Speeding

[Apples]

In the uk the National max speed limit is 70mph , yet pretty much every car sold today can do in excess of 100mph

I would guess that at some point on every time you drive a car you exceed the limit even if it’s 32 in a 30

This just seems to be the norm , I just wonder why people get so bitchy about people who want to go faster than the uk limit on a ebike

I personally have kept mine restricted and cannot see the need to change that in the foreseeable future but if some people do want to have that option and take the risk , like driving a car over the limit so be it !

 

[softtailcruiser]

It’s other road users, too.

When pulling out of a junction, drivers will see a bike and then subconsciously think it is going a certaim speed, based on the conditions and gradient. A high-speed eBike will not be detected by the driver and hence they may well think they have time to pull out and away, when in fact they don’t. We’ve probably all experienced this even on restricted bikes.

Now, it is one thing putting your own safety and life at risk by doing potentially dangerous things, but when it starts to affect other people, then that is just not right. This applies as much to bikes, cars, and motorbikes.

That’s my thoughts, although I would love to go faster!

 

[Mabman]

"When pulling out of a junction, drivers will see a bike and then subconsciously think it is going a certaim speed, based on the conditions and gradient. A high-speed eBike will not be detected by the driver and hence they may well think they have time to pull out and away, when in fact they don’t. We’ve probably all experienced this even on restricted bikes."

This is so true. On my eRoad bikes traveling at 45kmh I have noted this many times but am always aware of the fact and on the lookout.

Another thing that occurs is a car coming from behind always perceives a bicycle as a road object that must be passed many times by moving over an entire lane regardless if you are in corners with no line of sight or on a straight with cars coming. Although I am doing 40kmh in a 40kmh zone they will speed up to get around me just to have me pull up to the head of the line at the next stop light/sign and due to my ability to launch from a stop I am usually half way down the block doing 40 again before they catch up. One day a guy in a hot car was getting really frustrated with me I could tell.

MTB's within legal levels won't have that type of get up and go but still have the ability to go faster than what people perceive. The thing is to realize this and stay aware as no one wants to slam into a car, not matter how in the wrong the driver is.

 

[R120]

The speed your bike goes at, on a peddlec, is determined by the gearing, just as it is on a normal bike, so an EMTB, de restictrted or not, does not have the ability to go faster than its non assisted cousin.

What it does have is the potential ability to accelerate and maintain those speeds for longer.

I still get overtaken on hills by roadies though!

 

[Dewi]

If people continue to disobey the rules, it won't be long before they change the rules, such as reclassing ebikes to mopeds or motorcycles. Then we all lose. It's not as simple as the offender assuming all the risk.
That's all that concerns me, I think the speed restriction are set too low, especially here in Australia at 25kph.
I don't necessarily agree with the rules/limits/laws but for not drawing the wrong attention I do agree with complying with them.

 

[Mad Mark]

On a motorway if you are not doing 80 mph then you are not keeping up with the traffic / thus you become a problem.

I also believe you will never find a policeman pointing his radar gun at you when you are doing 18 - to 20 mph on your ebike.

Road cyclist go at lot faster / and I've never seen any of them pulled over by the fuzz - oh er misses

Let's be real about this, the police don't care so long as your not doing anything reckless
So my feeling is, if you do de-district your bike be sensible how you use it
We are mountain bikers so they are very rarely used on the road anyway ?

We must have some policemen on our forum / have any of them got any thoughts on the subject ? please let us know.

 

[Julio]

If you take a longer timeframe view, the more eBikes there are on the road that are moving faster, the more other road users will be familiar with them and will fit in with them. In my home city of Wellington NZ - traditionally seen as steep and hilly and not suitable for bikes - there has been an explosion of cyclists (driven by increasing rents, fuel costs, and availability of eBikes, but also helped by the city council marking out bike lanes and building bike racks). I think that as eBikes get faster, they will become like mopeds, scooters and other cheap forms of transport that we see in more congested countries - and will become a generally accepted form of city transport.

 

[softtailcruiser]

I agree with that last point. Just as people got used to cars going faster, and the men with the red flags in front, despite getting progressively fitter in the early years until they could eventually do Mo Farah justice, were ultimately phased out. The same thing will happen to eBikes.

It will just take a while for the rules and regs to catch up. Just like an analogue bike, in fact.

 

[Gary]

Some people here have clearly never ridden roads in a fast road bunch/chaingang

 

[R120]

I was at Boxhill last year, doing laps of some ghetto trails, but using the famous Zig Zag to get back up - even on Turbo and holding a steady 16mph there where roadies blasting past me - I was easily outpacing normal riders, but the serious lycra boys where faster. I ride a bit of road, and I couldn't even conceive going that fast/putting out that much power on a road bike.

In the end a group of them collared me and got me to act as a pacer for them, kind of like a gurney on a velodrome.

 

[softtailcruiser]

Some people here have clearly never ridden roads in a fast road bunch/chaingang

Yes indeed!

Some people here such as myself are complete newbies and really appreciate the depth of knowledge and experience of the seasoned riders, of all formats. You’re all very generous with your time and advice.

Thanks!

Been meaning to say that for a while.

I do think I mighthave bought more than I needed in respect of the bike, though! But my smile and waistliine might disagree...

 

[TheBikePilot]

In London you regularly see guys with Hub Drive - Twist & Go Pedal bikes which are essentially scooters/motorbikes just with an electric engine tearing up Cycle Lanes.

At the moment the Police don't seem to have cracked down on it. I am sure all it's going to take is an accident or collision which injurs a pedestrian or a Car Accident and the driver claims the eBike was de-restricted or not a Class 1 Pedelec and the proverbial PR storm will ensue. Rather like the chap who killed a pedestrian who was being an idiot and had no front brakes. There will be a scape goat and a sh!t storm.

