Of course they are not being honest or good, this proposal has nothing whatsoever to do with promoting pedelec use. The intention is what it has been ever since the outset, when they introduced the e-scooter trial, to include e-scooters in with pedelec legislation in a legal short cut. Hence the need for higher power rating of at least 350 watts and a throttle, together with not needing the driving licence and insurance that e-scooters need at present.
It's the same people with the same ideas that used to call ebike riding cheating. I can remember telling a couple of cycle shops that they should invest in ebikes about twelve years ago. They said I was nuts and didn't understand the cycle industry.
Just reading the reasons for opposition to power changes given by the industry representatives , they seem incredibly weak and subjective.
E-bike power limit: BA and ACT urge bike industry to resist 500W proposal
The Association of Cycle Traders and Bicycle Association say the proposal to raise the e-bike power limit is unnecessary, risky, and the wrong approachwww.globalcyclingnetwork.com
Any motorcycle rider learns very quickly to scan the road ahead for any imperfection. Nobody has ever worried about that. Scooter riders will learn the same. Like motorcyclists, those that don't learn don't survive and there will always be a few casualties during the learning period until you graduate from the University of Hard Knocks.
Some were so wide and deep last night, I had to swerve right out to avoid them. The increase in potholes between one year and the next along the same route was absolutely shocking. To safely traverse the ones I encountered, I would have had to reduce speed to 5mph. Quite honestly, they've got me thinking I should ditch folding bikes altogether, for MTBs with front suspension. At this rate, small wheeled folding bikes will become totally unviable on our roads.
Glad I am not alone.
It's not your imagination. While doing my best to listen out for drunk and/or phone fondling drivers and/or cyclist murdering "self-driving" cars etc. speeding through red lights to run me over, I noticed this didn't exist last year. Isn't the worst one, but there were so many, and I'd have to pore through too much video to screengrab other examples. If, when the pothole situation worsens, I may be forced to fat tyre up a penny farthing conversion with front suspension... but I'll try 2.25" wide or wider tyres on my 20" wheeled Dahon Helios first - saves buying a small portable ladder or stool to climb onto the bike, or however it's done.
And there are rumours that Brompton are planning to release a 20" version with disk brakes and can take fatter tyres.
Part of the Brompton appeal has always been the incredibly compact fold. A twenty inch wheel version would compromise that, I'd say. I've ridden 20 inch wheeled bikes, the best of which was one of those space framed Moulton TSR thingies. That was a beautiful ride for a small wheeled bike, and fast too, partly due to the very high pressure narrow tyres. It didn't fold, though you could remove a pin or two and it broke in half.
Wheelbase is almost the same as my Dahon Helios, so that'll ride great with 20" wheels. If a Brompton could fold with a BBS01B installed, I'd buy one with disc brakes. I've got 1.75" wide Marathon Plus on the Helios at the moment, but I can fit 2.15" to better deal with potholes... though the mudguards may grumble, possibly to the point of removal if I can't find wider compatibles (failed so far). The v-brakes might have enough clearance for 2.15" - when the potholes situation worsens, will buy a £10 cheapo discardable to try on for size, before buying Schwalbes.
No doubt Brompton are aware of that.
Cheers! Good call! Will do when the time comes - with current cost pressures, I don't believe the pothole situation will improve anytime soon... unless they resume printing money, which won't worsen the situation for a short time. Again.
That Schwalbe honour their guarantee is reassuring. The rubber compound on Marathon Plus is very hard wearing, the treads on mine still look ok after 4,000km. I don't trust them in wet conditions going over metal grates, but in my experience they hold onto tarmac well in the rain - I wouldn't test them beyond this though (after 22 seconds). Was in a hurry that night, downhill.i got a free warranty replacement from schwalbe as my magic Mary was delaminating and they gave me my money back.
must have been a bad batch of rubber as not had that problem since
electric-bike-conversions.co.uk
I'm going again this year. The first time I went, 12 people got wiped out, and I saw two of them right before my eyes. Anybody else going?
