New Member

[mosstrooper]

Hi all, just starting out and hope to have a Bike this year. Been looking around the shops and am getting
the impression new Bikes can't be driven with the Throttle alone, you must pedal above 4 mph
Is this true, or am I hearing and reading things wrong. I would rather not pedal continuously.

 

[D8ve]

As sold the throttle shouldn't help above 4 mph.
But you can retrofit throttles. Also you get sensors that just need you to turn the pedals, no real force nessisary. Then the motor will work at either the set power or depending on throttle settings.
Others will advise on which is which and a few traders still have stock of full speed throttle bikes.

 

[soundwave]

it depends what bike you want but a throttle can be fitted but its then classed as a moped under uk law now. not that it matters tbh.

you need to ride some first and find out what you want speed distance ect

 

[mosstrooper]

Thank you both for your quick reply, I'm just looking for a Tour bike, step through type, and an easy life on the road, no mountains or rough trails.
I'm an oldie.

 

[soundwave]

go have a go on some is the best answer but i doubt you will need a throttle as just making the peddles go round is enough for most now to get to 15.5mph.

 

[Suseka]

Hello and welcome mosstrooper.

I ride a Wisper 705 SE (which is a stepthrough with cadence sensor). This is the extract from Amps Bike's webpage which explains how the throttle works....


Throttle
The throttle, when twisted and held open, will override both torque and cadence sensors. The throttle is fully operational up to 15.5mph as long as the pedals are being turned forward regardless of the amount of pressure being put onto the pedals.

You can also use the throttle without pedalling which is, in effect, a 'walk assist' function -up to 4mph.

I'm sure there are other brands that offer the same type of functionality. Worth going to a bike shop and having a look at a few models - nothing beats trying a few out and finding what suits your needs best.

 

[LeighPing]

Welcome aboard. I met a guy named Pete (73 years of age), a while back, who liked to ride using his throttle mainly.

 

[Angelnorth]

Hello, welcome! I'd add my voice to the chorus encouraging you to try a few out if you can. I believe there are a couple of e-bike shops in Edinburgh - somebody here might be able to recommend either in terms of range or staff knowledge/helpfulness if Edinburgh would be doable for you.

 

[mosstrooper]

Hi all and thank you for your helpful advice, I have visited a few Bike Shops one in particular in Linlithgow who only deals in Electrics, not a huge selection, but very good quality. He did offer me a test but I was short on time, I will go back because he has most on view.

 

[mw1]

Throttle alone, you must pedal above 4 mph
Is this true, or am I hearing and reading things wrong.

Hasn't Flecc put something up about a new amendment to pedelec law allowing full speed throttles in the last few days? Can't seem to find it (& I could be wrong ),but if someone else can find it, it may be relevant to OP?

Mark

 

[mosstrooper]

Well, I visited some shops and mailed some online suppliers and the answer is all the same "a throttle, if fitted is limited to 4mph" so you can walk the bike in the event of a puncture. I was getting excited there for a while about joining the E-Bike fraternity, but this is a complete deal breaker for me, I do not want to continuously pedal a Bike, if an E-Bike can't carry me forward under its own power, its not worth thinking about.
Thank you all for your advice, I suspect you all have pre Jan 2016 Bikes and need not concern yourselves about this, but I think it will bring the industry to its knees in Europe.
James.

 

[mw1]

Don't give up just yet.
Wasn't there a directive(?) not long ago that said how it's legal to retro fit a full speed throttle? Could really do with the input of someone who is more in touch with such things than me?

Mark

 

[JimRides]

Well, I visited some shops and mailed some online suppliers and the answer is all the same "a throttle, if fitted is limited to 4mph" so you can walk the bike in the event of a puncture. I was getting excited there for a while about joining the E-Bike fraternity, but this is a complete deal breaker for me, I do not want to continuously pedal a Bike, if an E-Bike can't carry me forward under its own power, its not worth thinking about.
Thank you all for your advice, I suspect you all have pre Jan 2016 Bikes and need not concern yourselves about this, but I think it will bring the industry to its knees in Europe.
James.

