E-Bike Minnesota Outlet opens on Hwy 10 East in Detroit Lakes (2024)

DETROIT LAKES — Looking to try something new? Gabe Reller and his father Tony Reller have opened an E-Bike Minnesota Outlet on Highway 10 in Detroit Lakes, selling electric bicycles.

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Electric bicycles — which can be pedaled or powered solely by a rechargeable battery, or both — are gaining popularity because they let a cyclist cover more ground with less effort, and let hunters get to their hunting spots more quietly.

Gabe Reller is the general manager of the outlet, located right on the Heartland Trail at 28420 Highway 10 East, and Tony Reller is the assistant general manager.

At their grand opening on Friday, Tony said the outlet has an inventory of 13 to 15 electric bikes for sale, with more expected almost immediately.

“We’re also getting some of those big electric scooters — like Razor scooters, only a lot bigger. People use them for hunting too,” Tony said.
The outlet carries two brands of e-bikes — Bakcou Mule hunting bikes and Fission cycles.

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“Both are electric and pedal-assist,” said Gabe. In general, they will travel 40 to 60 miles before needing to be recharged, but they handle like a regular bicycle and can always be pedaled. “They’re pretty much like a mountain bike with a battery strapped to them,” he said.

They are simple to operate either way, it’s all up to the individual cyclist. “You can actively pedal them if you want to,” Gabe said. “Most have eight or nine speeds.”

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The outlet also carries special bike trailers for hunting and other uses.

There are three classes of e-bikes, and the outlet carries Class 2 and Class 3 bikes, Gabe said.

“In Minnesota, all e-bikes are legal,” he said. Most e-bikes offered at the outlet are fat bikes with large fat bike tires, “just for the hunting factor,” Gabe said, because the fat tires allow the bikes to handle snow and rougher terrain. They cost from about $2,000 to about $7,000.

Tony noted that state rebate money will soon be available to help lower the cost of an e-bike.

Minnesotans will be able to get up to $1,500 to help pay for an electric bicycle, under a $4 million rebate program approved by the Legislature this year. The program is now being set up, but it is not yet in effect.

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To get the rebate, people will need to apply for a rebate certificate from the Minnesota Department of Revenue. That credit can then be used at an eligible retailer.

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E-bikes are regulated like regular bicycles in Minnesota. The same road rules govern both electric bikes and regular pedal-powered bikes, according to the Bicycle of Riders of Minnesota.

E-bikes are exempt from the registration, licensing and insurance requirements that apply to motor vehicles in the state. As of 2021, a legislative update created a new, three-class system for e-bikes in Minnesota:

Class 1: A bike with a motor that provides assistance when someone is pedaling, and will only go up to 20 mph.
Class 2: A bike without pedal assist, but with a throttle that will only reach 20 mph.
Class 3: A bike with a motor that provides pedal assistance and can reach 28 mph.

The E-Bike Outlet may also rent out bicycles in the future, since it is located right on the Heartland Trail between Detroit Lakes and Frazee, but for the time being both co-owners have their hands full.

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Gabe is an electrician at Mark’s Electric in Detroit Lakes and Tony is involved in several other businesses — he does marine upholstery work and sells high-end deer stands at the same location as the E-Bike Outlet on Highway 10 East.

The e-bike business is designed to go hand-in-hand with the deer stands. He also has ownership in an electronic billboard on the property.

“We’re considering bike rentals, but right now we’re just going to take it one step at a time,” Tony said.

The E-Bike Minnesota Outlet is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.