Cadence

Absolutely. However, there will always be those who "only want to bend the rules slightly" - i.e. break the law. Witness the regular posts here asking how to de-restrict max assist speed or add a fully acting throttle. This doesn't just apply to EAPCs. It's the self entitled cry of anyone seeking an advantage or a thrill, or just "because I can". I will freely admit being one myself when I entered the EPAC world. Having barrelled irresponsibly at circa 20mph along shared cycle paths and in public parks I started to realise how downright dangerous it is and changed my behaviour accordingly - fortunately before injury to me or anybody else. The thrill quickly wore off and I now find around 10mph is more relaxing, I can enjoy the scenery and most importantly I am in full control at all times. Those who advocate higher assist speed on roads should ask themselves what speed they can achieve by pedalling on a normal, analogue bike. This is still achievable when pedalling an e-bike. As others have said, if you want to go faster just get a fully road legal moped. Just don't expect to ride it on cycle paths etc.

I've been following this with much interest, but without anything to add. However (and this is probably a complete red herring) I can recall a couple of similar occurrences on a long ride last summer with my Yosepower AKM95 motor and KT controller. I decided to "see how fast I could go while pedalling" down a long steep road with an equal up-slope from the bottom. I got to about 25 mph and when I hit the rise speed dropped to about 8 mph before I got any obvious assistance from the motor, which then accelerated slowly back up to the 15.5mph speed limit. This was in PAS 5 with a 36v. battery. I didn't observe the watts on the display, but did notice that the voltage had dropped quite considerably before recovering. I just dismissed it as being due to the steep hill. When I get the opportunity I will try it with my 48v. battery, although unfortunately it is some distance away and not a regular ride. Do your symptoms change with battery capacity?

Wrong again. They are both "legally" able to travel at the same speed, but using human pedal power only above 15.5mph. I can pedal my legal EAPC up to nearly 30mph down a favourable gradient, but electric assistance ceases at 15.5mph. I can also do it on my analogue touring bike on a good day. Incidentally, the legal road speed limits don't apply to bicycles, but if speed is considered excessive the charge of "furious cycling" can be applied.

If I do the "wheel in the air" test my LCD3 shows no more than 20 watts to spin up to 15.5mph (no load speed), so how the police can judge wattage output this way is a mystery to me. I didn't think the LCD5 displayed watts anyway?

That is a very nice conversion and I'm sorely tempted to find a Disc 8 myself. Unfortunately I would probably be sleeping in the shed with the bikes if I did! How I wish all towpaths were as good as you suggest. Locally we have the Birmingham and Fazeley. It is superb, with a proper paved surface up to the West Mids/Warwickshire border, where it gives way to a rutted overgrown track with large stones and brick ends sticking out of it. A spell of rain creates a quagmire in places with the banks giving way. By far the worst though are massive tree roots waiting to pitch the unwary into the cut. I gave up on it several years a go and found a (much longer) route using country lanes. I found it dangerous with 26" x 2" tyres at walking pace. A 16" wheeled folder would be suicidal!

I agree with every word you say, which is not surprising as we are the same age.

Ah yes. Chicken Tarka. The same as Chicken Tikka - only a little 'otter.

Only slightly related, but I recently bought a couple of alarms with an optional horn button from Ali. https://a.aliexpress.com/_ExI5QW6 They are surprisingly good for the money. I've used an adhesive Garmin adaptor on the back so I can swap them between bikes using handlebar mounts. Equally good for outbuilding doors. I tend to search for the cheapest I can find with "free postage over £8.00" then add any small items to the order. I've used AliExpress for a while now and not been disappointed with anything I've bought. Yet another thing I have to thank you for saneagle!

