More illegal e-bikes and e-scooters seized in Leicester city centre police operation

Police have also revealed to total number of vehicles seized

"The total number of vehicles seized as part of the operation - which has been applauded by LeicestershireLive readers - now stands at 64. Police have previously told LeicestershireLive that the seized vehicles will be scrapped."

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/more-illegal-e-bikes-e-9977502

 

Police seize illegal ‘e-bike’ in Poulton-le-Fylde

“This is not an e-bike. This is a motor vehicle and must comply with RTA legislation. This particular vehicle has a 750W rear motor and can be independently powered by a twist throttle up to 28mph. Seen by [police] being ridden on the pavement in Poulton-le-Fylde and seized.”

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/24970361.police-seize-illegal-e-bike-poulton-le-fylde/

 

Great Yarmouth police seize four illegal bikes and e-scooter

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/24961857.great-yarmouth-police-seize-four-illegal-bikes-e-scooter/

Im sorry to be going back to the throttles subject but i was in a phone/ebike battery repair shop last week and a guy had a 350 watt rear hub with twist throttle self built mountain bike and he was arguing with the shop owner saying his bike was legal lol i got interested when the shop owner said twist throttles are not allowed but thumb ones are now ? if bike only does no more than 15.3 and 250 watt.

so many different opinions ifs a pain )

i got interested when the shop owner said twist throttles are not allowed but thumb ones are now ?

I think (yet another opinion) that the shop owner was confused by the wording which uses Power assistance – ‘Twist and Go’, and usually called ‘Twist and Go’.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electrically-assisted-pedal-cycles-eapcs/electrically-assisted-pedal-cycles-eapcs-in-great-britain-information-sheet

 

The 'twist' is confusing there, but actually any Power assistance without pedalling is discussed in that section. Twist and thumb have the same regulations; OK up to 4mph, OK up to 15.5mph with type or single vehicle approval.

Im sorry to be going back to the throttles subject but i was in a phone/ebike battery repair shop last week and a guy had a 350 watt rear hub with twist throttle self built mountain bike and he was arguing with the shop owner saying his bike was legal lol i got interested when the shop owner said twist throttles are not allowed but thumb ones are now ? if bike only does no more than 15.3 and 250 watt.

so many different opinions ifs a pain )

 

Both shop owner and bike owner are wrong, unless V5 certification is at hand.

The rules are simple and in Black and white , yet their are those who want to make up their own rules.

Edited March 3, 20251 yr by Nealh

Heavily modified 'e-bike' seized from man as police issue warning

Police seized the 'adapted e-bike' after stopping a man on his way to Stafford

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/heavily-modified-e-bike-seized-31113603

 

I’m wondering if as a recovering stroke patient would I be allowed a thumb throttle as a disability aid due to my stroke inpairment I have weak left side arm and leg my Ebike has gave me freedom again after some really tough times but I am finding it a struggle in certain situations to get going with the pedal assist as I have to do almost a full rotation of the pedals for it to engage , a thumb throttle would make things a lot safer for me ? Food for thought

I’m wondering if as a recovering stroke patient would I be allowed a thumb throttle as a disability aid due to my stroke inpairment I have weak left side arm and leg my Ebike has gave me freedom again after some really tough times but I am finding it a struggle in certain situations to get going with the pedal assist as I have to do almost a full rotation of the pedals for it to engage , a thumb throttle would make things a lot safer for me ? Food for thought

 

There are no waving of rights to cover impairment/disability as all are treated the same with the EAPC regs/law.

Obviously those with impairments are at a bit of a disadvantage and still would be found guilty as an abled person would be one .

 

One can fit a speed control device and hope to not be bothered by plod, opt for a legal compliant speed control device operated LPM EAPC offered by Wisper or maybe some other vendors.

 

Or best of both worlds opt for a controller system like a KT and have the setting to pedal first before a speed control device is operational . A KT PAS has good logorithms and PAS pick up is quick and stops quickly with no overide, PAS rotation with a 10 pole disc is within 1/10th rotation so a speed control device can be operated quite quickly.

Stop pedalling and one has to rotate PAS again slightly to acitvate the sped control device and so on .

 

Obviously where one lives may ahve a bearing on how plod deal with such illigality but here in my part of W.Sx , it appears one can get away with riding nearly anything illegal.

There is one such person locally who uses a small 2 stroke engine within a mtb's triangle .

Crossed with Nealh's post.

 

I certainly think there should be more special provisions for disabled users. Part of the problem is that there are so many different forms and seriousness of disabilities that it would be difficult for the law to adapt to them all.

 

In the case of the throttle just removing the throttle related restrictions altogether would seem appropriate, for able or disabled riders. Other rules (250w and 15.5mph) to remain unchanged. Such ebikes are already allowed as EAPSs (Wisper etc). Effectively all that would need to change is the need for single use or type approval. I'm not at all a great freedom for all and lets remove all regulation person, but this particular piece of approval bureaucracy seems wasteful and silly.

