Huntington Beach man to appear on ‘Adventure Capitalists’ TV show

A Huntington Beach man and his electric bike business are scheduled to make their network debut at 10 p.m. Tuesday on CNBC’s “Adventure Capitalists.”

Chris Barnes will pitch Cab Motorworks on the reality-TV program which, in a format resembling ABC’s “Shark Tank,” features him trying to convince a panel of investors to back his company. The twist with “Adventure Capitalists,” produced by 3 Ball Entertainment, is that the featured products are designed for outdoor adventure.

In an interview, Barnes, 44, said he was approached last year to be on the program, which recently started its second season.

Cab Motorworks traces its beginnings to about seven years ago, when Barnes, who also works in the aerospace industry, first got interested in electric bikes. He noted how he has been seeing more of them on bike paths every year.

The Maryland native — a Surf City resident for nine years — said he built his own e-bikes with do-it-yourself kits.

That expanded into making custom bikes for local riders. As of this year, he and his team have made nearly 100 bikes.

Cab’s products stand out from the competition because his “push the definition of an electric bike, for sure,” he said.

They are performance machines with dirt bike capabilities that can travel over 50 mph. They go about 100 miles on a single charge.

“Everything is off the chart” compared to other brands, Barnes said. Cab’s Eagle model sells for $8,499.

Cab plans to release two new models by the end of the year. Barnes and his three employees do all the production at their Huntington Beach facility.

“Adventure Capitalists” filmed Barnes and the panel in Florida. In the segment, he speaks with Jeremy Bloom, a former NFL wide receiver and Olympic skier; Dhani Jones, a former NFL linebacker; Shawn Johnson East, a former Olympic gymnast; and Vernon Davis, a tight end for the Washington Redskins.

Barnes said he plans to watch his debut, but it will be a small affair.

After “Adventure Capitalists,” for the married father with a 5-year-old daughter, the work is far from over.

“We’ll continue to try and get the word out about our product line and continue to develop our product lines,” he said. “As we’re an engineering-heavy firm, we concentrate almost all of our energy on that side of the house. We’re at the point now where we’re ready to spread our wings a little and figure out how to market our product.

“The show will help give us exposure.”

bradley.zint@latimes.com

Twitter: @BradleyZint