2 eBike Shops in Madison County, NE

Where to ride in Madison County

Ta-Ha-Zouka Park is the official trailhead for the Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail, according to the Lower Elkhorn NRD. Rail banking did not reach into Norfolk, so the trail stopped 1.5 miles west of Highway 81, and the district built a 2.2 mile, 10-foot-wide concrete connector that opened on June 2, 2002.

The Elkhorn River Trail is a newer one-mile, 10-foot-wide concrete trail that extends from the park at 13th Street east to the west side of 1st Street, according to the engineering firm that designed it.

The BikeCowboyTrail mileage chart lists Battle Creek at 9.9 miles from Norfolk, Meadow Grove at 17.4, and Tilden at 22.5. Game and Parks says the trail runs 317 miles from Norfolk to Chadron, while the Lower Elkhorn NRD says 321 miles, so the total is not settled.

Game and Parks says Class I, II, and III eBikes are permitted on the Cowboy Trail, and it recommends mountain or hybrid bikes, since the surface is mostly crushed limestone with concrete segments in Norfolk. Its older brochure says no motorized vehicles, so confirm before you ride.

eBike rules in Nebraska

Nebraska defines three classes of electric bicycle in sections created by LB 138 of 2023. Under § 60-614.02, a Class I bike has two, three, or four wheels, a seat, fully operative pedals, and a motor of no more than 750 watts and one brake horsepower that helps only while you pedal and gives no power above 20 mph. Class II, in § 60-614.03, has the same limits, but its motor may help whether or not you are pedaling. Class III, in § 60-614.04, helps only while you pedal and gives no power above 28 mph. Section 60-618.03 says an electric bicycle means a Class I, Class II, or Class III bike.

Under § 60-611, a bicycle includes an electric bicycle, and § 60-638 defines a motor vehicle as a self-propelled land vehicle other than bicycles, mopeds, and a few other devices. A bike that fits the class definitions is therefore a bicycle under the Nebraska Rules of the Road. Under § 60-6,317, a rider moving slower than traffic keeps as near to the right-hand curb or edge as practicable, with listed exceptions, rides no more than single file on a highway except on paths set aside for bicycles, and has a pedestrian's rights and duties on a sidewalk or in a crosswalk, including yielding to people on foot. Under § 60-6,142, bicycles may use paved shoulders of the state highway system other than the Interstate.

Nebraska's statutes set no statewide path rule and no minimum age for electric bicycles. Under § 60-678, the state and any governmental subdivision may make regulations permitting, prohibiting, or controlling electric bicycles in its jurisdiction, and a person who rides where it is prohibited commits a Class III misdemeanor. Section 60-6,317 also lets a local authority regulate bicycles by ordinance, so each city, natural resources district, park, and agency decides where you can ride. The helmet statute, § 60-6,279, covers motorcycle and moped operators, and the electric bicycle sections we read set no helmet duty, so a helmet is advice here and not a state rule. Read our Nebraska eBike laws guide, then the sign at the trailhead.

Cities in Madison County

All of this county's cards are in Norfolk. See the eBike shops in Norfolk page for each one.

Frequently asked questions