 

Even with the existing regulations, with a suitable controller a throttle can legally be set up to give instant assist (no pedalling) up to 3.7mph. That should be a big help towards getting you going.

Edited March 3, 20251 yr by sjpt

The definition of a speed control device or twist and go is one that can be operated from a standing start without pedal rotation, a KT with pedal first relies on pedal first albeit not for very long .

The definition of a speed control device or twist and go is one that can be operated from a standing start without pedal rotation, a KT with pedal first relies on pedal first albeit not for very long .

It seems even more confusing than I thought.

I can't find anything in the regs about 'standing start'.

Neither can Google search, Gemini, ChatGPT or Copilot

eg ChatGPT says the term "standing start" specifically isn’t mentioned in the regulations.

BUT the regs back-referencing and cross-referencing makes it very easy to miss something.

 

Is the 'up to 3.7mph' only applicable to 'walk assist' mode? (ruled out for twist and go by the 'standing start' part)

Is it legal to use walk assist mode to get going without pedalling while mounted?

Is it legal to have two controls, walk assist for up to 3.7mph without pedalling and 'twist and go' for faster with pedalling?

Is it legal with the two controls right next to each other so a single thumb or whatever can press both at once?

Is it legal with the two controls operated by a single button?

It seems even more confusing than I thought.

I can't find anything in the regs about 'standing start'.

Neither can Google search, Gemini, ChatGPT or Copilot

eg ChatGPT says the term "standing start" specifically isn’t mentioned in the regulations.

BUT the regs back-referencing and cross-referencing makes it very easy to miss something.

 

Is the 'up to 3.7mph' only applicable to 'walk assist' mode? (ruled out for twist and go by the 'standing start' part)

Is it legal to use walk assist mode to get going without pedalling while mounted?

Is it legal to have two controls, walk assist for up to 3.7mph without pedalling and 'twist and go' for faster with pedalling?

Is it legal with the two controls right next to each other so a single thumb or whatever can press both at once?

Is it legal with the two controls operated by a single button?

It's all covered in EN 15194 for ebikes. You can propel the bike up to 6km/hr without pedaling, however you want, provided that the bike meets the definition of an EAPC.

Thank You all for the replies my bike is a knapp black edition 250watt rear hub but I do have 3 batteries on it for range also it is a 2 seater I have a thumb throttle on it atm but will have to remove it by the look of things as I would be devasted if it was taken from me, I abide by all rules when riding am respectful of others and use mostly cycle paths my reason for having the throttle was when I first got the bike I was almost tamed by a bus as I crossed a road/cycle lane in newcastle to access route 72 cycle route as I could not peddle correctly with my bad leg.

Thank You all for the replies my bike is a knapp black edition 250watt rear hub but I do have 3 batteries on it for range also it is a 2 seater I have a thumb throttle on it atm but will have to remove it by the look of things as I would be devasted if it was taken from me, I abide by all rules when riding am respectful of others and use mostly cycle paths my reason for having the throttle was when I first got the bike I was almost tamed by a bus as I crossed a road/cycle lane in newcastle to access route 72 cycle route as I could not peddle correctly with my bad leg.

Your only risk is whether you get stopped and checked by the police for any reason. They will check whether the motor spins up with the throttle and look at the speed on the LCD. If it goes much over 15mph, you're out and if it spins up to 15.5mph or whatever, technically you're out. If I were a policeman, I'd confiscate on the former and give a warning and take details on the latter, but some policemen will just be following orders or might not be as reasonable as me.

 

Your three batteries and carrying a passenger are going to bring a higher probability of getting checked.

 

If I really needed a throttle and wanted to evade detection, I'd connect a simple normally off reed switch between the throttle signal wire and the 5v, and insert it under the grip, then use a pair of gloves with a magnet in one finger. Every time you need the throttle, just move the magnet over the reed switch to get full throttle. Obviously, that wouldn't be much use in a crowded town centre, where people could observe you bike accelerating or riding along without pedalling.

 

You could even hide the reed switch inside one of those push-button light or double light/horn switches or something like that, since magnetism goes through plastic.

Edited March 3, 20251 yr by saneagle

A friends spins up to 15.5 and is a uk legal one. I thought the law was 15.5 so would it be out and what’s the out mean Taken away .

spins upto 15.5 on the stand with bake wheel off and dies the same peddling and only on the throttle .

so I can’t see why that could be breaking the law

or am I missing something.

mine does the very same thing

A friends spins up to 15.5 and is a uk legal one. I thought the law was 15.5 so would it be out and what’s the out mean Taken away .

spins upto 15.5 on the stand with bake wheel off and dies the same peddling and only on the throttle .

so I can’t see why that could be breaking the law

or am I missing something.

mine does the very same thing

Yes, you are missing something.

