DFT consultation on increase of 250W limit to 500W
- Thread starter Michael Price
- Start date
Don't be so pessimistic. You can get over 80 mph off the Chasms. You should be able to kill yourself just as well as that guy in your vid as long as you make sure that you hit the rocks and not the sea:my bike is not fast enough
The Southern Cliffs of the Isle of Man - YouTube
There are now stretches of road in my area that when your out cycling, for basic safety reasons you have to cycle in the middle of the lane and block the vehicle traffic behind.
Cycling a metre or so out from the parked cars would no doubt improve the flow of vehicle traffic, but if you did that there is no safety margin for a cyclist changing direction to avoid the moon craters that are the norm on the 'modern' roads our 'advanced' society provides.
And yes, my eyesight is 20+.
Cycling a metre or so out from the parked cars would no doubt improve the flow of vehicle traffic, but if you did that there is no safety margin for a cyclist changing direction to avoid the moon craters that are the norm on the 'modern' roads our 'advanced' society provides.
And yes, my eyesight is 20+.
When the potholes become an even bigger problem, I might even (aarrgghh!) become a pavement cyclist, but I hate it.
Here's what I mean, only it's a bus on the pavement almost flattening someone walking out of a terraced house.
Rhondda: Buses mounting pavements spark safety fears
One resident on the street said she has nearly been run over stepping outside her front door.
www.bbc.co.uk
One can learn there how speed affects risk of an accident and scale of injuries.
What's the width of the tyres on your eBrompton? I gritted my teeth and stood on the pedals to clatter over this with 1.75" on my 20" wheels at a little over 24kph. Other deeper and wider craters, I had to swerve sharply to the right to avoid. Substantially worse will require 2.15" I reckon. For worse than substantially worse, I'll become a pavement cyclist.
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31mm or 1.25"
Those are Continental Contact Urban, light but very good puncture resistance.
They ride well enough and are fine on cycle paths.
Many years back similar tyres would have been just fine on the roads, but that was a time when the UK economy was in dire straits, but roads were somehow still well maintained.
But time moves on, we now have higher living standards and allegadly an improved economy, but zilch money or less to spend on essential road repairs.
Tyres on my 20" wheeler were originally 1.5". Weirdly, replacing with 1.75" made a massive difference in ride comfort.
I've never heard of Greenspeed Scorchers but:
There may be wider tyres which will stay on whatever rims your Brompton has.
Whatever they're spending, they haven't taken into account the increase in road vehicle weight. Also, people are fatter than they used to be. I know people with SUVs who bought them because of all the potholes, which make more potholes.
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EVs are heavier, SUVs have become commonplace and don't forget everyone is ordering online increasing van traffic.
Only a few days left now to participate in the consultation on 500W motors and throttles.
Only a few days left now to participate in the consultation on 500W motors and throttles.
Done it.
The page survey is quite lengthy but worth doing it.
Page to respond is here :
Smarter regulation: proposed changes to legislation for electrically assisted pedal cycles
Please take a few minutes to take our survey.
An FYI - I sat in on a recent discussion held by the APPGCW with a variety of views represented - manufacturing through disability charity, logistics firm and trade body. The recap of the event here with all views represented: https://www.cyclingelectric.com/in-depth/500w-e-bike-consultation-update
Mark, is there anybody at CyclingElectric, who would sit down, read your articles and correct all errors?
To list all your errors would be a full time job. In a spirit of constructive criticism lets start with your first sentence:
"The Department for Transport’s consultation on whether or not e-bike motors should be permitted in the UK to put out 500W of power remains shrouded in mystery as to its origins, with a meeting of interests last night delivering more questions than answers."
There is no such consultation. There is no legal limit on e-bike motor power in UK. Why do you write so passionately about things you don't understand? By doing so you only spread confusion and ignorance. I apologize for being so blatantly honest with you, but what you are doing is really unhelpful.
You probably were writing about this consultation, yes?
www.gov.uk/government/consultations/smarter-regulation-proposed-changes-to-legislation-for-electrically-assisted-pedal-cycles/smarter-regulation-proposed-changes-to-legislation-for-electrically-assisted-pedal-cycles
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I would liked to have seen more balance in the article. The impression given is that everyone is against "500W" and throttles. There are plenty of people out there who would welcome the changes, but they have been ignored. For example, you could have spoken to @Wisper Bikes about how they go to the trouble of going through a 250W LPM registration process for certain customers that need fully acting throttles. This is annoying to do, but allows users to have throttles within the law (beyond 4 mph). There is obviously a demand for this, so why not just change the law to make throttles available to all without jumping through unnecessary hoops?
Unfortunately your article failed in the second paragraph when you mentioned a 250w power limit. There is no such limit and there never has been, which is why many if not most legal ebikes make at least 400w at the back wheel, and some make well over 1000w. Did you not wonder how the certified legal Heinzmann cargo bike system can drag 500kg up a 15% hill at a safe speed. Do the maths if you're in any doubt.
Basically, the rules for power are meaningless and untestable. You should have asked the Brompton guy how much power his motors actually make when pedalling up a hill. I bet he wouldn't have been able to answer.
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