Electric Bike Legislation
- Thread starter UrbanPuma
- Start date
We don't know when yet, but not too much is changing. These are the basic provisions of EU law that we'll be following for solo bikes:
Motor nominal power 250 watt.
Maximum speed for power assist 25 kph / 15.6 mph.
Power to phase down as it approaches the maximum speed.
Power only applied during pedal rotation (pedelec), though throttles are permitted to regulate the amount of that power.
Maximum bike weight 40 kilos.
I don't know if there will be a minimum age to ride one. At present only Britain and Sweden have lower age limits, 14 in Britain, 15 in Sweden. If the British law on electric assist bikes is rescinded as intended, that will leave us without a lower age limit if Europe doesn't set one. I'm hoping that happens, but I wouldn't be confident in our legislation mad country.
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Motor nominal power 250 watt.
Maximum speed for power assist 25 kph / 15.6 mph.
Power to phase down as it approaches the maximum speed.
Power only applied during pedal rotation (pedelec), though throttles are permitted to regulate the amount of that power.
Maximum bike weight 40 kilos.
I don't know if there will be a minimum age to ride one. At present only Britain and Sweden have lower age limits, 14 in Britain, 15 in Sweden. If the British law on electric assist bikes is rescinded as intended, that will leave us without a lower age limit if Europe doesn't set one. I'm hoping that happens, but I wouldn't be confident in our legislation mad country.
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If the power only mode now allowed in the UK is blown out wont this leave a lot of people with illegal bikes. Also it seems to defy common sense. I happily pedal all the time on the straight to increase range but I feel safer and more stable on roundabouts and manouvreing in heavy traffic with power only
It is commonly believed that the new rules will not apply retrospectively, so today's bikes will hopefully continue to be legal. Anyone that wants to buy a non-pedelec twistgrip-controlled bike probably only has a little time left to find one.
Yes, there are lots of reasons why twistgrip control is preferred to pedelec by lots of riders, maybe even the majority. I agree that a ban defies common sense.
There are those following the dream of having an E-bike that feels like an ordinary bike, and pedelec control seems to suit. I wish them every success. I am following their progress with great interest. Range can be pushed to as much as 40 miles or more by the best pedelec control systems as they subtly combine legpower with battery power.
MY own requirements of an E-bike are different. I rarely do more than 20 miles a day, but I do cycle every day, and much of it seems to be in the rain, against the wind, with a load of shopping, running over broken glass, and I still want to enjoy the cycling. I need a big strong bike, heavy puncture protected tyres, and no-nonsense twistgrip control so that when I want full power it is delivered immediately to help with traffic situations, hills and the elements.
In the garage I have a lightweight non-electric bike with 28in wheels and high pressure tyres, and it is a joy to ride on fine days when the wind doesn't blow. The rest of the time I use the Ezee Sprint 7 in non-pedelec mode to get the job done.
Yes, there are lots of reasons why twistgrip control is preferred to pedelec by lots of riders, maybe even the majority. I agree that a ban defies common sense.
There are those following the dream of having an E-bike that feels like an ordinary bike, and pedelec control seems to suit. I wish them every success. I am following their progress with great interest. Range can be pushed to as much as 40 miles or more by the best pedelec control systems as they subtly combine legpower with battery power.
MY own requirements of an E-bike are different. I rarely do more than 20 miles a day, but I do cycle every day, and much of it seems to be in the rain, against the wind, with a load of shopping, running over broken glass, and I still want to enjoy the cycling. I need a big strong bike, heavy puncture protected tyres, and no-nonsense twistgrip control so that when I want full power it is delivered immediately to help with traffic situations, hills and the elements.
In the garage I have a lightweight non-electric bike with 28in wheels and high pressure tyres, and it is a joy to ride on fine days when the wind doesn't blow. The rest of the time I use the Ezee Sprint 7 in non-pedelec mode to get the job done.
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A DoT spokesman did once confirm the the change would not be retrospective.
While I also like throttle control for much of my needs, and both my current bikes have it, I don't agree that the ban defies common sense when the reason for the legislation is viewed. The whole point of electric assist on bikes was that they should remain bicycles and not be imitation motor vehicles, that's why the speed and power limits. It's undeniable that many of today's e-bikes are now more like motor vehicles, since anything that can spend much of it's time on throttle control only is more a motor vehicle than a bicycle. This has arisen from the legislation being "stretched" in many ways, and that's what the legislators never intended.
