BEBA UK Survey Results: Executive Summary

[Wisper Bikes]

Thanks for the kind comments Flecc,

BEBA and in particular Mark Loveridge has been working hard to persuade the DfT to allow us to continue to use the throttle in the UK and not follow the rest of Europe. Without BEBA's intervention we would certainly now be seeing a move to outlaw the throttle.

We have this afternoon finished a very successful BEBA meeting where Mark was made the new Chairman and I am now the membership secretary. Speaking of which, we could do with as many members as possible to help us with the load! So if there are any manufacturers, distributors or retailers that would like to become more involved with shaping and promoting the electric bike industry in the UK please drop me a line!

The DfT were sympathetic to all our arguments including the fact that a throttle makes absolutely no difference to acceleration, top speed, weight, control etc. The CTC supported our stance and the BAGB were more tolerant to our point of view than ever before. Our arguments were helped enormously being backed up with the survey conducted here, so a big thanks to all those who took part, it made a serious difference.

As I mentioned in a previous post this is not an ideal situation. However we must be realistic and work within the frame work we have been given by Brussels. Type Approval is not dramatically expensive, especially when compared to the cost of EN certification, any serious electric bicycle company who wants to sell a bike with a throttle in the UK can now do so with confidence.

All the best

David

 

[neptune]

@David. I am sorry if I gave the impression that I do not value the work you have done on this on our behalf. I am sure you did your very best, and will continue to do so, and that we are all very grateful. My argument is with the government. In a democracy, they should be looking for ways to maintain and enhance our freedom, not looking for ways to automatically restrict and reduce it. Flecc makes a good point about the 14 years age limit. Are our kids less able or responsible than their continental counterparts? Why is this country always at the forefront when it come to paying money into Europe, but the poor relation when it comes to reaping any benefits?

 

[Old_Dave]

Kits.. No throttle no problem, with throttle then build it before 2016, lol

After 2016 then borrow some stickers from a type approved bike


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[Wisper Bikes]

But what will this mean for e bike kits?

Good point Eddie, kits were discussed, as long as kits are being sold as a kit, were not pre-fitted to a bike and would not exceed any of the limits set in EN15194 and did not have a TTWWTPANBRIAFD they would be acceptable within SEN.

(I am so fed up with typing that sentence, so I thought I would make up an easy acronym! Pronounced Tutpanbriafth...... my Welsh ancestry helped!)

All the best

David

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Neptune, please don't worry I did not get that impression at all! The points you make, like Flecc's are spot on and I totally agree with your views. Unfortunately we were never going to get exactly what we wanted!

Kind regards

David

 

[Old_Dave]

Well done David for all your doing, the result is indeed workable and a lot better than some expected


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[Wisper Bikes]

OK, OK.......

a TTWWTPANBRIAFD

a Throttle That Works When The Pedals Are Not Being Rotated In A Forward Direction!

All the best

David

No I have never been asked to compile the Telegraph crossword.

 

[shemozzle999]

Throttle - no problem, I will just have to add an extra motor to drive the pedals in the forward direction or fit a high geared fixed rear wheel

 

[Wisper Bikes]

By Jove Shemozzles got it!

All the best

David AKA Professor Henry Higgins!!

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Well done David for all your doing, the result is indeed workable and a lot better than some expected


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Thanks for your support Dave!

 

[shemozzle999]

Yes, it is a great law for turning the bicycle into a treadmill.

 

[eddieo]

@David. I am sorry if I gave the impression that I do not value the work you have done on this on our behalf. I am sure you did your very best, and will continue to do so, and that we are all very grateful. My argument is with the government. In a democracy, they should be looking for ways to maintain and enhance our freedom, not looking for ways to automatically restrict and reduce it. Flecc makes a good point about the 14 years age limit. Are our kids less able or responsible than their continental counterparts? Why is this country always at the forefront when it come to paying money into Europe, but the poor relation when it comes to reaping any benefits?

We motorhome in Europe all the time and you see youngsters gathering all over the place, both boys and girls riding scooters... Why are our youngsters deprived this right, younger they start more chance of ending up sensible road users in my opinion...

 

[Old_Dave]

Throttle - no problem, I will just have to add an extra motor to drive the pedals in the forward direction or fit a high geared fixed rear wheel

Sideways logic / thinking out of the box at its very finest ..

 

[shemozzle999]

Sideways logic / thinking out of the box at its very finest ..

No Dave, just a bit of applied commonsense sadly lacking nowadays.

 

[Old_Dave]

Don't be modest.... Just take the compliment (they may be few and far between )

 

[flecc]

OK, OK.......

a TTWWTPANBRIAFD

a Throttle That Works When The Pedals Are Not Being Rotated In A Forward Direction!

All the best

David

Too long an acronym for me to remember David, I'll use my one instead:

POCS

Pedal Only Control System
.

 

[indalo]

We had 355 respondents, making this the largest and most up to date survey of electric bicycle usage in the UK.

The throttle question was not a big surprise, 25% don’t have one and 4.3% don’t use the one fitted. This leaves 71.7% in need of a throttle on an electric bicycle. This translated into 55% saying they wouldn’t have bought their electric bicycle if a throttle wasn’t fitted.

After re-reading the conclusions the OP drew from the data collected in the survey, I'm further convinced that we can't really form any opinions with certainty. Only 355 participated and unless I'm very much mistaken, there's an awful lot more of the population riding around on ebikes than that figure might suggest to some.

On the throttle issue, a quick glance at electric bikes on ebay threw up the attached at the top of the first page. Perhaps this is the kind of thing the throttle jockeys might wish to consider. It is much cheaper than most ebikes, comes with lights and mirrors and is legal.

The advertiser must have thought better than to get someone to proof-read his spiel which allows us an entertaining read!

ELECTRIC MOPED SCOOTER / BIKE / BICYCLE BRAND NEW 100% ROAD LEGAL | eBay

Indalo

 

[shemozzle999]

I am sad to see the DfT buckle under to European Union influence just to preserve their own markets from cheap far eastern imports.

 

[Kudoscycles]

Can I ask a few questions about the usage of throttles on these bikes.
I assume that the requirement of the throttle is to control power whilst just resting ones feet on the pedals? But assuming the rider has little power in his legs what happens when you come to a steep hill,for you surely have to pedal to get up a steep hill,250 watts will not carry a rider up many hills without some pedalling?
Or do you use the throttle as a means of getting instant power,for example pulling away from a busy junction but at other times are happy to pedal?
How many people use their pedelec without pedalling at all?
Have some ideas but need to know what people want from their throttle?
I see a lady on an old powabyke quite often,she never pedals,even when going slowly on the pavement,but what does she do when she comes to a hill?Maybe she never goes up hills?

Dave
Kudoscycles

 

[shemozzle999]

Dave you pay the government a fee and you can put a throttle on it.
That is how it reads for me.
I would suggest you write to the head honcho, Norman Baker, perhaps he could explain it better.