On my bike I have changed the pedals so I can use toeclips, the type for normal shoes. On an uphill start I set off using the pedals and often use the throttle to keep going while I locate my foot into the toeclip.

 

Another time where the throttle is useful is going slowly round tight bends. I think because of the extra weight of the battery and motor, a pedelec is a little less agile than a ordinary bicycle and the throttle can help getting out of sticky situations.

 

I am all for throttles on pedelecs, but I wouldn't want one that would run the bike like a moped though, the pedalling requirement I think is important.

 

Karl.

I tested this idea out on non cyclists.

Nearly all failed to quite understand what a pedelec does and would want a throttle. My daughter on the other hand, tried my bike first with pedelec, and although a car driver found the system intuitive. She preferred pedelec to throttle.

From a commercial point of view, to maximise sales, especially among newcomers, a throttle is a must.

Add in the Disability discrimination angle of not having throttles, then the obvious road saftey angle, and point out that bikes equipped with both systems satify everyone.

Rarely

 

Hi. 3 for me I rarely use it but may sometimes but the main prob for me was when I change gear the switch for the throttle was to close so I ended up riding on half power till I realised what I had done and switched it off again??? I've now turned the throttle/switch down lower so it shouldn't happen?.

I have 3 ebikes which all have throttles & pedal sensors but only one of them has a working pedal sensor, the bike I ride the most, plus my 'best' battery needs replacing (I'm still working on that) so I have to use the throttle to limit motor assistance or else the battery would run flat by using the pedal sensor only.

 

Oh yeah and the throttle is an absolute lifesaver on the hills that are too steep to pedal up, the heavy bike can push itself up whilst I walk

Edited January 7, 201214 yr by Haku

What happened to the press release the other day about the law changes, I thought it said throttles would be allowed. It seemed slightly vague but said it would allow the Yikebike which doesn't have pedals.

What happened to the press release the other day about the law changes, I thought it said throttles would be allowed. It seemed slightly vague but said it would allow the Yikebike which doesn't have pedals.

 

If it's approved of course, it was an EU parliament breakthrough which has yet to go before the commission when member governments can object. The signs are good quite though, but our own UK government could still be stumbling block for they can impose greater restriction. Hopefully they'll be too preoccupied with their economic mess to bother with doing anything more than nodding through any EU measure.

 

This was the original link to that announcement, but the Bike Europe servers seem down at this moment:

 

Bike Europe on more e-bike power

Thanks for everyone's input so far, if anyone has not yet voted it would be great to get your views as soon as posible, thanks!

 

There is a BEBA meeting on the 24th of this month at which throttles will be discussed. The posts so far have been most useful and informative, giving a solid indication as to the communities state of mind re throttle use. Many thanks to all who have responded.

 

All the best

 

David

 

 

I hope you get late flood of votes David to help strengthen your case.

Its just a simple mouse click required, there is no need to make a post.

Edited January 7, 201214 yr by shemozzle999

I hope you get late flood of votes David to help strengthen your case.

Its just a simple mouse click required, there is no need to make a post.

 

Only a tiny proportion of members visit over a limited period. To get a much higher proportion the poll would have to be open and on the front page for many months to catch all those who just pop in once in a while. Therefore there won't be any late flood of votes unless Vladimir Putin is put in charge of the poll.

.

Edited January 7, 201214 yr by flecc

That's because only a tiny proportion of members visit over a limited period. To get a much higher proportion the poll would have to be open and on the front page for many months to catch all those who just pop in once in a while. Therefore there won't be any late flood of votes unless Vladimir Putin is put in charge of the poll.

 

Point noted. I have edited the post and tried to be more encouraging without appearing critical.

It's pity more don't come in, it would be good to get a very large sample which would be more convincing. I'm sure that across the entire UK e-bike ownership, more than twenty times the forum membership, with throttles would be the overwhelming choice.

It's pity more don't come in, it would be good to get a very large sample which would be more convincing. I'm sure that across the entire UK e-bike ownership, more than twenty times the forum membership, with throttles would be the overwhelming choice.

 

Agreed, I sometimes check to see how many guests (potential new members) are viewing and I am amazed how many there are and I does not matter personally to me what the overall conclusion is as long as it reflects the true position.

Is it a good idea to remove the my original post contained in the quote?

Edited January 7, 201214 yr by shemozzle999

Is it a good idea to remove the my original post contained in the quote?

 

No need, I've edited my response to include your amended post instead and removed the words "That's because" from my answer.

.

Edited January 7, 201214 yr by flecc

I have only ever used the throttle on my Powercycle once - to propel the bike up a steep bank whilst I walked alongside.

 

I can't imagine having any use for it in day to day riding. In fact, if the throttle stopped working (unless it took down the whole electrical system) I wouldn't notice.

I have throttle only and use it when needed (on longer hills / into the wind) never for starting off. My wife never uses her throttle on her Wisper.

I hope you get late flood of votes David to help strengthen your case.

Its just a simple mouse click required, there is no need to make a post.

 

Thanks Shemozzle, the results and comments are already very useful although the more we have the stronger our case will be.

 

Regards

 

David

What happened to the press release the other day about the law changes, I thought it said throttles would be allowed. It seemed slightly vague but said it would allow the Yikebike which doesn't have pedals.

 

The most important results of the IMCO vote are as follows:

 

1. Pedelecs with assistance up to 25 km/h would be excluded from the type-approval without specification of a motor output limit. As a result, all 25 km/h pedelecs irrespective of their motor output would become subject to the Machinery and EMC Directive and classified as bicycles instead of mopeds. ETRA (and BEBA) has consistently argued that speed and not power is the determining safety factor.

