The Story Behind Montana E-Bikes
Montana E-Bikes is owned by local best friends, Mitch Kauffman and Drew Loring. They are passionate about the outdoors and love helping people get the most out of their outdoor experience.
Meet Mitch Kauffman: Mitch grew up in Lancaster County, PA. After graduating with a bachelors degree in engineering, he built out a mini skoolie and took a trip around the country, visiting and hiking his way though most of the national parks. At the time he didn’t own an e-bike, but if he had that would’ve been a lot easier than hiking. After settling down in Whitefish, MT, he started “Big Mountain Vans”, an adventure van upfitting business for high end, custom vans. (So if you’d like a van to pair with your e-bike, he’s your guy.) Mitch’s favorite food is a potato in any form, preferably fried. But as much as he loves potatoes, he loves his wife Hannah even more. When they’re not in the bike shop, you’ll most likely find them e-biking, snowboarding, backpacking, hiking and camping together.
Meet Drew Loring: Drew grew up in a small, rural, mountain town in the Sierra Nevada mountains. He fell in love with downhill and freeride mountain biking in middle school and spent years racing, competing and coaching. In his parents’ backyard, he had a small shed with a wooden sign reading “Drew’s Bike Shop”. This is where he’d tinker on bikes for hours on end - learning bike mechanics and even taking in his friends bikes for repairs and tuneups before races to earn a little extra cash. Drew also works with international mission organization Snowboarders and Skiers for Christ as well as operates Alpenglow Ski Chair Co., a custom ski lift furniture business. He and his wife Gracie have been married since 2025, and spend every second that they’re not working hard, playing even harder. Whether it’s snowboarding, mountain biking, surfing, or road trips in their van they are often hard to track down.