How fast is your bike?

trex

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 15, 2011
7,703
2,671
They all say 15 mph but really, can you go this fast?
 

jerrysimon

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 27, 2009
3,292
112
Cambridge, UK
As fast as I can pedal it :p

Jerry
 
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
I reckon that mine could get up to about 150 mph - that's ten times the legal limit., but I wouldn't take it to that fast because it'll probably be a bit damaged afterwards........... when I pick it up from the bottom of the cliff.

Seriously though. Most bikes are designed to do 15mph, which is what they can do on the flat without a headwind with a bit of pedalling. Those with an off-road button can go a bit faster. Self-made ones can go faster still - sometimes.
 
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dmcgoldrick

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 17, 2010
446
-1
They all say 15 mph but really, can you go this fast?
without pedalling bike will reach 15 mph on flat and small inclines using throttle. battery then cuts out..........if you then pedal and you are reasonably fit then getting up to 25mph under your own steam is no problem...even on a bike of 27kg. in fact going downhill i start to use the brakes at about 25mph which feels fast to me when on the road....uphill the speed drops and leg power needed and depends on the steepness but 8-10mph easily obtained...........
road racing bikes just on a sunday outing, travel at an average speed of about 25mph over a 100mile run just on leg power....they hit speeds of 50mph on the downhill !!!!!
regards
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,196
30,602
Mine is only voltage limited, giving between 14.5 and just over 17 mph, depending on battery charge state. The 17+ mph is only when hot off the charger and only lasts around half a mile, and the power when down to 14.5 mph is very low. Therefore the speed range is realistically 15 to 16 mph for most of the battery's charge. All of these figures are for motor power only under throttle control without pedalling. The bike's rider gears are fairly high so I'm able to pedal up to almost 30 mph and frequently accelerate to 25-30 mph on slight down slopes.

Most legal e-bike assist speeds are limited by cutoff to 15 or 15.5 mph, but a 10% tolerance is allowed, so anything up to 17 mph is legally acceptable.

There's an informal 50 mph club in this forum, those who've achieved that on steep downhills. My maximum is just short of that to date, 46 mph.
.
 
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Caph

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 29, 2008
440
11
Nottingham, UK
Most legal e-bike assist speeds are limited by cutoff to 15 or 15.5 mph, but a 10% tolerance is allowed, so anything up to 17 mph is legally acceptable.
Flecc, I'm interested in the 10% leeway you mention. Is it an out-and-out legal thing or is it a guideline/implementation thing? I've always thought that having a 15.5mph absolute limit was a bit draconian given that most bikes can go slightly faster (leaving aside the fact that even a slight downhill slope means you exceed it anyway under your own steam). I'd hate to think that I'd get in trouble if in an accident all for the sake of an extra 2mph.

By the way, I managed 44mph one day on a steep downhill with a strong tailwind. It was a scary experience.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,196
30,602
I'm going by what David Miall reported on the 10% tolerance. He was positive about this, but I don't know if it's stated in the regulations or an understood tolerance like that with motor vehicle speed limits. I'd say you are safe since there are legal bikes like mine with voltage limiting only, meaning 17 mph on a freshly charge battery. Also there's never been evidence of any authority acting on a 10% excess of a speed limit, they are not that petty and current law enforcement low speed measurement methods are not very accurate anyway.

High downhill speeds are very bike dependant where feeling safe is concerned. Downhill at 38 mph on my Lafree was positively scary, but nearly 50 mph on the Torq 1 felt very safe.
 

Caph

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 29, 2008
440
11
Nottingham, UK
Yes, I'd always thought that such small variations in speed, given the low tech and low power involved, would be ignored. Nice to hear some corroboration though. I think as long as you don't exceed 250W you'd have to be dealing with some very petty person for it be an issue. That said, I've heard that most personal injury solicitors can be pretty petty when there's money involved! Oh well, I'm not going to let it worry me.
 

NRG

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 6, 2009
2,592
10
The 10% tolerance is mentioned in the EN document for both power and speed.
 

Bikemad

Finding my (electric) wheels
Aug 14, 2009
5
0
South Devon
Mine has managed at least 105mph when I was provoked by a lunatic driver in a convertible, and this has been verified by a local speed enforcement officer's camera:



My e-bike however is not quite as fast, it manages approx 15mph on a 25.9V pack and nearer 25mph on a 51.8V pack, but I only use the high voltage pack off road. ;)



If you can find a steep enough hill, even 100 mph is possible, but make sure your bike is strong enough:
100 mph downhill run

Alan
 

RoadieRoger

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 8, 2010
726
200
Checked out my Batribike Folder`s top speed yesterday with my Maplin Holux pocket GPS . In Max. Assist mode 14.6 mph on the level .On reaching 28 mph down a slope freewheeling, I have to reduce to 15 mph before my legs have any impact on drive again , then my legs are going around too fast for my body !!
 

theskip1

Pedelecer
Mar 4, 2010
159
0
sm6
i have a self build semi recumbent with a 750w 36v hub motor. this will reach 28-30mph on the flat without pedaling but i have pushed 48v through it and reached 39mph before bottling out and shuting down.
 

indalo

Banned
Sep 13, 2009
1,380
1
Herts & Spain
i have a self build semi recumbent with a 750w 36v hub motor. this will reach 28-30mph on the flat without pedaling but i have pushed 48v through it and reached 39mph before bottling out and shuting down.
Who exactly is it you seek to impress with such illegal performance?.....or perhaps your machine carries reg plates and you pay tax and insurance?

Indalo
 

theskip1

Pedelecer
Mar 4, 2010
159
0
sm6
oh dear! faster than yours then indalo?. the question was asked and i answered. i never said if it was on or of road you jumped to that conclusion. if you must know i have as i said only tried it once, and being a senior citizen, and having an incurable lung complaint will probably never be as fit as the younger members , i no longer strive for speed. it is simply that i can no longer put the effort in that one needs for accelerating and hill climbing. also dont forget e bike riders regularly exeed the speed limit for powered bikes.you to can reach those speeds powered or not on a long downhill, who would you be impressing in those circumstances ?
 
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aaannndddyyy

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 7, 2007
304
9
63
Norwich Norfolk
i have pushed 48v through it and reached 39mph before bottling out and shuting down.
Who exactly is it you seek to impress with such illegal performance?.....or perhaps your machine carries reg plates and you pay tax and insurance?

Indalo
I`m impressed:D but mine can go faster:p
Yet another Big Brother of the nanny era this forum seems to be full of them, maybe it`s an age thing? here comes yet another legal/illegal debate?:mad:
And we haven't had a Safety helmet debate here for 2 weeks or so come on all you dogooders get on the band wagon.
 

Scottyf

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 2, 2011
1,403
-1
no idea as i don't have a speedo! However using sports tracker on my phone the fastest i've hit is 46mph.

But i think that was a gps error. I hit 33mph regularly as i go down hill. On a flat its probably nearer the 22mph average.