Does this seem like a good idea?

[Jonah]

Do you think this would this work? How would this fit with pedelec regulation?

RideKick Electric Trailer - The eBike Store

 

[funkylyn]

An interesting concept, but would it not take a lot more battery power to push a bike and rider rather than the current method we all know and love

Lynda

 

[Clockwise]

RideKick transforms your bike into an eBike in seconds and converts back again just as fast.

But then has some lead battery bag to go on your pannier and then is that brake levers I see in that bag?

I would want to test ride before I was convinced.

 

[trex]

it's an excellent idea, but is it legal though?

 

[Alan Quay]

An interesting concept, but would it not take a lot more battery power to push a bike and rider rather than the current method we all know and love

Lynda

Put simply, no. Push or pull, its all the same to physics. The extra wheels and weight are an issue though.

 

[funkylyn]

Put simply, no. Push or pull, its all the same to physics. The extra wheels and weight are an issue though.

That was what I was meaning, but didnt say it properly, to push the bike takes more power because it is also pushing the weight of itself, the trailer, too

Lynda

 

[amigafan2003]

but is it legal though?

Have a guess.

pushes you all over town at 19 mph!

 

[hopper_rider]

Answer for me please.

If its legal for an ebike to tow a trailer why wouldnt this be legal?

 

[flecc]

Answer for me please.

If its legal for an ebike to tow a trailer why wouldnt this be legal?

In law, either it's a powered trailer which is not exempted from the motor vehicle legislation in the way e-bikes are, or it's a quadricycle which has to be type approved and registered as a form of light motor vehicle.

 

[jackhandy]

Looks like fun, though...

Hey, D8veh, you could get an extra motor on that monster of yours in time for Park st. Next year

 

[SRS]

Flecc what makes you think powered trailers have anything do do with motor vehicle legislation?

As I see it, a trailer is not a vehicle and therfore has nothing to do with motor vehicle legislation.

This type of trailer seems to be a brilliant idea. The cycle stays a cycle, non electric powered and by my reasoning, the assisted power issue does not come into it any more than the power of the wind.

 

[Scimitar]

Flecc what makes you think powered trailers have anything do do with motor vehicle legislation?

As I see it, a trailer is not a vehicle and therfore has nothing to do with motor vehicle legislation.

This type of trailer seems to be a brilliant idea. The cycle stays a cycle, non electric powered and by my reasoning, the assisted power issue does not come into it any more than the power of the wind.

I wish it were so, too. Unfortunately, it's not up to me, but what a judge thinks and we know how firmly rooted in the real world some of them are.

 

[flecc]

Flecc what makes you think powered trailers have anything do do with motor vehicle legislation?

As I see it, a trailer is not a vehicle and therfore has nothing to do with motor vehicle legislation.

This type of trailer seems to be a brilliant idea. The cycle stays a cycle, non electric powered and by my reasoning, the assisted power issue does not come into it any more than the power of the wind.

Any mechanical device used to travel on the roads is subject to legislation, and if it is powered in any way, it is automatically regarded in law as a motor vehicle unless specifically exempted or given a different classification.

The cycle does not stay a cycle as you've put it, it is being driven by a mechanically coupled powered device. It is therefore a motor vehicle in law in the absence of a specific exemption.

If the trailer is a two wheeled one, the entire vehicle might be claimed as a quadricycle, which is a specific class of light motor vehicle in the UK, but Vehicle Inspectorate SVA approval will be needed and I'm not confident they would accept it as such.

If a single wheel powered trailer with 250 watts or less power and the whole outfit including bike weighs under 60 kilos, it might be claimed to be an electrically assisted tricycle. AFAICS the law does not specify where a tricycle's wheels are located or which ones articulate, but that could be subject to challenge.

 

[SRS]

Flecc

Thanks for taking time to reply. Not sure why but I guessed you would come up with and explanation that made my good idea into not such a good idea.

Appreciate that it is is the powers that be and not you. A shame because these devices could open up a whole new world of transportation with the addition of load carrying capacity. I know you are a fan of regular trailers.