Based on my (admittedly very limited) experience from riding my bike, on the highest assistance setting you only really need to keep the pedals turning very, very slowly - you don't need to put any weight onto the pedals at all. It appears to be a bit of a fudge to allow the bikes to be known as electrically "assisted", rather than electrically driven I suppose.

If you can try one out without any obligation to buy, you should still do so, there's nothing to lose

 

[mosstrooper]

Based on my (admittedly very limited) experience from riding my bike, on the highest assistance setting you only really need to keep the pedals turning very, very slowly - you don't need to put any weight onto the pedals at all. It appears to be a bit of a fudge to allow the bikes to be known as electrically "assisted", rather than electrically driven I suppose.

If you can try one out without any obligation to buy, you should still do so, there's nothing to lose

How do you increase speed by pedalling very, very slowly?

 

[soundwave]

just use the highest assist mode and make the peddles go round is all you need to do.

just find a bike you like and post it here and others will be able to tell if a throttle can be fitted to it.

 

[mosstrooper]

There is a chink of light, I contacted Batribike builders of one of the bikes I'm interested in who have a dealer near to me and I quote.
Good Afternoon

On January 1st the law changed regarding the use of throttles, any bike that was produced before 1st January 2016 can have a full speed throttle that will go unto 15mph, any bike produced after that date can now only go to 4mph without pedalling but can go up to 15mph when you are moving the pedals.

The Diamond Pros were all produced before December 2015 so can be used up to 15mph.

I hope this explains the confusion.

 

[signwave]

There is a chink of light, I contacted Batribike builders of one of the bikes I'm interested in who have a dealer near to me and I quote.
Good Afternoon

On January 1st the law changed regarding the use of throttles, any bike that was produced before 1st January 2016 can have a full speed throttle that will go unto 15mph, any bike produced after that date can now only go to 4mph without pedalling but can go up to 15mph when you are moving the pedals.

The Diamond Pros were all produced before December 2015 so can be used up to 15mph.

I hope this explains the confusion.

It is my understanding that they cannot sell a bike with a full throttle.

With many bikes it is possible to fit a throttle - maybe by the selling dealer at the kerbside outside their shop immediately after the sale.

 

[Angelnorth]

How do you increase speed by pedalling very, very slowly?

You twist the throttle! Jim's describing the "work around" that some bikes have so that you can still have throttle power on a bike produced or imported after that legislation change. The motor's doing the work so that provides the increase in speed, not your pedal power. I have a Wisper 705 Torque, bought in August - I can confirm that all you need to do is keep the pedals turning (no need to apply any real pressure) and twist the throttle to get the motor running. The Wisper SE bikes do exactly the same. I'm sure other manufacturers have implemented something similar.

The best way to figure out whether something's going to meet your needs is to try a bike or two, preferably on the sort of terrain you'll usually ride on.

 

[stoney]

i have just gotten a nearly new Pro-Rider Etourer ebike which the guy said was only five months old so legislation in january should cover this model.I have a hand thottle and electronic controller with three levels of assistance which i think works as follows ------

assistance level one up to 4mph
assistance level two up to 8mph
assistance level three up to 12mph

i think this is how my system works but I hav`nt used it on level ground only hill climbing,you don`t need to pedal if you don`t want to

 

[mosstrooper]

Thank you all who took part in this thread with advice.
Today I took delivery of a Batribike Diamond from a local Dealer, Easygo Cycles Linlithgow. It has a Throttle which goes from zero to Max Speed without any use of the pedals. Move off. a press of the thumb and you are wafting. The Dealer had no difficulty in supplying the Bike nor did Batribike
If you look at the owners manual on the Bateribike site, it describes how to enter the LCD menu and adjust the Maximum Speed to your own requirements.
James Kerr.
Delighted.