What's happening at 50 Cycles?

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
20,110
8,219
60
West Sx RH
Give it 2 - 5 years and they will be legal to use in one way or another.
Seen a few of late in my area the issue with them though is the speed esp on paths as they and pedestrians aren't going yo mix well.
 

BazP

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 8, 2017
358
174
74
Sheffield
There are many riding S Class bikes illegally as pedelecs and the likelyhood of getting caught is very low at the moment.

If you were caught the penalty would most likely only be a fine, but bear in mind the magistrates can order that an illegal two wheeler used on the road can be confiscated and crushed, it's happened to many. That would make the cost to you immense.

And if you were ever in collision with a pedestrian and they were injured or worse, even if it was their fault you could be facing a battery of motor vehicle charges and spend up to two years in prison. That too has happened before.

So those are the risks you need to weigh up, extremely unlikely to ever happen but the costs potentially very high.
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I’m disputing what you say but the two centre paragraphs seem to be at odds.

If the cycle was illegal but was not being ridden recklessly or above the assisted speed limit and the pedestrian was totally at fault then wouldn’t the legality of the cycle become a separate issue to the accident because it had no bearing on the accident.

That being the case then the punishment metered out re the legality of the cycle would be the same and not weighted due to an accident being involved.
 

vfr400

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 12, 2011
9,822
3,986
Basildon
I’m disputing what you say but the two centre paragraphs seem to be at odds.

If the cycle was illegal but was not being ridden recklessly or above the assisted speed limit and the pedestrian was totally at fault then wouldn’t the legality of the cycle become a separate issue to the accident because it had no bearing on the accident.

That being the case then the punishment metered out re the legality of the cycle would be the same and not weighted due to an accident being involved.
It doesn't work like that, like the guy that went to jail because he didn't have a front brake. He was completely innocent regarding the accident, which occurred when a woman stepped out on him while texting on her phone.

When I was schoolteacher, the police came to check the kids bikes. Some of the bikes didn't have any brakes at all, but no kids were sent to jail.
 
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flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,790
30,369
I’m disputing what you say but the two centre paragraphs seem to be at odds.

If the cycle was illegal but was not being ridden recklessly or above the assisted speed limit and the pedestrian was totally at fault then wouldn’t the legality of the cycle become a separate issue to the accident because it had no bearing on the accident.

That being the case then the punishment metered out re the legality of the cycle would be the same and not weighted due to an accident being involved.
It's as VFR400 says, our law does not function in anything like the idealistic way it's often portrayed as doing. Very far from it indeed, as the example given of Charlie Alliston's jailing for eighteen months shows.

His only offence deserved no more than a small fine.
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BazP

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 8, 2017
358
174
74
Sheffield
It's as VFR400 says, our law does not function in anything like the idealistic way it's often portrayed as doing. Very far from it indeed, as the example given of Charlie Alliston's jailing for eighteen months shows.

His only offence deserved no more than a small fine.
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Perhaps then the punishment is inversely proportional to the barrister’s fee.
 
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flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,790
30,369
Perhaps then the punishment is inversely proportional to the barrister’s fee.
There's a different kind of truth in what you say. Where the Crown Prosecution Service have authorised a case but later realise it's going to be very difficult to prove, they often put their top barrister on it. They will even switch to a top barrister at the last minute, after the defendant has chosen a lower level one.

So the inverse there is that the less likely it is the defendant is guilty, the tougher the barrister they are up against, a fundamental unfairness. I've even known a judge to assist a top barrister in such a case by threatening the defendant with an extreme sentence if they don't change their plea to guilty.

Remember, judges are just top barristers one more step up the ladder, and they often know each other well.

It's a myth that our legal system is wonderful, it's anything but.
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BazP

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 8, 2017
358
174
74
Sheffield
There's a different kind of truth in what you say. Where the Crown Prosecution Service have authorised a case but later realise it's going to be very difficult to prove, they often put their top barrister on it. They will even switch to a top barrister at the last minute, after the defendant has chosen a lower level one.

So the inverse there is that the less likely it is the defendant is guilty, the tougher the barrister they are up against, a fundamental unfairness. I've even known a judge to assist a top barrister in such a case by threatening the defendant with an extreme sentence if they don't change their plea to guilty.

Remember, judges are just top barristers one more step up the ladder, and they often know each other well.

It's a myth that our legal system is wonderful, it's anything but.
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You have instilled me with confidence in our legal system. :)
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,790
30,369
You have instilled me with confidence in our legal system. :)
You can have the confidence that today is as good as you'll ever know it, since it continues the decline in quality since 1994.

Even the magistrates courts have been affected, many now sitting with only two magistrates instead of three, that being due to a shortage of them.
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KirstinS

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 5, 2011
3,224
899
Brighton
Even the magistrates courts have been affected, many now sitting with only two magistrates instead of three, that being due to a shortage of them.
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Wow, I didn't know that but my mother in law just quit after 20 years having become increasingly frustrated at the system and they way it is going
 
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AL68

Finding my (electric) wheels
Oct 25, 2019
6
4
As you can see "The Plant" appears to be genuine!!
Just popped round to say thanks!
 

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flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,790
30,369
As you can see "The Plant" appears to be genuine!!
Just popped round to say thanks!
Yup, that's the Scott Snaith I know, and that's a new BH e-bike.

Only questions now are, did you graduate from RADA and what agency handles your placements? ;) :D
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vfr400

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 12, 2011
9,822
3,986
Basildon
Yup, crooked as hell. Anyone who puts one pannier on their bike is crooked, and inconsiderate to the feelings of others. A bike with only one pannier is just so offensive to the eye. I'm going to have nightmares now about bike shops selling bikes that aren't complete.

One thing I don't understand. If he delivered it to your house personally, what's it doing back at the shop? Has it broken down already?
 
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flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,790
30,369
One thing I don't understand. If he delivered it to your house personally, what's it doing back at the shop? Has it broken down already?
Maybe the photo is a Photoshop job. Scott doesn't look a day older than when I first met him over thirteen years ago. Remarkable for some one who has battled against such severe trading problems, massive debts and insolvency.
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Tallbiker

Pedelecer
Nov 16, 2013
28
30
Farnham, Surrey
It's disappointing that pictures of Scott should be posted on here, given that this the guy who has caused his company to fold with talk of a £2 million debt. This includes a purported 42 customers who never received their bikes.

If a bike was delivered after the cut-off point of the original trading company, then the transaction was probably via the new company. If it wasn't, then it should have been one of the assets that were never declared in the company accounts (there was no stock listed at the point of the winding up order).

It's not about one or two bikes being delivered to local customers during this 'grey' period of trading: it's about the bigger picture. I notice that the 'points of sale' page on the BH website has updated to show there are no distributors in the UK, with no mention of 50cycles.
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,475
16,421
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
I would take a long time to clock up nearly £2 Mil of deficit.
 
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50Hertz

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 2, 2019
2,199
2,403
Don’t you become disqualified from being a company director in circumstances such as this?

I suppose they can set up with ”clean” family member as a director, on paper.