 

Today pedelecs with assistance up to 25km/h are excluded from the type-approval, provided that their motor output is limited to 250W. Any pedelec with a higher motor output is subject to the current type-approval procedure and is consequently categorised as a moped. Exclusion of this category from the type-approval will make it a lot easier and a lot cheaper to develop vehicles with a higher motor output for instance to carry cargo or to be used in hilly areas.

 

2. E-bikes, that is bicycles with an auxiliary motor that can propel the vehicle even if the cyclist is not pedalling , would be excluded from the type-approval provided their speed is limited to 25 km/h and their weight to 25 kg. Thanks to the weight limit, these vehicles would in the case of an accident present no more potential risk of injury than a conventional bicycle or a 25 km/h pedelec. Therefore, it is logical to exclude them from the type-approval in order to make them subject to the same regulatory framework as pedelecs 25 km/h. This exclusion also provides legal certainty for innovative light electric vehicles such as Yikebike.

 

Also excluded would be self-balancing vehicles, such as Segway, and light electric vehicles without a seat, such as Trikke, with a speed limit of 25 km/h. This would finally make an end to the uncertainty about the legal status of these vehicles.

All welcome news David, but subject to being passed by the UK parliament as well before we can benefit. That's the worrying stage for me, given our history of excessive regulation. The e-bike/pedelec 14 years lower age limit for example.

It is good Tony, but unfortunately we all are having to work without the assistance of organisations such as the BAGB who have recently written to Norman Baker to oppose all the changes. They seemingly want electric bicycles in general to as low powered as possible, without obvious advantages of a throttle and certainly not made in China!

 

Unfortunately most of these "electric bike experts" are not in touch with the wants or needs of the electric bike buying public yet seem to have the need to interfere.

 

Best regards

 

David

That lowish 25Kg weight limit may be an issue when implementing more powerful motors for a number of reasons....

Interesting that the Segway et al would be made legal too (if I read that right)...

 

As for my throttle usage, I am currently using full throttle as my pedelec sensor is on the fritz and I've been too lazy to try and fix it. That and my battery isn't as powerful as it once was (full throttle de-restricted can just about manage 15mph).

 

However a throttle has been invaluable for the following reasons:

 

Stability. Riding on sand/snow/ice, provides stability. I can stop pedalling and lower my centre of gravity whilst still moving forward. Also I find that I am able to ride much closer to the kerb when forced to (usually by a car/bus pulling in too soon ahead of me) as I don't have to worry about catching a pedal on the kerb. That has saved my bacon a couple of times.

 

As has been mentioned before a throttle is great for getting moving quickly, particularly when at the front of a queue of traffic and on a hill. Being able to do this is much safer than trying to stand up and mash the pedals to get going up hill from a standing start.

 

Speed control. I can move slowly yet consistently on busy cycle paths and not get into that horrible situation where you are in too high a gear and can't maintain forward motion and you end up standing on the pedals and trying to change gear and it all goes wrong and you end up in a heap on the floor (just me?).

 

Speed boost. I have used throttle to get me out of trouble on roundabouts (it almost always seems to be roundabouts), being able to accelerate quickly is great for getting out of the way of motorists who race round.

 

I have also used the throttle as a get me home feature when my gears froze in 1st.

 

While I could live without a throttle I can't see any good reason to remove its use from future ebikes.

It is good Tony, but unfortunately we all are having to work without the assistance of organisations such as the BAGB who have recently written to Norman Baker to oppose all the changes. They seemingly want electric bicycles in general to as low powered as possible, without obvious advantages of a throttle and certainly not made in China!

 

Unfortunately most of these "electric bike experts" are not in touch with the wants or needs of the electric bike buying public yet seem to have the need to interfere.

 

Best regards

 

David

 

That's precisely my worry David, in Britain we are plagued with nanny-state people obsessed with eliminating any chance of a perceived risk by means of legal restriction. This EU measure if passed there is just the sort that will attract the attention of these types.

 

As an illustration, we've recently had the AA vigorously opposing the eminently sensible reduction of MOT tests to two yearly intervals. Where else in the world would a motorist's organisation oppose help for financially hard pressed motorists? Britons will be self-flagellating next at this rate.

My knees are buggered so I always use the throttle, or should I say used the throttle as my Wisper has been off the road for the last couple of years as ,my knees couldn't cope with even the very light spinning.

 

Ideally I'd want a 15mph moped/bike that could be parked up like a normal bike...it looks like the proposed regulations would allow me to convert the Wisper to such a beast provided I can stay under the 25kg.

The easy way to stay under 25 kilos with a more powerful motor is to have a smallish main battery with an auxilliary battery option. Only the small main battery would count towards the specification weight.

Interesting that the Segway et al would be made legal too (if I read that right)...

Self balancing machines are specifically excluded, so Segways will not be legalised.

Self balancing machines are specifically excluded, so Segways will not be legalised.

 

I read "Also excluded would be self-balancing vehicles, such as Segway, and light electric vehicles without a seat, such as Trikke, with a speed limit of 25 km/h. This would finally make an end to the uncertainty about the legal status of these vehicles."

 

...in the context of...

 

"Pedelecs with assistance up to 25 km/h would be excluded from the type-approval..."

 

...and...

 

"E-bikes, that is bicycles with an auxiliary motor that can propel the vehicle even if the cyclist is not pedalling , would be excluded from the type-approval..."

 

So are they being excluded from type approval or from mention in the debate on the directive?