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

[minime]

Hello everyone

How many of you own an e-bike with a motor greater than 250w and have been stopped by the police for going over 15.5mph? I am thinking of getting a 1500w e-bike which can do up to 30mph and I hope that if I drive responsibly (e.g. respect speed limits, not overtaking traffic to show off, etc) then I won't have problems with the police.

What do you think?

PS: I live in Hull.

 

[RobF]

You may not attract attention, although if you are routinely seen around a small place such as Hull you might.

Going 15/20mph is one thing, 30 another.

Both speeds are illegal on an ebike, but you are far less likely to attract attention if you ride at speeds a rider on a push bike could manage.

 

[minime]

I think with the e-bike I am thinking of buying , you can set the speed limit to 15mph or 30mph via the controller. So when the need for speed becomes irresistible, I can temporarily enable/disable the legal speed limit.

 

[RobF]

I think with the e-bike I am thinking of buying , you can set the speed limit to 15mph or 30mph via the controller. So when the need for speed becomes irresistible, I can temporarily enable/disable the legal speed limit.

Doesn't help legally, the bike is still not road legal so if events conspire against you, you will be in bother.

It all depends on your attitude to risk and law breaking.

 

[nemesis]

Hello everyone

How many of you own an e-bike with a motor greater than 250w and have been stopped by the police for going over 15.5mph? I am thinking of getting a 1500w e-bike which can do up to 30mph and I hope that if I drive responsibly (e.g. respect speed limits, not overtaking traffic to show off, etc) then I won't have problems with the police.

What do you think?

PS: I live in Hull.

The problems will start if you have an accident involving anyone else,if you are riding illegal you will have zero insurance cover.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

If you're not going to go over 15 mph, there's not much point in having a 1500w bike. The ones with big hub-motors are designed to be efficient at high speed, so at low speed, you get low power and low efficiency. A geared 500w would be much better if it's the torque you need. Even a low-speed geared 36v 250w motor can give enough torque for most people if you run it at 48v.

Those 1500w hub-motored bikes would make excellent fast commuters. It's a real shame that it's so difficult to get one legally on the road.

Until now, there's no evidence of anybody being prosecuted for an over-speed or over-power electric bicycle, and I've never seen any evidence where the illegality caused injury to anyone, so I guess that the authorities aren't interested. Maybe it would be different if they made a noise, but they're so quiet that nobody knows they're there.

The general advice has always been that if you behave sensibly, blend in with the crowd and don't go nuts, you'll probably get away with it like all the others. The worst thing would be to get involved in an accident with someone who knows what it is that you have.

 

[Gubbins]

Your biggest problem will be people local to you noticing and reporting you. It looks odd when riding bikes like this when the cadence and effort don't match the speed being acheived

 

[Artstu]

I hope that if I drive responsibly (e.g. respect speed limits, not overtaking traffic to show off, etc) then I won't have problems with the police.

You ride a bicycle, not drive, so if you don't want to attract attention you need to look like a cyclist.

 

[minime]

The general advice has always been that if you behave sensibly, blend in with the crowd and don't go nuts, you'll probably get away with it like all the others.

That's exactly what I am thinking.

As for the motor, this 1500w bike is pretty cheap at about 800 pounds. I think most 500w bikes cost thereabout, so why not purchase one with a more powerful motor instead. Does that make sense? Am I missing something?

EDIT: It just occurred to me that 48v * 17a = 816watt. Does this mean that I require two of these batteries for a motor which is rated 1500w?

 

[nemesis]

Your biggest problem will be people local to you noticing and reporting you. It looks odd when riding bikes like this when the cadence and effort don't match the speed being acheived

You are right because it happened to me a few years back,i was reported and had a visit from the police.

