MountainBoy
Active member
Most of us don’t want to hit 50mph, just keep up with our old selves and mates who have analogue bikes on the flats. The North American limit of 22MPH would suffice for most.
On my Scott Strike Bosch Gen 4 here in N. America it cuts out at an indicated 18.6-18.9 mph. However, I think the true speed is closer to 16-17 mph. This is a stock bike with stock tires. I've been meaning to do an accurate speedometer check but haven't got around to it yet.
I would like it to go 22 mph with some assist (and I would be totally satisfied if it would actually do that) but it's not worth it for me to go with a tuning kit due to potential problems and, of course, on longer rides it would take that much more discipline to manage the battery. I suspect manufacturers "reverse cheat" by making the speedometer purposefully inaccurate (read too fast) and then have the software cut power too soon. My theory is by avoiding assist for those top 5 mph of legal assist, they can force much greater daily battery life (as well as warranty durability) leading to a better product reputation and lower warranty costs. I've only owned one e-bike so I have no idea how common this "reverse cheating" is, but I suspect it's rampant in the industry. Probably the Euro limit is low enough that manufacturers can bump speeds right up to the limit but on N. American products they are more conservative on getting close to the legal limit.
edit: I just noticed some state laws are more restrictive which probably explains some of manufacturers cutting power before the 22 mph federal limit. For example, my bike was purchased in Washington State which has a limit of 20 mph on this class of bike. That still doesn't fully explain why mine cuts out at an indicated 18.6-18-9 mph or why the speedometer reads so high.
Comments? How accurate is your speedometer, both on Euro and N. American e-bikes, and how close is the power cut-off (indicated) to the legal limit?
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