With regards to off-road, well the jury's out on that one. You dont go any quicker per-say downhill so I can't see how it's more dangerous. At the moment it seems, off road, it’s a case of one group has something the other doesn’t and says that group shouldn’t be doing that because we aren’t, and we were here first.

It seems that legislation was put in place to stop manufacturers making essentially electric dirt bikes and ripping up trails. The speed limit in force at the moment was the line in the sand. Seems to be working imho..

 

[Apples]

My personal opinion is that a commute / road setting of 25 mph would be useful , but while the rules are the rules I am happy to stay restricted for now .

 

[MattyB]

The UK 25kph assist limit combined with no twist throttle is not about safety; it’s really to do with clearly demarcating ebikes from mopeds and scooters that require full face helmet, tax, insurance and MOT. I would love it to go up to say 25mph, but if it did there would be a huge transition from scooters to ebikes and the government would lose out on a lot of tax revenue from road tax, scooter sales and insurance (though it would help with their green targets). Also as they know young scooter riders have plenty of accidents there will obviously be concerns that the same high accident rate but on an uninsured vehicle. That would be a PR own goal for any government that introduced such a change.

As a result I suspect the raising of the assistance limit is pretty unlikely. I hope I am wrong, but suspect it’s more likely that all cyclists ending up requiring insurance of some kind. Exceptionally difficult to enforce though.

 

[Apples]

I would happily pay an insurance premium if this allowed me to ride without restriction to 25mph

 

[Mabman]

"In the end a group of them collared me and got me to act as a pacer for them, kind of like a gurney on a velodrome."

Motor-paced racing - Wikipedia

My dream is to be invited to be the motor pacer for a woman's road team

While out on my road bike if our speeds are somewhat matched I extend the offer of a pull when passing. Especially when facing a headwind. The ones that have taken me up on it have all been appreciative. I've also caught some drafts which at some point when more eRoad bikes are around will be a great way to extend battery mileage riding peloton style.

 

[flash]

I suppose the issue is at what point does it cease to be a bicycle anymore? There's already the eBike haters calling them motor bikes. If we get to the point where there's always a motor assisting at what point do they become a moped? A simple box will make it possible to have 300% assist up to 50kph. That's pro peleton territory. Way faster than even the keenest of club riders. And you can do that speed up a hill. Are we on a bicycle now?

So a limit had to be set that makes it plain that you're riding a bicycle.

 

[R120]

I think one of the main things that EMTB naysayers dont get, but tend to get once they have tried one, is those of us with emtbs's DONT WANT anything that resembles a motorbike, what we want is something that is as close to as possible riding a normal MTB.

I do think that Intense are going the wrong way with their marketing so heavily correlating and targeting MX riders in the US, as aside from being misleading as an EMTB is no closer to riding a MX bike than riding a normal MTB, its plays into the anti EMTB guys hands.

I believe they has a lot of MX press at the US launch, and the first major press article on the Tazer was in Transworls Motocross

 

[Doomanic]

While out on my road bike if our speeds are somewhat matched I extend the offer of a pull when passing.

I was out recently with a bunch of clockwork MTBers and we met a guy who'd lost a crank. We stopped to offer assistance, as anyone would, but the thread had gone on the crank bolt. As there was nothing mechanical we could do to help I gave him a shove for as long as we were heading in the same direction.

 

[Mad Mark]

NOT ANYMORE ?

 

[Doomanic]

My personal opinion is that a commute / road setting of 25 mph would be useful , but while the rules are the rules I am happy to stay restricted for now .

I don't like commuting on my (restricted) eBike. I'm always worried that the high acceleration to the speed cut off will make drivers expect that increase in speed to continue and to drive accordingly.
I'm far too busy crashing to need any extra speed off road, but can see who it would be useful on road.

 

[Gary]

I do think that Intense are going the wrong way with their marketing

Haha!
The company who have historically named all their bicycles after mass murdering military firearms?
I have a feeling they'll do just fine in their chosen market.

 

[Doomanic]

On a motorway if you are not doing 80 mph then you are not keeping up with the traffic / thus you become a problem.

I think Smart Motorways are starting to reduce this phenomenon. I drove to Stansted and back this week, down the M1 and up the M40. At a GPS confirmed 70mph I was only overtaken a couple of times.

 

[Doomanic]

Haha!
The company who have historically named all their bicycles after mass murdering military firearms?
I have a feeling they'll do just fine in their chosen market.

@Rob. I need to use two reactions for this post; "agree" and "funny".

 

[Gary]

I don't like commuting on my (restricted) eBike. I'm always worried that the high acceleration to the speed cut off will make drivers expect that increase in speed to continue and to drive accordingly.

Keep pedalling then. all accelerations decrease as the speed increases. It's not exactly dragbike levels of acceleration.
My roadbike, BMX and 4X bike all sprint 0 to 15mph on the flat faster than my Emtb does when in Boost. (tested BTW)

 

[Doomanic]

Keep pedalling then.

I do, but it is a Bosch...

 

[Gary]

Ah...

gotcha

 

[Gofurtherfaster]

I always utterly smoke people off the line, including every other normal bike I've seen, you must be HYPER fast Gary, lol.

 

[Gofurtherfaster]

FWIW and hardly that related, but there is an "older" guy that rides his wacky half motorbike/ebike hybrid monster thing past my house daily, I live opposite the police station, and never once has he been called aside by the thousands of police that see him racing by at OVER 15mph with his feet stationary, lol.

 

[Lewis]

Maybe good if restrict ebikes to 20mph and must have insurance to ride on roads few pounds a month wont break the bank plus covered for accidents and theft ( too many kids riding on pavement on normal bikes at speed)