Bad News

[Deleted member 4366]

Endless-sphere.com • View topic - BAGB opposes EU rule change on ebikes
So the Bicycle Association of Great Britain opposes the power increase.
Is somebody from BEBA going to sent a letter to Norman Baker.?
What's stand-point on the power increase?
Would somebody from BEBA like to comment?

 

[flecc]

Unfortunately this has long been the position of both the cycling and motorcycling bodies.

The latter obviously fear inroads on the sales of light motorbikes and mopeds so are just being protectionist, but the cycling bodies just appear to be luddites. They just resent the principle of any power added to bicycles and their opposition is nothing but spite, masquerading as safety.

I'm hopeful that the DfT will adopt the easiest course of rubber stamping the EU legislation changes, since this is what they've been waiting for before finalising ours.

 

[Mark Loveridge]

Endless-sphere.com • View topic - BAGB opposes EU rule change on ebikes
So the Bicycle Association of Great Britain opposes the power increase.
Is somebody from BEBA going to sent a letter to Norman Baker.?
What's stand-point on the power increase?
Would somebody from BEBA like to comment?

Hi d8veh,

We are composing a response at the moment! We'll publicise here when done

Thanks
Mark

 

[RoadieRoger]

Can`t see why the Cyclists need to stick their beaks in our Ebike business .The input should come from the Ebike people , after all we ride them . It would be interesting to see how many accidents E bikes have been involved in .

 

[tillson]

the cycling bodies just appear to be luddites. They just resent the principle of any power added to bicycles and their opposition is nothing but spite, masquerading as safety.

I don't understand BAGB's opposition. I don't particularly want or need increased power, but I can realise that other people do and for very valid reasons. Surely the net result of any power increase can only be more backsides on bicycle saddles. To what extent this happens will remain to be seen, but even if the increase is small, it is still an increase in cycling and that can only be good for the cycling community as a whole, whether assisted or unassisted.

I have come across this anti-assistance attitude before when in conversation with a person who, it transpired, was a keen non-assisted cyclist. When I mentioned that I had an assisted bike which I used most days to commute to work, I could feel him bristle with hostility and he closed the conversation down with words along the line of, "oh I don't agree with them." When I tried to find out why, he couldn't really provide an answer.

The stupid thing is, I would say that I am a lot fitter than he is and could probably see him off on a non-assisted bike and certainly out run him cross-country. He just couldn't see the benefit of using an electric bike and would have probably been happier if I had told him that I use my 4 x 4 to commute to work. Its just riddiculous and defies all logic and reason. Maybe he just spoke nicely which created the illusion of intellect, but beneath the skin lurked a thicko.

 

[flecc]

I don't understand BAGB's opposition. - - - - - -Surely the net result of any power increase can only be more backsides on bicycle saddles - - - - - and that can only be good for the cycling community as a whole,

I think they often view all motor vehicles as the opposition, and to them, adding a motor to a bike makes it a motor vehicle. It's certain they don't see us part of a cycling community and cannot see our addition as a gain.

And they are conservative to a luddite extreme, an example being the UCI opposition to recumbents, barring them from joining in with any competition. They won't even let them have their own competition classes, just maintaining an outright ban since the 1930s. If they can't see a human pedalled recumbent or semi-recumbent as cycling, it's little wonder they are opposed to e-bikes.

 

[mike killay]

Flecc,
If that is the case, perhaps it should be pointed out to the Government that they have nothing whatsoever to do with e-bikes and recumbents and therefore should not have a voice in the matter.

 

[JuicyBike]

I think we should be cautious before we label ALL of the traditional cycling community and their representatives...

Setting a fine example of how to be open and inclusive is how I would like to see BEBA's response.

I think too that insisting traditional cyclists pay tax on the air in their tyres would encourage them to work even harder to get from A to B.

 

[Old Timer]

Hiya

When you`ve had a heart attack and other problems you do at times(maybe to get you home) need all the power you can get( we are not asking for much more!!
So, maybe if/when the new rules are passed we should vote with our feet and buy from dealers that support our cause???

What a lovely day today to give the old bike an airing, truly inspiring!

A very Merry Christmas and a Healthy Year to you all

Dave

 

[steve.c]

Ban?

