Specialized Buys Adelaide E-Bike Specialist

Adelaide, South Australia

E-Bike specialist Will Ride has been purchased by Specialized Australia, just five years after former World Cup mountain biker Will Rischbieth established his first store in the Adelaide Hills.

In a statement to the store’s customers, Will announced he is moving on to a new role as retail operations manager with Specialized Retail Australia.

“It feels like just yesterday that we were fitting out our humble little 39-square-metre e-bike shop in Stirling,” he says in the statement.

The business has since moved to a larger premises in the foothills suburb of Glenunga.

The former Australian representative in both junior and senior mountain bike competition was also an e-bike pioneer of e-bikes.

He purchased the first Giant dirt e-bike to land in South Australia and after some solid bike testing with his father realised the “positive impact e-bikes could have on people’s lives, especially for people new to cycling”.

He had already developed a keen interest and understanding in power systems as a diesel mechanic, a career he turned to after back injury forced him out of elite cross country and downhill mountain bike competition.

Will has indicated he will continue to play a role at the Will Ride store, which he has developed into one of the nation’s leading e-bike specialists.

“Having the support of a global company is exciting for the Will Ride team, our customers, and for improving the Will Ride service offering,” he says.

Will said he is also excited to work for Specialized and with other retailers around the country, “to learn from and build an even better customer experience, as well as help to strengthen sales and support for Specialized Retail Australia”.

Specialized bikes had been a prominent part of Will Ride’s range, which also includes brands such as Giant, Kalkhoff, Focus, Merida and Norco.