E-bike with motors greater than 250w, speeds above 15mph and the UK police

[minime]

@d8veh
I would beastify the Cyclamatic if I could, but I don't know anything about bikes in general, much less about e-bike conversions. I remember that you advised me to change the controller and battery - solid advice - but I don't know how to do that.

With the Pedalease 1500w you can switch between restricted and derestricted modes through the controller.

@anotherkiwi
The BBS02 500 W costs around 1100; 300 more than the Pedalease 1500w.

 

[nemesis]

Are you able to provide any more details of this? I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be interested to hear about it.

At the time i had a Kalkhoff pro connect S with the panasonic motor and someone who lived nearby reported me for speeding on a bicycle.I have a good idea who but i didn`t know for sure.
When the police came to the house they said i had been reported for going at excess speed on a bicycle.I think the police lady was a little ashamed because of how daft the claim was and all she did was have a quick look at the bike and said slow down a bit in the future and left it at that.I don`t live in that area anymore.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

At the time i had a Kalkhoff pro connect S with the panasonic motor and someone who lived nearby reported me for speeding on a bicycle.I have a good idea who but i didn`t know for sure.
When the police came to the house they said i had been reported for going at excess speed on a bicycle.I think the police lady was a little ashamed because of how daft the claim was and all she did was have a quick look at the bike and said slow down a bit in the future and left it at that.I don`t live in that area anymore.

I thought that there were no speed limits for bicycles. "Furious cycling" is prohibited though, whatever that is.

 

[EmSeeDee]

I thought that there were no speed limits for bicycles. "Furious cycling" is prohibited though, whatever that is.

You're about 95% right. This article is quite interesting: http://www.slatergordon.co.uk/media-centre/blog/2015/06/can-cyclists-break-the-speed-limit-or-does-the-law-only-apply-to-motorists/



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[LeighPing]

1000w bike

250w oxydrive kit, LCD adjustable speed limit bike

I much prefer the 250w for peace of mind and now only use the bigger motor off road. Shorter braking distance too.

In my opinion, 18 mph is the 'sweet spot' and plenty fast enough, without turning too many heads.

 

[Gubbins]

I thought that there were no speed limits for bicycles. "Furious cycling" is prohibited though, whatever that is.

SW?

 

[flecc]

"Furious cycling" is prohibited though, whatever that is.

Possibly only applying when dressed in Victorian clothing appropriate to the 1861 year of that law.
.

 

[anotherkiwi]

I thought that there were no speed limits for bicycles. "Furious cycling" is prohibited though, whatever that is.

Almost everywhere in the EU it is the same speed as for cars.

On the other side of the Basque Country in Irun center bikes are limited to 30 km/h just like cars and I must admit to having been a little over that limit from time to time. In S. Sebastian cycle paths have 5 and 10 km/h limits in zones with lots of pedestrians.

In Lyon a guy with a vélomobile was condemned to a rather large fine because there was a speed camera (50 km/h) on his way in to work and he triggered it just about everyday until the police got bored and waited for him one morning.

 

[flecc]

In my opinion, 18 mph is the 'sweet spot' and plenty fast enough, without turning too many heads.

For me too, also not the problems with eye watering in cold air that higher speeds on a bike can bring.

I've always thought 18 mph a much better assist limit cutoff speed.
.

 

[flecc]

Almost everywhere in the EU it is the same speed as for cars.

But not in Britain due to an accidental loophole. Our highway speed limits have always been written into the Road Traffic Acts which only apply to defined motor vehicles.
.

 

[anotherkiwi]

I like 33-35 km/h. I tried 45 km/h and it is too stressful watching out for cars who think you are only doing 15 km/h...

Those kind of speeds also don't do your range much good.

 

[EmSeeDee]

But not in Britain due to an accidental loophole. Our highway speed limits have always been written into the Road Traffic Acts which only apply to defined motor vehicles.
.

Although there are some private road with public access, for example royal parks, where the speed limit rules specifically include cycles, and since many of them are 20 mph, it's far from being only a theoretical issue.

Sent from my SGP311 using Tapatalk

 

[Gubbins]

Getting back to propper money.. on down gradients and wirh a decent tail wind I can peddle mine up to 40mph.
This is fine on a nice smooth road with not much traffic, but the pot holes and grates appear alarmingly fast if you let your attention wander.

 

[flecc]

I like 33-35 km/h.

When a bike can be tweaked to it, luckily we can legally have 17 mph assist cutoff in the UK. That's because we have a universal speed limit tolerance of 10%, this confirmed for e-bikes by the DfT.

25 kph + 10% = 27.5 kph = 17.1 mph

Given the police equipment can't accurately measure such low speeds on bikes, we can probably stretch that a bit more without risk.
.

 

[Gubbins]

When a bike can be tweaked to it, luckily we can legally have 17 mph assist cutoff in the UK. That's because we have a universal speed limit tolerance of 10%, this confirmed for e-bikes by the DfT.

25 kph + 10% = 27.5 kph = 17.1 mph

Given the police equipment can't accurately measure such low speeds on bikes, we can probably stretch that a bit more without risk.
.

This would be great if it was easy to do...

 

[anotherkiwi]

Getting back to propper money.. on down gradients and wirh a decent tail wind I can peddle mine up to 40mph.
This is fine on a nice smooth road with not much traffic, but the pot holes and grates appear alarmingly fast if you let your attention wander.

I hear you! I have to keep reminding myself "don't look at the fabulous scenery you stupid old fool!" Had a couple of near misses these last weeks at speeds over 35 km/h

 

[flecc]

Although there are some private road with public access, for example royal parks, where the speed limit rules specifically include cycles, and since many of them are 20 mph, it's far from being only a theoretical issue.

But they are not highway speed limits as I posted. They are akin to private land laws as you say. Some of those are even slower, I think the Brighton seafront limit is 10 mph and even 5 mph isn't unknown in some places.
.

 

[flecc]

This would be great if it was easy to do...

We used to have some that were accommodating. Some Wisper models when derestricted were freed to 18 mph assist, and some Impulse powered Kalkhoffs had about 17 mph assist as standard according to owners.
.

 

[mountainsport]

1000w bike

250w oxydrive kit, LCD adjustable speed limit bike

I much prefer the 250w for peace of mind and now only use the bigger motor off road. Shorter braking distance too.

In my opinion, 18 mph is the 'sweet spot' and plenty fast enough, without turning too many heads.

Thank you LeighPing for taking the time out at showing us the comparison between sudden stopping and speed safety limits.
It was also wise of you by using the pole as a precise marking point.

MS.

 

[mountainsport]

For me too, also not the problems with eye watering in cold air that higher speeds on a bike can bring.

I've always thought 18 mph a much better assist limit cutoff speed.
.

I double agree to that!

MS.