March 14, 2025 - (Victoria, BC) Bishop’s Family Cycles is a family-run bike shop in Victoria, B.C., specializing in cargo bikes, e-bikes, and practical urban accessories. Founded in 2021, the shop’s welcoming and inclusive atmosphere helps customers find the perfect bike for their family or business. We spoke with founder Robert Kemp about why he and his partner Liz started the shop, how Bishop’s has helped make cargo bikes part of the landscape in Victoria, and what’s next for the business.
What is your history with cycling and e-bikes?
Robert Kemp: I’m not from the bike industry at all, and I have never worked professionally with bikes before opening Bishop’s. I used to mountain bike when I was younger. Then we moved to Victoria and had kids. I ended up with an original Xtracycle FreeRadical kit, and I converted what used to be a mountain bike into a long-tail cargo bike. And so I put my two girls on the back of that, and that was my daily commuter. As we were going to have a third child, we were heading towards a “second-car life” so I started looking around for alternatives. Xtracycle had just released their Bosch e-cargo bike, the Edgerunner.
What was your motivation to open the store?
RK: I used to travel for work for about half the year, so I was gone a lot and missed much of my kids’ lives. Then the pandemic hit, and I couldn’t travel, so I worked from home and got to spend lots of time with my kids. My partner Liz and I started dreaming about what else we could do and realized that cargo bikes were always a part of our conversations with people. “Have you seen this cargo bike? It’s awesome!” We wanted to get more people on them, yet it was a nightmare to buy one locally… so I thought we should do something about this.
What was it like starting the shop during the pandemic?
RK: We started right before the second wave. Bike shops were still a critical business, which meant when other businesses were shut down, we were still opening our doors. The bike boom happened around the time that we opened, so it was nearly impossible to buy anything. We really had to convince people that we were doing something unique, and we were able to do that.
Did you have a warm reception when you opened up?
RK: Yes, we had a lot of excitement straight out of the gate. Initially it was people who already had cargo bikes and wanted to come by to see what we were up to. We sold our first cargo bike within the first month, and soon after started selling quite a few cargo bikes. We found that cargo bikes sell themselves. We don’t do any advertising or marketing; we’re completely a “word of mouth” business. It’s been great because families want other families to experience this “new and cool” transportation option because they experienced what it did for their family.
In Victoria we are also very fortunate because we had a very forward-thinking mayor who pushed through AAA infrastructure, and that made a huge difference. When families can come out and test ride cargo bikes, or any bikes, in a safe environment and not feel threatened by cars, they can really envision cycling on a daily basis.
We do things a little bit differently. Liz is an integral part of the business, and she really has a great eye. When we were figuring out the shop, it was annoying for her to buy helmets or child seats for our kids. She was frustrated by at times getting talked down to, or having salespeople not know how to try on a kid’s helmet or how the child seats worked. So from the beginning it was important to be focused on families, not “cycling” per se, and to ensure that we presented an open and welcoming environment to anyone who came into our shop.
Tell us about the demographics of your customers.
RK: When we started, we only wanted to sell cargo bikes along with traditional bicycle accessories to be able to live our “cargo bike” dream. Initially we were focussed on families, but cargo bikes are not just for transporting kids. For example, trips to the hardware store, carrying larger items, or going downtown for dinner are all options — adults make great passengers as well in cargo bikes.
We try to reduce barriers so when people come here and talk to us, they start to get rid of preconceived notions about cargo bikes and e-bikes in general, which is supported by study after study. For example e-bike owners tend to ride further and more often.
A lot of your customers are using their bikes for their businesses. Have you seen the impact of the B.C. government’s e-bike rebates?
RK: I ask every customer whether they own a business, because the $1,700 rebate that the B.C. government currently offers is huge. It makes a difference to push people over the edge if they are considering a cargo bike. Lots of people come in thinking of their family but soon realize that they can extend the use of a cargo bike to their business as well. I wish the rebate was available to every person who walked through this door.
Whether you’re an environmentalist or not, the economics are straightforward — we spend so much money on roads. If more people took transit and biked, taxpayers would also see their money spent on better things with less of a shortfall.
What would you wish for next for Victoria?
RK: We’re fortunate that we have one of the only municipal-run seven-day-a-week bike valets in North America. Bike storage is really important; there should be standardized easy in-and-out bike parking for all residences. Also, cargo bikes are part of the larger active transportation picture, so I would recommend putting light rail back in. Street-level trolleys also need to come back. Council is trying to set the table for that with bikeways and removing street-level parking. If we could get car storage off of our public roads, think about what you could do with all that space!
Our tagline is “Family Cycling is Revolutionary,” and I truly feel that way. Every kid I put in the front of a cargo bike will grow up with that mentality — we don’t need a car, this is how the street level of my city looks. When we ride on the street, we also interact with our fellow citizens in a much different way. Cycling creates more compassionate individuals who can envision another way forward in society.
You piloted e-bike and cargo bike rentals this summer. How did that go?
RK: We saw it as a community amenity for people visiting from out of town or families who already owned cargo bikes to be able to introduce the lifestyle to visiting friends or family. And that was successful, but it doesn’t take the place of a test ride. If anyone comes to our store to buy a cargo bike, we don’t try to sell them one right away. We want them to ride it to see how it feels, to ride it with cargo to see how that feels, to try a couple of different versions of it to make sure it’s really what they want. We have found that by encouraging people to take their time, we have zero people returning to say they bought the wrong thing. Zero people are coming back to say cargo bikes are “just okay”; instead, people who buy cargo bikes from us go and tell everyone around them how great cargo bikes are.
You recently opened a second location in Vancouver… how is that going?
RK: Vancouver was always on the radar — we have a lot of love for that city. It is one of the more bike-friendly cities in North America. Our store is named after Bishop, my youngest son, who passed away in August 2023. The initial idea was to get more people on cargo bikes, and to be able to spend more time with my family. When Bash got sick, we were spending a lot of time in Vancouver. We took a cargo bike over every morning to his radiation treatment, then on the way back we’d get a treat. It made me realize how small Vancouver actually is. It’s so e-bike friendly, but we didn’t see very many cargo bikes. That’s why we decided to take the idea to Vancouver as well. We want to see this lifestyle spread and we’re going to go for it. We found a really nice spot in Kitsilano. We are going to stay there through the spring, and if everything goes well, we will stay there permanently. We want to be here to support the community in Victoria long-term, and we want to support families in Vancouver as well! We’re working hard to get the word out.
What’s your main ride now?
RK: A Riese & Muller Transporter2 65. My daughters are thirteen and ten; that bike has one of the widest buckets with the tallest rain cover, so it has the most space for big kids on a two-wheeled bike.
Anything you’d like to add?
RK: To cyclists who think e-bikes are cheating, I say: getting an e-bike doesn’t mean you don’t ride your other bike anymore — it just means you get to ride bikes more often. The only regret we consistently hear people saying about buying cargo bikes is not that they spent too much money, but that they waited too long to make the purchase. Your kids are young for a very short time, and these bikes give you an opportunity to spend more quality time with your family on a day-to-day basis, outside, having more fun across the board! Cargo bikes allow you to have more fun and spend more quality time with your kids. I think that is a priceless investment.
Thanks for your time and all the best going forward.
RK: Thanks as well for sharing our story.
For more information please visit Bishop’s Family Cycles here.