I've just fitted a torque arm to a Carrera Subway, which looks to have the same drop outs as the Vengeance. There are lots of them on eBay, but the one I bought is particularly neat as it uses the threaded mudguard hole. In my case I used a longer bolt to fit a mudguard and rear rack as well using the same hole. I've also fitted one to my wife's Pendleton Brooke. Both needed a very small amount of filing to deepen the drop outs slightly. You only need to fit one, on the non-drive side. https://ebikepoweruk.com/product/e-bike-torque-arm-set-fit-rear-motor-m12-m14-m16-axle-uk-universal-high-strength-carrera-trek-voodoo-boardman/?v=7885444af42e

The maximum continuous rating is determined by the manufacturer and should be marked on the motor. It isn't legal for the user to somehow "derate" a 1000w. motor and claim that it is in a "250w. road legal" mode, regardless of what speed limit or amperage is set. You might not like people telling you, but you have a 1000w. rated motor that is illegal to use on the road.

Rubber lined P clips will do the same job as a Secuclip on a single stay providing that the stay is long enough to reach the threaded hole in the fork. They are readily available on eBay and elsewhere in different sizes to suit the diameter of your stays. As long as you don't tighten the mounting screw too tight the stay will pull out of the clip in the event of a mudguard jam. Search for:- Zinc Plated Mild Steel - or - Stainless Steel | Rubber Lined P Clips | Mikalor

And the important bit is that the throttle will only work if you are pedalling. That makes it legal as it is pedal assist only above 6km/h.

You don't need to, he's since clarified his comment to include panniers in the mix. A picture paints a thousand words, so here is my cherished Claud Butler touring bike:- Notice how low the bottom bracket (and the pedal) is to the ground compared to more modern bikes. The chain stays slope down markedly from the rear axle. I don't have any problems getting on and off it. Now if anyone thinks I'm talking nonsense, try a little experiment. Get out your regular bike and make sure that the saddle is set correctly so that your leg is straight when riding with your heel on the pedal. Put some packing under the back wheel until the bottom bracket is raised about 2 inches. Now, without adjusting the saddle height see what it's like getting on and off. That's the effect a higher bottom bracket has for those of us blessed with shorter legs. The solution could be smaller wheels like Sturmey (too late I've already bought a 27.5" hub motor wheel) or a dropper seatpost - maybe!

You just don't get it! How do you propose straddling the top tube without swinging a leg over the saddle? it's that or swing a leg over the handlebars! For someone with shorter legs it's the bottom bracket height that raises the saddle higher. This then becomes a problem getting on if you set the saddle to have the correct leg extension (leg straight when heel is on pedal at it's lowest point). A smaller sized bike won't work because the reach is then too short. BTW I've checked and the bottom bracket on the 16" framed Subway is the same height as the 18" model! My 90's Claud Butler touring bike has a 21" frame with level top tube and 700c wheels. I have no problem getting on or off it because the bottom bracket is a full 2" lower than the Subway shown above. Anyway, I didn't ask for, and don't need, any lessons on how to mount a bike, but if anyone has used one of those cheap Meroca dropper posts I'd be grateful for their opinion. Edit....... Having read your post again I think you might be suggesting what is known as the "Cowboy" mount by standing on a pedal. Certainly a solution but hardly ideal as you have to have the bike moving forward to do it. Not always desirable.

Unlike me, you probably don't have short legs in proportion to your overall height. If you did you would understand the predicament. It was never a problem in the past with normal road bikes, where the bottom bracket was lower and the chain stays sloped down towards it. You could be sure that if you cleared the top tube "stand over" height then saddle height wouldn't be an issue. The arrival of mountain bikes brought a general raising of bottom brackets for extra ground clearance. This meant that you had to set the saddle higher if you wanted to achieve the correct leg extension when the pedals are at the lowest point. Sloping top tubes have also muddied the waters somewhat. I expect to, and do, slope the bike to mount it, but with loaded panniers and the extra weight of battery and motor the increased angle I need over what might be "normal" for someone else gets to become tedious to the point of dangerous. I do know how to get on and off a bike! I've long thought that manufacturers should quote stand over and BB height with sizing. "Medium" or "18 inch frame" are almost meaningless. The late, great Sheldon Brown explains it all much better than I ever could:- https://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-sizing.html