Ride Electric Bikes takes riders on a historic electric-bike tour along the Deschutes River from Drake Park through the Old Mill District, revealing the rich past of the city.

When Rea started Let It Ride last spring on Northwest Bond Street, he shared the building with Bend Mapping and Blue Print and focused on historical tours. But the Bend company will be offering more when it moves into its new location on Northwest Minnesota Avenue in April. Rea, 61, said the store will sell Pedego electric and traditional bikes as well as accessories he calls “cruiser candy,” do repairs and tune-ups, offer electric-bike conversions and provide bike rentals.

“I think we’ll become the anchor for Tin Pan Alley,” he said. “You’ll be able to hang out and have a Coke and an energy bar and sit there and watch people work on a bike…”

Rea said although the store will have its own retail space, he initially plans to have a minimal amount of inventory, and the tours will be a vital part of the business.

“It’s something you do on the spur of the moment with friends,” he said.

Last season, he said, he gave more than 200 tours to both tourists and locals. Even Bend residents will learn something on the tours, he said.

Riders will hear stories about the Mirror Pond Pageants, about when the Old Mill District was really two old mills, as well as more sultry tales of unsolved murders.

While some traditional riders oppose the concept of a bike you don’t have to pedal, electric bikes provide an alternative, he said.

Electric bikes can go up to 20 miles unassisted, he said, giving riders the choice to pedal or not throughout the ride. To avoid being considered a motorized vehicle, the bikes cannot exceed 20 mph.

“Electric bikes have the ability to get the couch potato off the couch,” he said. “You don’t have that excuse that ‘I can’t do this hill like I used to’ or that you have a bad knee.”

Rea said the average customer buying a Pedego bike is 58 years old.

“We’re the electric cruiser bike for mom and dad,” he said. “While their son is out doing Phil’s Trail, they can take a stroll along the river through Drake Park and to the Old Mill and back.”

Along with attracting the baby-boomer generation, he said, electric bikes are becoming a popular mode of transportation.

“It’s the perfect niche for people who are interested in innovation and have to travel to and from work but don’t want to drive their gas guzzlers.”

Q: What made you want to do historical tours?

A: I went down to L.A. to have lunch with the business owners of Pedego. They encouraged me to check out the electric bike tour in Santa Monica. They do a little history, but it’s mostly a people show. I thought the idea was perfect and decided to design my own Bend route and base the tour on Bend’s history.

Q: What did you do before Let It Ride?

A: I’ve been a builder since 1977 and still am. We had this hiccup in the economy, so when my son-in-law came into town with his friend who had been selling electric bikes in Venice, Calif., I started checking them out. I fell in love with them and before I knew it I bought a franchise for Pedego electric bikes.

Q: Where did you get the information for the historical tour?

A: I went through the historical society to get pictures and great stories. I also grew up here, so it makes it even more fun to share my history.

Q: How did you come up with the name Let It Ride?

A: Some lady in the airport mentioned the name Let It Ride because it was one of her favorite songs and it just stuck. It was a good fit for me, the baby boomer.

Andy Tullis / The Bulletin

Kevin Rea, owner of Let It Ride Electric Bikes, said he’s eager to start running his business out of its new location on Northwest Minnesota Avenue in April.

The basics

What: Let It Ride Electric Bikes

Where: 25 N.W. Minnesota Ave., Suite 6, Bend

Employees: three

Phone: 541-390-9848

Website: http://letitridebend.com/

Tour cost: $45 per person