 

Throttle only with no pedalling is not legal if it spins up above the walk assist speed limit of 6km/h, UNLESS you have put the bike through SVA and got the paperwork in order. Then it is allowed to spin up to 25km/h on throttle only.

 

Otherwise you must be pedalling for the throttle to work above 6km/h. Ghost pedalling is fine, does not have to be any effort.

 

Clear enough?

 

Your bike would likely be confiscated if you are stopped because not only does your throttle work when it shouldn't by the sound of it, it is also a 500W motor, and presumably marked as such.

 

You are more likely to be stopped if you ride around without pedalling, or at high speeds.

Guys it's simple as Saneagle has said.

If you don't need to pedal and a speed device activates above 6mph /walk assist speed then the bike isn't an EAPC , it is in law a motor vehicle aka moped.

The exception is if it is tested at a testing staion and one has a legal V5 document (a one off test) to say it complies as a LPM 250w EAPC.

 

It is all set out and folks try to make the law difficult by making it up to suit them selves.

 

Legal must have 250w marked motor , tick .

Power must acitvate by pedal only , except 6mph walk assist is allowed, tick.

Walk assist is mainly for just that pushing a heavier bike without rider whether flat or on an ascent.

Edited March 3, 20251 yr by Nealh

I use mine just for fishing anyway so not on the road at all mainly waste ground then onto a beach

and that’s rough and muddy . Very close to where I live .

 

its also worth noting I never catch much fishing. Except for plenty of sea weed .

but gets me out. Otherwise I would net be abl3 to get there

"Police have seized more than 20 e-scooters and illegal e-bikes"

 

https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/24973495.southend-e-scooter-crackdown-sees-20-seized/

Essex Police team seize two adapted electric bikes

https://www.clactonandfrintongazette.co.uk/news/24976959.essex-police-team-seize-two-adapted-electric-bikes/

 

Your only risk is whether you get stopped and checked by the police for any reason. They will check whether the motor spins up with the throttle and look at the speed on the LCD. If it goes much over 15mph, you're out and if it spins up to 15.5mph or whatever, technically you're out. If I were a policeman, I'd confiscate on the former and give a warning and take details on the latter, but some policemen will just be following orders or might not be as reasonable as me.

 

Your three batteries and carrying a passenger are going to bring a higher probability of getting checked.

 

If I really needed a throttle and wanted to evade detection, I'd connect a simple normally off reed switch between the throttle signal wire and the 5v, and insert it under the grip, then use a pair of gloves with a magnet in one finger. Every time you need the throttle, just move the magnet over the reed switch to get full throttle. Obviously, that wouldn't be much use in a crowded town centre, where people could observe you bike accelerating or riding along without pedalling.

 

You could even hide the reed switch inside one of those push-button light or double light/horn switches or something like that, since magnetism goes through plastic.

the bike will spin up with the wheel of the floor to 16 mph but on the floor under load it sits at 14 to 15.4 ish thats on the display a c916 i have actually been chatting to police in the last 4 months out and around the north east coast and to be honest they did not seem that concerned(probably because im an old fart) but they do comment on the bikes looks and always say its a nice thing and ask the speed , i reply its quite slow 15 mph and wouldnt pull the skin of a custard never ever have they mentioned my throttle and more often interested in my action camera on the bars.

i think to be safe as it does seem things are getting a bit more serious on the throttle side i will have to look for a better method to set away on the bike i would think it may be possible to make a push button setup with a switch to isolate it if i was stopped its a real shame that i have to even think this way but needs must because im not getting any younger also my issues with mobility will get worse with age but im not ready for one of them dam mobility things yet and hope never

Essex Police team seize two adapted electric bikes

https://www.clactonandfrintongazette.co.uk/news/24976959.essex-police-team-seize-two-adapted-electric-bikes/

 

The blue one has the battery mounted upside-down. I've seen that before, and I think they do it because the mounting holes are at the top of the battery so they invert it to make them line up with the bottle fixings; however, that will make the battery fill up with water because it can get in through the connector when it's that way up.

 

Does it have a brake on the front? I can't see one.

We don't condemn those that use a speed control device but just point out the legality and the chance one may get nicked ( but more likely have the bike confiscated) .

In the case of @only me then plod may take a lenient view , however a traffic plod will likely be a different kettle of fish to deal with.

End of the day if one is riding sensibly and at low to moderate speed then one will lkely be okay unless there is a major purge in your area.

The obvious are those that hoon around or ride very fast with no pedal action , it doesn't take much to see someone wizzing along at over 20mph with non moving legs on a moped.

 

@only me have you tried toe straps or clipless pedals so the better stronger leg can work a little more , once one is under way with a speed control device then only ghost pedalling is needed to give the idea one is pedalling alone .

Thanks the silly thing is I do ghost pedal alot when underway it’s the getting going and hills I struggle with due to leg weakness perhaps whisper could do a retro fit kit for other bikes that would be great.