Carson City powersports store expands under new ownership

The buyout of a decades-old powersports store in Carson City will not affect the local, family-oriented feel of the former Michael’s Cycle Works, according to store employees.

On Tuesday, Mike Cannon, sales consultant at the south Carson store, told the Appeal a five-year buyout by Georgia-based Outdoor Network had been completed.

“We are under new ownership,” Cannon said. “We’ve rebranded as ‘Ridezilla.’”

Cannon said the new owners funded a nearly $4 million remodel that, recently completed, doubled the size of the shop to 20,000 square feet. The remodel increased the size of the showroom by 70 percent and added a new parts and service area at the back of the store, Cannon said.

“People should come in to see the difference,” he said. “It’s significant.”

Cannon said the store has been in operation for half a century.

“I am 64, and the first dirt bike I bought – brand new and paid for in cash – was when I was 15, and it was at Michael’s Cycle Works,” he said.

Cannon said the store used to be on Highway 50 but relocated to its current spot near the car dealerships about 40 years ago.

“We are looking for new ways to expand,” he said, noting the store kept its doors open during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are measured by customer service. We take customer feedback seriously.”

Cannon said Outdoor Network specializes in off-highway-vehicle parts and has smaller companies and brands under its umbrella. The acquisition also means the Carson store is no longer associated with Michael’s Reno Powersports, which was once a sister store to Cycle Works.

“We’re known as a local store, a family store, and we plan to keep that with the new corporate owners,” Cannon said. “The owners understand that.”

Ridezilla offers seven brands of off-road vehicles, both new and used models. They do offer some street bikes, but Cannon said 85 percent of sales come from the off-road market.

The store is located at 2680 S. Carson St. Business hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The business is closed on Sundays.

For information, call 775-883-6111.