They aren't in any way banning throttle control only and have provided classes for bikes with that, termed low power mopeds which is exactly what they are. For safety reasons they are subject to additional regulations such as third party insurance to protect others, and in order to be able to control that provision, they have to be registered.
I dislike that as much as anyone else, but I can see the reasons for it are valid, and this method has advantages anyway, since it frees up the power restrictions that the electric assist bikes suffer.
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How does this effect Powacycle's bikes - will they remain the same and still be classed as bicycles?
A bicycle with an electric motor is a motorised vehicle. Simple logic.
The regulations define an arbitrary set of rules under which certain bicycles with electric motors can be treated as though they were not motorised vehicles.
The legislators, bless em, once set these arbitrary rules in such a way that pure twistgrip control was included. We love them for it and we've made great use of it. I don't mind paying their wages.
The arbitrary set of rules now seems at risk of being modified and I'm against it.
Since the dividing line was arbitrary in the first place there is no fundamental truth or justice in twistgrip control being either side of the line.
The regulations define an arbitrary set of rules under which certain bicycles with electric motors can be treated as though they were not motorised vehicles.
The legislators, bless em, once set these arbitrary rules in such a way that pure twistgrip control was included. We love them for it and we've made great use of it. I don't mind paying their wages.
The arbitrary set of rules now seems at risk of being modified and I'm against it.
Since the dividing line was arbitrary in the first place there is no fundamental truth or justice in twistgrip control being either side of the line.
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I don't know if they have throttle control without pedalling. If so, that will go and they will stay as electric assist pedelecs.
The same goes for eZee and all the rest, pedelec only, though they will still keep throttle control of the power while pedalling where they already have that.
None of them will opt for the Low Powered Moped route.
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The same goes for eZee and all the rest, pedelec only, though they will still keep throttle control of the power while pedalling where they already have that.
None of them will opt for the Low Powered Moped route.
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I can't agree with much of this. First these rules were meant to have been implemented years ago but our civil service fouled up, so the EU legislators didn't authorise throttle-only control on bikes at any time. It happened by our default.
Motorised is your word which with respect muddles the issue, and it forms no part of the regulations.
The regulations are for bikes assisted by motors and motor vehicles.
The distinction is quite clear. One is a bicycle that is assisted by a motor, the other is a motor vehicle that is assisted by pedalling, two quite different and opposite things.
Hence they have two quite different classes.
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I agree, I wish they would just leave it as it is
Yes I ride mine in motor only but also pedal almost all of the time so who will know really?
When my bike is dead and gone I am sure there will be ways around it and I will be able to get the parts for modification, just won't get caught not pedalling up hill I guess
It look pretty arbitrary to me.
I'm not going to push this as I guess there is no real chance of affecting the outcome. However I think that many E-bike users don't realise that their twistgrip controlled bikes are a vanishing species.
The silent majority of E-bike users, those who use heavy lead acid powered bikes and don't peddle much, will need to hang onto their present bikes.
Yes there will always be the possiblity of illegal modifications, but I don't want to go down that route.
It is a shame that this type of E-bike, that so many of us prefer, will die without much of a protest.
I already knew that I'd never get agreement.
I do agree it's a pity that we can't continue to get away with it. We probably would have for some while yet had it not been for the Royal Mail pushing for this to be tidied up now they are buying 16,000 e-bikes.
It's ironical that their purchase which could do so much to popularise e-biking throughout the country results in one of it's attractions, the ability to stop pedalling, being removed.
Still, it could be worse. I remember years ago when the British law restricted them to 12 mph maximum assist, and the manufacturers rigidly complied. That really wasn't funny, to be passed by a granny on an unpowered boneshaker.
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Having said that I don't want to go down the illegal modification route, it just occurred to me that if I put my Quando motor in a 26 in wheel and put it in the Sprint then it ought to go a lot faster.
Hmmm. Perhaps one day, strictly for off-road use of course.
Goodnight all.
Hmmm. Perhaps one day, strictly for off-road use of course.
Goodnight all.
I want one!It would do just over 20 mph on the flat with a freshly charged battery. The motor is 576 watts gross against 500 watt gross for the standard UK Sprint motor.
Not as fast as John's (Aldby) 30 mph Sprint though!
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i hyperthetically suggested that and someone told me..."youv'e just re invented the tork
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