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bike laws

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hello anyone know whether i can still ride my electric e rider because it has a twist and go throttle and the police have stopped me riding it because according to them its against the law to ride without insurance etc
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hello there thanks for getting back to me unfortunately im still none the wiser,iv purchased a model 18 e rider from the above company and according to the police my model 18 e rider cannot be driven without insurance etc due to it being a throttle twist and ago which the police say can go without pedal assist,realy confusing and annoying as the bike is for my disabled partner and he have not been able to go out until this matter is sorted,the bike has no plate either

When was it purchased?

 

https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/electric-bike-guides/uk-electric-bike-law/

 

‘Twist and gos’ – electric bikes manufactured with the capability of being powered by a throttle alone – have required type approval since January 2016. ‘Grandfather rights’ apply to ‘twist and go’ e-bikes prior to January 2016. (This is entirely separate to ‘walk assist mode’ throttles that power the bike to a 6kmh top limit i.e. walking speed, to help you push the bike along, which are not affected by this law update.)

 

https://www.cyclinguk.org/cyclists-library/regulations/eapc-regulations

 

E-bikes controlled by a throttle where there is no need for the pedals to be turning to engage the motor – so-called ‘twist and go’ machines. New models of these kind are now classified under EU law under the L1e-A ‘powered cycles’ category that allows power up to 1000w, with power assistance cutting out at 15.5mph. Twist and gos are potentially very helpful for those with any kind of condition that severely limits a pedalling action, but the procedure and exact requirements for registering them remain unclear. Note twist and go e-bikes bought before the introduction of the new laws and limited to a 250W motor rating remain effectively legal and so can be legally purchased and used as second hand models.

  • Author
thankyou for getting back to me unfortunately the company i bought the bike from which is e rider uk wont tell me if the bike was manufactured before 2016 and we bought the bike 2 months ago on their website it says its legal to ride without ant insurance ect i feel as if im stuck in the middle the police wont budge and said if the bike is used they will confiscate it and destroy and im 1700 out of pocket just dont know what to do

Its a bit of a tangled web where technically you've bought a moped due to the throttle

 

https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/l1e-a-testing-requirements.22843/page-5

 

Electric mopeds

 

When intended for road use, an electric bicycle or speed pedelec over 250W and not over 4kW is classified as a moped (L1e-A or L1e-B). Speed pedelecs fall into the L1e-B category. That means any such vehicles must meet all the requirements that a moped and moped rider need to comply with:

  • Be 16 years of age or over
  • Have a moped entitlement on car license or a valid CBT
  • Wear a helmet
  • Fix ''L' plates if appropriate
  • The rider needs insurance, road tax and an MOT

 

Hopefully flecc can give his input - Have 'e Rider' had the type of bike you bought MSVA certificated for exemption? Otherwise you might be able to do it yourself.

 

https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/how-to-get-legal-approval-for-a-pedelec-throttle.34008/#post-488667

  • Author
e rider uk has said they cant give out that information to me but they have offered to refund maybe that could be the best option, i asked the manager of e rider if it had a regestration and he said he cant give me the info
  • Author
also the police think e rider uk has used misleading information on their website which says you are buying an electric bicycle and not a moped very disappointed
Maybe best to get the refund and look for a more conventional looking relatively lighter pushbike style pedelec rather than a moped type.
Other that a 'twist & go' throttle, the bike looks UK legal. Why not just disconnect the throttle if you're that worried?

Other images show the bike with pedals, which I assume have been removed in the above photo. Is there anything else that would cause it to fall outside of EAPC law?

 

EDIT: Scrap that! I don't think it has any pedal assist functionality whatsoever, so would need a controller upgrade in order to add it.

I’d get my money back ASAP while you still can, if the police already have there eye on E-rider UK’s advertising and decided to bring proceedings in the near future, e-rider may not have the money to refund you :eek:

So this is what happens when you get caught riding an illegal bike. They don't lock you up and throw the key away. They tell you to ride the bike home and not use it again. They tell you that if you're caught again, they will take the bike and crush it - still no mention of jail.

 

I've heard this story several times.

