Speed limiting

[????]

I have pedelec with hub motor in front. Motor works well, but the problem is that here in Finland it is required, that motor stops working at 25km/h. My motor wont reach 25km/h by itself, but it is required that motor wont work when I reach 25km/h in downhill. My motor controller doesn't have speed limiting. Also PAS is required. I guess I have 2 options:
1. Change the motor controller to some with both PAS and speed limit sensors. I didn't find any yet.
2. Add something to the battery wire that cuts off power when 25km/h is reached.
So do you have any suggestions?

 

[Nealh]

25km/h EU regulations is that motor power must stop assisting at 25km/h, you can ride above 25km/h but it has to be human leg power only. Going down hill faster is fine and legal unless you have stupid laws in Finland.

 

[Nealh]

Which bike do you have and which motor does it use.
A PAS controller with display and 5 levels of assist power is easy to find, just buy a good one like KT make and not th cheaper ones like Brainpower.
The LCD display allows you to set the max assisted speed, but it is stupid to say you are not allowed above 25km/h once the assistance has stopped.

 

[????]

25km/h EU regulations is that motor power must stop assisting at 25km/h, you can ride above 25km/h but it has to be human leg power only. Going down hill faster is fine and legal unless you have stupid laws in Finland.

Yes I meant that it's illegal to go over 25km/h with assist. Without assist you can ride as fast as you can (same speed limit as cars next to you)

 

[Nealh]

So if you go over 25km/h does your motor still assist you with power when pedalling ?

 

[scott gaza]

How do you read the speed?

 

[Nealh]

???? does your bike have or utilise a PAS sensor/disc ?

 

[????]

So if you go over 25km/h does your motor still assist you with power when pedalling ?

Yes it does, and thats the main problem. It shouldn't assist anymore at that speed. And yes my bike already has PAS sensor and motor controller has a wire for it so the problem is only speed limiting

 

[Nealh]

Do you have an lcd display ?

 

[Michael Price]

The problem is that even if you are pedalling at e.g. 30 km/h then the motor will still be assisting - even though you are doing nearly all the work
In reality the chances of you getting in trouble are very low unless you get into an accident - in which case you could get the whole book thrown at you

If you can find a proper manual for the motor then it may be a simple case of getting a speed sensor attached to it and it'll be fine
or maybe not

anyway - good luck

although - to be honest it sounds like a pretty weedy motor - even my old Powercycle ebike got up to 25 km/h on the flat - and that only had a 180W motor - so maybe spending money on it would be a waste and you would be better investing in a whole new system - if you can

 

[Nealh]

In #1 you said

My motor wont reach 25km/h by itself, but it is required that motor wont work when I reach 25km/h in downhill.

If the motor can't reach 25km/h by itself then surely it can't be assisting over 25km/h and you are solely powering the bike along over this speed. If the motor is using power you should be able to hear or feel when it cuts the power, on level terrain you will feel the bike isn't as easy to pedal when power cuts out. At this point note the speed you are travelling at and this is the speed the assist cut out is set to.

Going down hill it may feel like assist is still helping but it isn't, gravity and momentum simply pushes/pulls you along making pedalling easier. To me it sounds like you are convinced that down hill you are getting powered assistance over 25km/h but in reality you aren't, it is a sub conscious thought.

 

[Sturmey]

Hi. I notice that on my Bafang rear hub, the motor continues to spin very lightly when coasting, even when not pedaling. I think ( correct me if I am wrong) the reason for this is to reduce wear of motor stoping/starting and it keep a little pressure on the roller clutch to stop it disengaging/reengaging repeatedly to reduce clutch wear and prevent the clutch slapping in noise. Even thought the motor is running, its not contributing any real power, so I would be inclined not to worry about it.

 

[????]

although - to be honest it sounds like a pretty weedy motor - even my old Powercycle ebike got up to 25 km/h on the flat - and that only had a 180W motor - so maybe spending money on it would be a waste and you would be better investing in a whole new system - if you can

Well it's 250W motor (originally 1000W but I have set it to lower power mode). Why it doesn't go that fast is because my ''bike'' is a pedicab that weighs 160kgs and with passengers and driver up to 400++ kgs in total.

 

[scott gaza]

Hi how do you know you're speed ?

 

[Nealh]

Well it's 250W motor (originally 1000W but I have set it to lower power mode). Why it doesn't go that fast is because my ''bike'' is a pedicab that weighs 160kgs and with passengers and driver up to 400++ kgs in total.

In that case then no matter what you do the bike and hub is illegal, in nearly all of Europe it will not be classed as a pedelec. The above statement contrasts very differently to the one in the OP.
Over here in London last year the MET removed/confiscated 100 such vehicles off the roads as none were licensed or insured as light mopeds or three wheelers. No one was prosecuted but received written warnings for the future should they be caught again.
They were very lucky our law system is very tolerant/liberal at times, if they hade been in France or other parts of the EU I'm sure all would have been prosecuted and fined.

 

[????]

In that case then no matter what you do the bike and hub is illegal, in nearly all of Europe it will not be classed as a pedelec.

By setting it to lower power mode I mean breaking other power mode wires, so they won't work anymore. I think that's legal enough...

 

[scott gaza]

Sorry it is a ‘Moped Class P” (speed pedelec) as above 250w. E-bikes with increased motor power (continuous rated power above 250w) or increased speed (with motor assistance not cutting out at 15.5mph) cannot be used legally as bicycles anywhere. Except private land! S-Pedelec a normal electrically assisted bike, but the electrical allowance supports the pedal up to 45 km/h. S-Pedelec, which runs above 25 km/h, is classified as a mopy so it must be registered and motor insurance is compulsory if used on the road. This model may be driven by the same rules as mopes, i.e. Not on bike paths (except as specifically marked), and the cycling helmet is recommended to use (just like a pedal)

 

[sjpt]

Certainly in UK it would technically be classed at a higher level even if limited to 25kph, because the motor is capable of higher output (actually, higher input), even if that capability is disabled.

Also, I guess it is a big direct drive motor (most 1000w rated ones are), and if so probably very inefficient at slower speeds. That contributes to why you can't reach 25kph on the flat

Without assist you can ride as fast as you can (same speed limit as cars next to you). There is a historical curiosity in UK law (irrelevant to you) that the standard speed limits do not apply to pedal cycles or legal (250w, 25kph assist) e-bikes. so you can go faster than the cars next to you if capable.

I'm sorry I can't help with your original question though.