The Law

[GaryT1983]

Now weve had a few years to digest the EPAC law can someone please confirm or deny that the following vehicle is legal, im getting shoddy responses from the manufacturer and before i splash the cash I want to know im not getting nicked. The issue I see is you can throttle to 15.5mph without peddling yet the company is saying they are legal but they havnt been type approved.

Electric Mopeds, Motorbikes & Bikes | Free UK Delivery | 2 Year Warranty | E-Rider

E-Rider is one of the leading suppliers of electric bikes, electric mopeds and electric motorbikes. Enquire online or call our office today for more info!

eriderbikes.com

 

[flecc]

Now weve had a few years to digest the EPAC law can someone please confirm or deny that the following vehicle is legal, im getting shoddy responses from the manufacturer and before i splash the cash I want to know im not getting nicked. The issue I see is you can throttle to 15.5mph without peddling yet the company is saying they are legal but they havnt been type approved.

Electric Mopeds, Motorbikes & Bikes | Free UK Delivery | 2 Year Warranty | E-Rider

E-Rider is one of the leading suppliers of electric bikes, electric mopeds and electric motorbikes. Enquire online or call our office today for more info!

eriderbikes.com

If it has a twist and go throttle from a standstill and power does not cease when pedalling stops, it is very definitely not a legal bureaucracy free pedelec Gary. It certainly appears to be illegal to me.

If you were to pay a fee and take it to the test centre at Southamption to be type approved as a pedelec with throttle, if passed you could then use it as one under a Great Britain only ruling by the DfT.
.

 

[GaryT1983]

Very frustrating this seller is totally lying on the page!

 

[flecc]

Very frustrating this seller is totally lying on the page!

Sadly this is very common Gary. The problem is that it is mostly not illegal to sell anything illegal to use, so it's not easy to prosecute them. Thus we have over legal power air rifles that need a gun licence and illegal pedelecs purported to be legal.

It is possible to report them to the local trading standards department of one's council, but few do and they mostly don't take any action. There have been some notable exceptions though with the occasional department taking a trader to law.
.

 

[GaryT1983]

Thanks Flecc,

So after investigating does the following vehicle look legal to you without licences etc etc.

eBay

 

[Wicky]

"eriderbikes.com" could be anywhere in the world the domain name is with godaddy and site is hosted in US with Cloudflare

No address on their website apart from a virtual off-the-shelf registered office 160 Kemp House, City Road, London EC1V 2NX

What is a registered office address service and how do you use it? | YVOL

The registered office address is registered upon company formation, and can be changed at later date if needed, should you choose to move premises for example.

yourvirtualofficelondon.co.uk

E-RIDER LTD people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK

E-RIDER LTD - Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity

beta.companieshouse.gov.uk

Spend your money somewhere more reputable...

 

[Emanresu]

There is detail on the site that indicates it is a genuine company. Perhaps you might ask them to explain what legislation allows them to sell it as a bike. Then ask the DfT to confirm it.

E-RIDER LTD filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK

E-RIDER LTD - Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity

beta.companieshouse.gov.uk

 

[Wicky]

Lol - just buy and apply a jedi mind trick sticker....

Electric Mopeds, Motorbikes & Bikes | Free UK Delivery | 2 Year Warranty | E-Rider

E-Rider is one of the leading suppliers of electric bikes, electric mopeds and electric motorbikes. Enquire online or call our office today for more info!

eriderbikes.com

 

[LeighPing]

 

[gw8izr]

Well they both came out of that looking like intelligent well-balanced people.

 

[LeighPing]

Well they both came out of that looking like intelligent well-balanced people.

Yes, however, she obviously believed in her right to stop and question him for riding something that she clearly thought was illegal.

We've been through something similar in the UK. Whereby the negativity towards ebikers led many to believe in the detrimental assumption that all ebikes were illegal. Especially if their accusers were having to pedal their own bikes.

To that end, bike forums, including this one, are full of such proof. I mean, who hasn't been called a cheater yet? If you're cheating, then what you're doing must be illegal. Right? Some, it would seem, honestly believe that to be the case.

Was she right to do what she did? Would she have been right if the escooter was being ridden by @GaryT1983, if he had bought it legally in the UK.. and then took it for, what he believed to be, an innocent test ride down his local bike path?

 

[gw8izr]

It’s quite simple, people have lost the ability to communicate effectively. That whole situation could’ve been diffused in 30 seconds with a decent attitude.

I’ve seen it here in threads where people start shouting about police state and how the police are terrible people. Sorry but you need to look at yourself before you go there!

 

[LeighPing]

It’s quite simple, people have lost the ability to communicate effectively. That whole situation could’ve been diffused in 30 seconds with a decent attitude.

I’ve seen it here in threads where people start shouting about police state and how the police are terrible people. Sorry but you need to look at yourself before you go there!

Let's not involve the police just yet.. How would you have dealt with the situation shown in the video above?

 

[gw8izr]

Let's not involve the police just yet.. How would you have dealt with the situation shown in the video above?

Quite simple, I would’ve talked to her like a human being would.

 

[LeighPing]

Quite simple, I would’ve talked to her like a human being would.

I meant if you were her?

 

[gw8izr]

I meant if you were her?

You do make me laugh

 

[LeighPing]

You do make me laugh

Yeah, I'm just kidding of course.

Although, you could have always asked for a test ride. But hey, she's an American citizen and she knows her rights.. There's a lot of that about, on both sides of the pond.

 

[gw8izr]

Yeah, I'm just kidding of course.

Although, you could have always asked for a test ride. But hey, she's an American citizen and she knows her rights.. There's a lot of that about, on both sides of the pond.

For sure, and that’s where the discussion is almost lost before it starts, I suspect by the time I’d finished talking to her about her dog she would have forgotten what the beginning of the conversation was about

As soon as the guy on the bike started shouting about his rights and how she had no right to question him and get out of his way et cetera et cetera the situation was completely lost, they were both wound up and very difficult to defuse from that position. Far better to not let the situation escalate in the first place.

 

[flecc]

Thanks Flecc,

So after investigating does the following vehicle look legal to you without licences etc etc.

eBay

If it really is type approved with a valid certificate of compliance as they say, then yes it is legal as a pedelec with throttle in Great Britain only. That certificate if valid would also allow it to be registered as an L1e-A moped anywhere in the Europe as well.

However, using it as a pedelec would probably result in occasional irritating challenges from members of the public and even the police since it looks like an unregistered moped.
.

 

[Michael Price]

I do not know the regs in the USA but from what I could see that bike was not an ebike as defined in the UK - it looked more like one of the dodgy ones mentioned above - so it would look like a scooter not a bicycle - so I can see the mad woman's point (N.B. not her attitude but I see what started her off)