Won't be long before they're doing this to off road e-bikes too

Lancslass

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 3, 2015
436
266
69
Egerton, BL7 North Bolton, Lancashire
I don't think so. They have been after off road bikes with engines for a long time now. It's the noise partly, and the legal aspect with insurance. None of which apply to e-bikes.
 

WheezyRider

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 20, 2020
1,690
937
I don't think so. They have been after off road bikes with engines for a long time now. It's the noise partly, and the legal aspect with insurance. None of which apply to e-bikes.
If you have a derestricted e-bike, if caught, you will be done for not having insurance. You can only ride on private land with the owner's permission. There are quite a few here who run their bikes unrestricted off road on public land. Ok e-bikes don't make a lot of noise, which is a big advantage, but once they start flying around drones spying on people, how long will it be before e-bikes are targetted? First they came for the IC bikes, but I wasn't one of them... ;-)
 

forzavelo

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 18, 2021
10
1
Cheshire
What I find odd is more than once I have encountered riders on unassisted bikes doing around 17 to 18mph. Good on em I say. And then I wonder why ebikes were restricted to 15.5mph. I have seen this argument come up a few times on the tinterweb. Am I being naive or am I just mis informed.
 

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
20,134
8,230
60
West Sx RH
Any one can power above the cut off speed if they are capable of so trying to catch the few on ebikes won't be productive.
 

StuartsProjects

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 9, 2021
1,694
952
It's the noise partly, and the legal aspect with insurance.
More likley the large amounts of damage these riders of off road bikes are causing to footpaths etc.

It seems to me the more they manage to cut up and destroy the countryside the more they enjoy it.
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,205
6,319
if you get a stealth bomber bike and ride it flat out down the canal going 60mph no one is interested now get a pit bike a try it on that and the police will come because of all the noise complaints.
 

StuartsProjects

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 9, 2021
1,694
952
if you get a stealth bomber bike and ride it flat out down the canal going 60mph no one is interested
I would suggest that if anyone was walking along a (narrow) canal towpath and they were met by eBikes doing 60mph, they would be 'interested'
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,205
6,319
i can hit 40 but most ppl are looking at there phones these days or on a scooter on there phones not looking where there going.

or you can go for a ride round the narrow country lanes where the speed limit is 60mph and someone barrel rolled a Peugeot the other day blocking the road and done a runner over the fields :p

tho he could have lost it on one of the giant piles of horse $hit all over the road.
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,205
6,319
i have had a dongle on my bike for nearly 10 years now but these days even skateboards can go 30mph and there are 1000s of ebike riders with 1000w+ hub motors for just eat ect flying about everywhere.

yet 3 years ago i hardly even seen a ebike and they tarmacked the hole canal path to Gloucester so now the road bikes race down it as well.

prob safer riding the wrong way up the m5 :oops:
 

StuartsProjects

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 9, 2021
1,694
952
yet 3 years ago i hardly even seen a ebike and they tarmacked the hole canal path to Gloucester so now the road bikes race down it as well.
Ah, your from Glocester way, relief.

I was planning a walk at the end of the week, and there could be a bit of canal towpath envolved. Having to accept that eBikes doing 60mph on a canal towpath is tolerated, is enough to put me off.

But fortunatly, the canal towpath where I may be walking is nowhere near Gloucester.
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,205
6,319
few years ago the pub next to the canal hired out scooters so they could zip up and down the new laid canal path mostly pissed.

and then they had the bright idea to cover the path with small stones and put warnings on all the corners saying warning loose stones so when you pulled the brakes you just kept on rolling over the stones but thats all long gone now.
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,205
6,319

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,205
6,319

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,818
30,381
What I find odd is more than once I have encountered riders on unassisted bikes doing around 17 to 18mph. Good on em I say. And then I wonder why ebikes were restricted to 15.5mph. I have seen this argument come up a few times on the tinterweb. Am I being naive or am I just mis informed.
The reason is that the start point speed at which a powered vehicle becomes legally a motor vehicle is 25 kph (15.5 mph) in many jurisdictions.

A pedelec only power assisted up to 15.5 mph when it cuts out can be exempted from being considered a motor vehicle and remain in law a bicycle. At 17+ mph it can't be.

The first motor vehicle class in the EU and EFTA countries and the UK is L1e-A, otherwise known as Low Powered Moped. They are usually bicycle based and outwardly just like any pedelec, but they can have up to 1000 watts assistance rating but are still limited to 25 kph (15.5mph).

To go faster means L1e-B, allowing power to 45 kph (28 mph) and a maximum of 5 kW power, the normal Moped class.
.
 
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