Pedal to the Metal: E-bikes roll into Sauk Centre Area

BY BEN SONNEK

SAUK CENTRE HERALD WRITER

Riding a bike is not the easiest thing for everyone, but as e-bikes increase in popularity in the Sauk Centre area, the miles are more accessible than they used to be.

Area businesses are beginning to sell and rent e-bikes and are looking forward to introducing the public to what they are and how they work.

“It’s an eye-opening experience being able to sell and market them,” said Emily Primus, with Winters Recreation’s marketing and sales department. “I didn’t know you could pedal them or just use them as a seven-speed bike.”

An e-bike is similar to a regular bicycle, except it has an electric motor set in the middle of the back wheel along with a battery pack built into the bike frame’s down tube. The motor assists cyclists with pedaling, so they do not have to expend as much effort. The motor can also take over for pedaling, or the cyclist can disengage the motor and pedal the e-bike like a regular bike. Pedaling the bike without the motor will not recharge the battery, although it will not drain the battery either.

E-bikes often have seven gears, similar to a non-electric bike, but there is only one chain ring between the pedals and therefore only one shifter on the handlebars. A small screen is usually attached to the handlebars to display the e-bike’s speed, battery level, mileage, odometer and more.

At Winters Recreation in Sauk Centre, e-bikes arrived on their showroom floor thanks to the addition of a new golf cart supplier. As of mid-April, Winters Recreation began representing and selling Denago golf carts and were given the opportunity to sell their e-bikes as well.

The Denago e-bike has a top speed around 28 mph, and the battery has a range of about 60-84 miles when fully charged, depending on the model. If the cyclist relies solely on the motor, the range can be about halved. The battery pack is typically not removable, but the e-bike can be plugged in to recharge. It takes about four hours to fully charge a dead battery.

Through selling e-bikes, Primus has grown to appreciate their flexibility with manual pedaling and pedal assist capabilities.

“It makes biking an all-inclusive activity,” Primus said. “If you have a family member who isn’t really the most active or can’t be because of physical restraints, it allows them to still participate.”

Down the interstate, Wayne Birkholz, founder and CEO of Lake Wobegon Outfitters, is looking to bring more e-bikes to Sauk Centre through his rental business.

Birkholz started Lake Wobegon Outfitters in 2019, and the business became officially operational in April this year. Lake Wobegon Outfitters rents out inflatable paddleboards and a dozen Velotric Discover 1 e-bikes.

“This (e-bike) fit the bill for everything,” Birkholz said. “It had the best value, and they’re more-or-less a startup themselves.”

The Velotric Discover-1 has a top speed of about 25 mph, and like Denago e-bikes, it has an approximately 60-mile range. However, Velotric e-bikes also have interchangeable batteries which, for Birkholz, is handy for back-to-back rentals; instead of having customers wait for a battery to charge, he can swap batteries, charge the low battery and let the renters ride with a full one.

So far, Birkholz has seen a growing demand for e-bikes along the Lake Wobegon Trail.

“A lot of people are coming to get information,” he said. “I’ve had 35 rentals so far, and I’m surprised at the number of rentals I’ve had with large groups, four or five (people).”

Lake Wobegon Outfitters currently has locations in Avon and Holdingford. Birkholz aims to establish another permanent location in Sauk Centre, and for that, he is looking for a site and business partners who can help operate it.

“It’s an intermediary point,” Birkholz said. “I would like to be able to expand to allow for retail and more of a community space, and then also do recumbent bikes to allow for the VA and older people who have disabilities to get on the trail too.”

Like Primus, Birkholz also appreciates how an e-bike user does not have to be in peak physical condition to go the distance, which opens up two-wheeled trail travel to more people than ever before.

“People (who) have hip problems or balance problems or knee problems, this is a great way for them to get out (and) enjoy the day,” Birkholz said. “It’s not necessary for pure exercise but to be able to get out of the house and see the trail.”

Be on the trail in no time! Check out the e-bikes we have in stock!

https://www.wintersrec.com/product-category/other-vehicles/new-vehicles/denago-ebikes/