Perhaps we could start a partition to add extra kilos to ultra light bikes up to say 20/25 kilos so they can't go so fast as it would lower the accident rate ???? and then make them carry them up there steps when they get home??. But I have come across the same thing when I changed from big motorbikes to scooters as there was a lot of nasty remarks from some bikers and without them knowing you had been riding big bikes longer than they have been alive?? In the summer I had 2 men! On racing bikes catch me up along a long flat road and before they went passed I heard one say to the other (what's the hurry! & the other one said 'I want to catch that twat in front??) and as they flew past and shouted we don't need electric! but a couple of miles up the road I went passed them up a long hill and mentioned that it was a shame that they could not keep it up??? TO SILENCE.

 

[Eaglerider]

I guess that any minority activity will be subject to the rigours of prejudice, nimbyism and intolerance. In a society obsessed with regulating everyone into a sort of conformist mediocrity, there will always be the detractors, those who seek to curtail everything outside their own sphere of contentment. Its just selfishness, and it appears to be accelerating as population density increases.

I have come across these attitudes in my other hobbies, and have resolved that it is an inevitable partner to enjoying any activity that is any fun, or so it seems.

Nonetheless, on a more positive note, the current regulatory entente cordiale does at least enable some fun to be had with things as they are. We have crank drives, hub drives, the exciting Nu Vinci set up in the offing, and I'm sure that some day, Warp Drive will be with us too. So with our best endeavours, an unending desire for technical innovation, and perhaps even a bit of market expansion, things could be a whole lot worse!

Anyway, I'm planning a 1 hour ride early on Christmas morning out on the marsh prior to the festivities, it's going to be fun and I cant wait.
Seasonal felicitations to you all.
ER

 

[Mark Loveridge]

I believe the biggest problem we have here is entering a 'you' and 'us' mentality, when in fact aspirations from both sides are to increase cycling. This truly isn't a healthy relationship and won't allow either party to achieve its goals.

I've said it before and I'll say it again to Mr Darnton, BEBA is open to discussions with the BA, even if there is no alliance, these matters should be discussed so that a single response for the industry can be communicated.

 

[indalo]

Anyway, I'm planning a 1 hour ride early on Christmas morning out on the marsh prior to the festivities, it's going to be fun and I cant wait.
Seasonal felicitations to you all.
ER

Seasonal greeting to you too ER and you take it easy on those hills. I know the marsh well!

Indalo

 

[morphix]

Endless-sphere.com • View topic - BAGB opposes EU rule change on ebikes
So the Bicycle Association of Great Britain opposes the power increase.
Is somebody from BEBA going to sent a letter to Norman Baker.?
What's stand-point on the power increase?
Would somebody from BEBA like to comment?

I think the EU position with 250W limit is a sensible and practical balance between the two, cycles and motorbikes.. it puts e-bikes firmly in their own category and addresses all the safety issues without restricting the usefulness of e-bikes still... although I know many here would disagree with me on that last point..! The only thing I don't agree with is removing the use of throttle-only without pedaling because I think that will alienate some people who can't pedal much or at all.

 

[indalo]

I think the EU position with 250W limit is a sensible and practical balance between the two, cycles and motorbikes.. it puts e-bikes firmly in their own category and addresses all the safety issues without restricting the usefulness of e-bikes still... although I know many here would disagree with me on that last point..! The only thing I don't agree with is removing the use of throttle-only without pedaling because I think that will alienate some people who can't pedal much or at all.

I'm bound to say I agree with you 100%.

Indalo

 

[steveindenmark]

I can also see that some people would want more power to go faster. Personally I am happy with the speed I can go but would like more battery power to go further.

If we are talking about going faster then I think there are electric bikes out there that go plenty fast enough. My Tonaro Enduro gets me the 22km to work in under an hour over a hilly route with almost no effort. How much faster do we need to go?

Steve

 

[Deleted member 4366]

It's like Chinese whispers how the story gets changed as it goes round.
Merry Xmas Steve.
The proposed changes that BAGB are opposed to is nothing to do with increasing speed. What is being voted on in the EU is to simplify the present impossible to understand and control regulations by simplifying them.. They propose to have more or less only a speed and weight limit on an ebike so that throttles like yours will be legal and more hill-climbing power will be allowed. The idea is that people that can't or don't want to provide effort into their bikes can still ride them, which they can;t at the moment, and hub motors would get more power so no more getting off and pushing up steep hills. To me, the proposed changes make a lot of sense and would encourage more people into ebiking

 

[Deleted member 4366]

We are composing a response at the moment! We'll publicise here when done

Thanks
Mark

Any progress Mark?