There are car shows and boat shows and RV shows. Now there's an e-bike show.

The E-bike Challenge is a consumer show coming Saturday and Sunday to the Minneapolis Convention Center featuring vendors showing off electric bikes, which are available for a test ride on an indoor track.

The show is organized by Theo Jorna, a Dutch convention organizer who has organized e-bike shows throughout Europe. Jorna said he organized the first American e-bike show in 2019 in at the convention center in Minneapolis, but had to put the idea on hold for two years because of the pandemic.

The Twin Cities is as ideal place for the show because of a well-developed biking infrastructure and thriving bike businesses, he said. And he plans to make it an annual event in Minneapolis.

Jorna said more than a third of bike sales in Europe are e-bikes and he's convinced their popularity will continue to grow in the United States — for people interested in using them for fitness, recreation, commuting and hauling cargo.

"E-bikes are indeed the future."

This year's show will have 20 exhibitors including e-bike makers and retailers. Convention goers will be able to test ride bikes on an indoor 600-meter track. Brands available to ride include Harley-Davidson, which recently created an e-bike line called Serial 1.

The convention will include biking presentations and workshops.

It will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets range from $6 to $10. Children under 13 are free. See ebikechallenge.com.

Richard Chin is a feature reporter with the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. He has been a longtime Twin Cities-based journalist who has covered crime, courts, transportation, outdoor recreation and human interest stories.

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