Like Gringo, I suggest you return the bike asap and get your money back while you can.

Like Gringo, I suggest you return the bike asap and get your money back while you can.

 

Seconded, definitely get your money back. Trying to register this will probably be very difficult and it will be classed as a motor vehicle with all that implies, since it has no pedals.

 

The information on their website is definitely misleading and inaccurate.

.

Edited by flecc

So this is what happens when you get caught riding an illegal bike. They don't lock you up and throw the key away. They tell you to ride the bike home and not use it again. They tell you that if you're caught again, they will take the bike and crush it - still no mention of jail.

 

I've heard this story several times.

It may well depend on how obviously you knew you were riding an illegal bike. Ignorance of the law may be no excuse, but is still a mitigating circumstance. Jail would be very unlikely unless really badly ridden ... it is not even common for reckless driving of an uninsured car.

 

OP: I certainly agree with the others on getting your money back a.s.a.p..

Get an e-bike that has pedals, you can buy a Wisper bike and they will get type approval for it so you can use the twist and go/throttle.

So this is what happens when you get caught riding an illegal bike. They don't lock you up and throw the key away. They tell you to ride the bike home and not use it again. They tell you that if you're caught again, they will take the bike and crush it - still no mention of jail. I've heard this story several times.

 

Not necessarily....

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/man-ended-up-six-points-12031624

I would take the refund. I have debated the misleading if not downright lies of erider on Facebook on numerous occasions but they still continue to advertise in the same way. It is totally wrong of them and the fact they offer refunds to those who get caught seems to indicate they are perfectly aware of that fact.

Mmmm, this is interesting. Several months ago a friend of mine very nearly bought one of these so called 'legal' ebikes. Fortunately as I was known as the resident cycling expert he asked my opinion and I talked him out of it pointing out that he was risking fines and his driving licence if he got pulled by the Police. It narked me a bit that a dealer was misleading customers so complained to the Advertising Standards Agency. Their reply was a little dissapointing.

 

Your complaint: E-Rider Ltd - ASA Ref: A19-562001

 

Dear Mr xxx,

 

Thank you for taking the time and trouble to write to us about E-Rider advertising.

We’ve considered your complaint carefully and all the issues raised. We will keep a record of it on our system and take your views into account if we receive more complaints about this or similar issues.

 

We will also take your complaint into account in our regular proactive ‘intelligence gathering’ sweeps, where we analyse a range of information – including complaints made to us – to spot significant or emerging issues, which we might want to tackle.

 

While we won’t be taking any other specific action on your complaint at this time, I want to thank you for contacting us. Complaints like yours are extremely important to us as they help us to build a picture on the issues that we should tackle.

Yours sincerely,

Ruth

 

Ruth Piper

Complaints Executive

Direct line 020 7492 2120

 

Advertising Standards Authority

Mid City Place, 71 High Holborn

London WC1V 6QT

Telephone 020 7492 2222

www.asa.org.uk

In other words they either didn't care that a dealer was blatently misleading potential customers (which I thought they were here to protect from) or just couldn't be bothered to take action. Oh well, another useless & toothless Government Quango.

In other words they either didn't care that a dealer was blatently misleading potential customers (which I thought they were here to protect from) or just couldn't be bothered to take action. Oh well, another useless & toothless Government Quango.

 

I think the ASA is more concerned with advertising and may not view a company website as that. An added factor is that is isn't in any way illegal to sell non compliant vehicles, only the usage is illegal.

 

You might have had a better result with your trading standards department since this is very much an issue of poor trading standards. Your local authority will have their contact details.

.

I think the ASA is more concerned with advertising and may not view a company website as that. An added factor is that is isn't in any way illegal to sell non compliant vehicles, only the usage is illegal.

 

You might have had a better result with your trading standards department since this is very much an issue of poor trading standards. Your local authority will have their contact details.

.

It should be illegal to advertise an illegal bike as legal; I don't know whether it is. I'm not sure of the role of ASA and whether it covers websites ... it should as that is clearly a very common form of advertising. Maybe the local trading standards officer is someone to contact as flecc suggests; though issues like this are not 'local'.

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