 

[Ultrafunkula]

When you start riding a powerful ebike (30mph) regularly it's surprising how quickly you are noticed over doing say 20mph and how quickly plod catch on or appear whenever you do give it the beans you get a nosey one who requests you stop, do you blag it or do a runner?
As others above have said you run silently on your commute , it will only take a split second for someone to step from a pavement or the car driver half asleep texting on his phone at a junction only sees a cyclist in the distance, thinks he's doing 10mph and enough room to get out and boom! the enevitable happens, then you are in the proverbial, unregistered vehicle,no insurance ,no lights ,no helmet etc. and a big lawsuit for injuries.
That's why I got rid of my profile pic bike, 1500w was a flyer but way too much attention.
Be mindful of off-roading in a busy place e.g. Cannock chase, very busy with walkers and cyclists I've seen collisions just with normal bikes hooning around only to be met with a novice rider not knowing which way to turn.

Sry to sound negative, get one if you want one, unbelievable fun ,once you get the power you are addicted.

 

[Gubbins]

You may get a better understanding by going to a bike shop and trying a legal one..

 

[minime]

I already have a legal e-bike (Cyclamatic C1, 250watt) and the difference in speed between myself and other cyclists is noticeable.

My main reason for getting a new, 1500w, bike is that it'll have better acceleration, in addition to greater top speed. But the main selling point for me is acceleration.

@Gubbins I live in Hull and there are no bike shops in the area that sell e-bikes.

EDIT: Also, it is my understanding that unless you set the bike to the maxium assistance level to, you can't do 30mph. Is that correct?

 

[flecc]

EDIT: It just occurred to me that 48v * 17a = 816watt. Does this mean that I require two of these batteries for a motor which is rated 1500w?

No, there's no direct relationship. It's only the current delivery capability of a battery that counts and the one battery will be fine in this case. As d8veh said above, that type of motor is more suited to speed than climbing, and at speed the current demands are relatively low.
.

 

[flecc]

My main reason for getting a new, 1500w, bike is that it'll have better acceleration, in addition to greater top speed. But the main selling point for me is acceleration.

Only at the higher speed range. In the lower speed stages up to about 13 mph an internally geared 250 watt classified motor will be quicker accelerating. That's partly because they have much better torque then and partly because they aren't actually only 250 watts, more commonly about 500 watts. The 250 watts is only a convenience classification, none are that weak.
.

 

[anotherkiwi]

My cutoff is set to 25 km/h but I spin out pedalling (downhill) at 48 km/h... My new top speed on this bike is 62 km/h and all is perfectly legal.

You want acceleration? Get a BBS02 500 W or 750 W and a healthy battery, derestricted those will blow the doors off anything at the red light if you are in the right gear.

 

[Danidl]

That's exactly what I am thinking.

As for the motor, this 1500w bike is pretty cheap at about 800 pounds. I think most 500w bikes cost thereabout, so why not purchase one with a more powerful motor instead. Does that make sense? Am I missing something?

EDIT: It just occurred to me that 48v * 17a = 816watt. Does this mean that I require two of these batteries for a motor which is rated 1500w?

.. No. The second figure you mentioned is the amp hr rating meaning that at a current of 17 amps it will supply that for about 1 hour., Or at 1 ampere- load will supply current for 17 hrs. A 1000w motor running at full and idealised efficiency will consume the contents of a 20amphr battery of 48v in under 60 minutes

 

[danielrlee]

You are right because it happened to me a few years back,i was reported and had a visit from the police.

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.

 

[Gubbins]

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.

There are killjoys everywhere!

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I already have a legal e-bike (Cyclamatic C1, 250watt) and the difference in speed between myself and other cyclists is noticeable.

My main reason for getting a new, 1500w, bike is that it'll have better acceleration, in addition to greater top speed. But the main selling point for me is acceleration.

Why not beastify your Cyclamatic? A 17 amp controller with LCD and a decent 36v battery will give it double the power and torque. total cost about £300. It's still a 250w motor, so totally legal as long as you use the optional speed limit in the controller. It takes about 10 secs to change the speed limit in the LCD, which is doable in an emergency.

I
EDIT: Also, it is my understanding that unless you set the bike to the maxiumm assistance level to, you can't do 30mph. Is that correct?

Most of those bikes have a setting in the LCD for whatever speed limit you want. As I said before, it won't be very efficient when restricted to 15 mph. Imagine driving your car everywhere in top gear, but not going over 30 mph. You won't get much extra acceleration (if any) above the Cyclamatic.