Thanks, I'd spotted that meanwhile and corrected it. You'll find the first link different now.
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For many (most?) people the most important need for power is hill climbing; with acceleration second and speed a (distant) third.
I'm not quibbling with the law, but, I wonder why 15mph is the cut off. When i was younger, I used to ride at 25-30mph quite easily on my Mercian road bike.. Now I'm ancient, I can manage 25mph on my Haibike, but only when I'm going down hill. In which case, am I breaking the law? Does the law differentiate between the limited speed of the e-bike with the speed of the biker?
you can go as fast as you like but the law says the motor must cut off at 15.5mph so down hill speed is unlimited untill you hit a tree going 50mph
if you dont want a speed limit dongle it the police dont give a crap
25 kph (15.5 mph) is only the motor assist maximum, you can ride as fast as you like on any pedelec, so long as the motor cuts off at the legal limit.
The reason for it being around 15 mph is that it's intended as a limited concession, bicycle assistance for those who need it for common utility cycling. It's not for the sort of speeds the drop handlebar lycra clad brigade ride at, or you when you rode that Mercian road bike.
They and you didn't need any help.
If someone wants to be motor propelled at higher speeds on two wheels, that's what mopeds and motorcycles are for.
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so my bike is not crap then pmslbut they are all crap overpriced heavy and limited on distance and try lifting it over a fence
The reason for it being around 15 mph is that it's intended as a limited concession, bicycle assistance for those who need it for common utility cycling. It's not for the sort of speeds the drop handlebar lycra clad brigade ride at, or you when you rode that Mercian road bike.
They and you didn't need any help.
- that's the problem. I do now . I am a 72 year old member of the 'drop handlebar lycra clad brigade', not a utility cyclist. I now ride an Orbea Gain - one of the new genre of electrically assisted road bikes. As my leg arteries become more and more blocked I need help to maintain speeds above the arbitrary 15.5mph assist cut off. The 15.5 mph assistance limit is totally inappropriate for e-road bikes, the US 20mph limit much more realistic.
They and you didn't need any help.
- that's the problem. I do now . I am a 72 year old member of the 'drop handlebar lycra clad brigade', not a utility cyclist. I now ride an Orbea Gain - one of the new genre of electrically assisted road bikes. As my leg arteries become more and more blocked I need help to maintain speeds above the arbitrary 15.5mph assist cut off. The 15.5 mph assistance limit is totally inappropriate for e-road bikes, the US 20mph limit much more realistic.
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Deleted member 25121
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You can buy and legally use ebikes with that performance in the UK, you'd just need to register, tax and insure them.
As a concession from the DoT, ebikes with the 15 mph assistance limit don't require you to do those things since you're less likely to do harm to others and yourself at that speed.
When I posted motor propelled I didn't just mean electric. Many very good and capable mopeds and motorbikes use petrol motors.so my bike is not crap then pmsl
And motor vehicles can only be used legally on roads, so lifting over fences doesn't apply.
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You just aren't getting it.
As I posted, the assistance isn't to enable anyone to ride at road bike speeds, which are sporting speeds.
Utility bicycle riding is commonly done at around 12 mph, often slower and less commonly at 15 mph, and I well remember when nearly all our cycling was done at those speeds, until cycling all but disappeared here in the 1960s and '70s.
Over most of the world where there's mostly utility cycling they also ride at those slower speeds or even slower, and it's that fact that sets the assist speed limit that applies over most of the world. It's just in Britain that there's this silly cycling obsession with belting along at 20 mph or more, helmeted, grim faced and exerting major effort, even sweating as if emulating being in the Tour de France.
The USA is the odd one out in the world so is irrelevant. That's because cycling there is almost entirely a leisure pursuit for kids and a tiny minority of adults.
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I DO get it. We will just go round and round with this. 15 mph may be an appropriate figure for utility cycling but it is not appropriate for e-road bike riding,.
- BUT I can relatively easily ride at twice that speed, even with my leg issues. I completely fail to see how a 15mph assistance cut off makes me 'less likely to do harm to others and yourself'.
I was a club cyclist in the 60s and 70s and this is nonsense.
Again, nonsense! I'm not a 'utility cyclist' and you are obviously not a road cyclist, and have absolutely no appreciation for our situation, or understanding of our way of riding. If you wish to pootle about that's fine with me - it's a broad church. I don't understand why you are so contemptuous of those for whom cycling is more than a simply functional 'utility' exercise.
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Deleted member 25121
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This isn't about maximum speed, it's about power assistance and use model, as you said:
I was going to write more but Flecc has already said it above.
The 15mph assistance cutoff concession is for utility cycling. If you want to do something other than that with power assistance you need tax and a license, be it electric or IC assistance.
I was going to write more but Flecc has already said it above.
There are now many shared cycle / pedestrian paths around - So if you have 20-30mph electric cycles on them things could get interesting for everyone. When I chose my first pedelec I at first thought I wanted one as quick as possible, coming to it as a motorcyclist. After test rides and research I instead chose the torquiest best suited to hill climbing and have happily plodded along the flats at a nice steady 16odd mph and can still easily beat the fastest cyclist up a hill, along with roaming off-road on tracks & suitable paths where 15mph is more than enough. If I want to go fast on the flat racing my mates then I've got my motorcycle! No one is denying you the bike you want to choose to ride.
As already mentioned if you feel the need for speed there are speed pedelecs* for the road, or electric mopeds/ scooters or electric motorbikes capable of 30mph+.
* However, they will require DVLA registry and licence plates. Some of the bikes will come supplied with mirrors, horns and plate lights in recognition of their elevated status.
These bikes are classed as road vehicles and therefore cannot be used on cycle paths, cycle lanes etc. They are subject to all the same laws that a motorcycle or moped would be.
As already mentioned if you feel the need for speed there are speed pedelecs* for the road, or electric mopeds/ scooters or electric motorbikes capable of 30mph+.
* However, they will require DVLA registry and licence plates. Some of the bikes will come supplied with mirrors, horns and plate lights in recognition of their elevated status.
These bikes are classed as road vehicles and therefore cannot be used on cycle paths, cycle lanes etc. They are subject to all the same laws that a motorcycle or moped would be.
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Deleted member 25121
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Indeed, when all cars and motorcycles can easily exceed the national speed limits why would anybody want to be limited to 20mph on a powered vehicle if they are looking for speed?
I can see the attraction of wanting to go as fast as possible on roads under your own steam but if you want to go fast with power assistance on 2 wheels then get a moped, motor scooter or best of all a motor cycle.
If cost is a big issue get a 2nd hand moped.
Perhaps we need a specific cut off for e-road bikes then. For now I'll keep looking for a hack for the EBM system ….
as for Wicky's comment
'As already mentioned if you feel the need for speed there are speed pedelecs* for the road, or electric mopeds/ scooters or electric motorbikes capable of 30mph+'.
Normal leg propelled bikes are available that are capable of 30mph, and more - it's up to the fitness and strength of the rider isn't it? For much of this morning's leisure ride we were moving at above the 15.5 mph cut off, under leg power alone - as I ride a 'legal' e-bike - and I don't think we posed a danger to anyone. I don't want a moped or motor bike, just a couple of mph extra assistance to allow me to continue riding as I have done for the last 60 years or so.
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Deleted member 25121
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