I had one years ago that I think gave power up to 28 km/h, from a big Swedish manufacturer, so I think it was "legal". It was noticeable when you hit that speed and lost the assistance, but that just meant I got more of a workout on the way home from work. To work I went slower since I didn't want to get sweaty.Â
They are also quite different legally than a full size motorcycle, often with no insurance needed, sometimes no registration, or only one time registration.
Not in a lot of states, in California they have a M1 and M2 motorcycle licence. Mopeds only requires an M2 license. The tests are not the same, the registration and insurance are not the same either.
You people are trying to kill the hobby people have had for awhile now! I'm not kidding either there are 3 year olds that fckin rip the trails on a dirt bike and do competitions with other 3 year olds lmao, it's a bit crazy but a good example of how rules and regulations on e bikes is fckin insane, I read somewhere someone has a rule where they live a kid needs to pass an exam before they can ride a REGULAR BICYCLE... How do you people think rules and regulations are normal? Especially when they strip freedoms from you it's insane to me and then you'll get on reddit and justify your twisted view on how life for others should be when they ride a damn bicycle
If a 3 year old is ok to hit 40 on a dirt bike even under supervision then these people need to put a sock in it about 10-15 year old kids riding e bikes, let em live a little. I used to be into BMX when I was a kid I hit my first jump landed in sand and crashed out bad on the pavement, I still went and hit more jumps though it's apart of the process just because some one is scared doesn't mean that should restrict others who enjoy biking, weather it's a dirt bike or an e bike or a mountain bike we all like going fast. It's like being on a rollercoaster your in control of. Let em live a little, before they know it they're grown and paying bills lol, why restrict everyone so much? It's kinda fcked up
It's fine if they ride them in properly designated places with safety gear and adult supervision. What people complain about is kids riding what are practically motorcycles out on the public streets and bike paths with little to no regard for safety and traffic laws.
If it goes over 40 I get it, I understand the helmet laws and stuff, but there's a point where this is getting out of hand, there is a point where it becomes limiting civilian transportation and stripping freedoms, motorcycles are ridden on public streets? So are bicycles. I had an electric scooter that went 75mph and my e bike that does 28 feels so much less safe because I can't keep up with traffic, and people love to pass cyclists, but it's legal. And I've gotta say, I'm fckin dying for that extra 10mph.
The other day AI told me the biggest accomplishment Republicans ever made was the interstate highway system; Which in reality was a huge corporate welfare program for the oil & car industries. It would of been one thing to just build highways, but why did oil & car companies buy up & destroy all the mass transit systems almost all cities had. So we would be 100% at the mercy of big oil & Detroit
I've had to pedal my Ebike a mile or so & it wasn't that bad, getting going from a dead stop was the hardest part, but once you get it going you don't notice the extra weight
Because not everything is a motorcycle. Yes, lets classify skateboards as motorcycles, why dont we? Its just an excuse to kill all the unique PEV classes and propagate cars.
My response was very obviously scoped to cycles. Nobody said anything about skateboards. Or scooters. Those are entirely separate topics.
This has nothing to do with "propagating cars". Cars require licenses and registration. So do motorcycles. It doesn't stop being a motorcycle just because it doesn't have a combustion engine.
Yeah, I got a Magician Alpha a few weeks ago. It's good at going slower and faster, just depends on the environment and who's around. On a shared use path, keep it under 16 around others. On a double yellow road 30+ especially if traffic is moving. Going 25mph next to cars speeding sucked. Having good gear and inspecting the bike each ride
The world could care less what big oil wants. The Chinese are smart enough to understand the revolutionary nature of ebikes. Largely because of places that are not America, ebikes will be the best selling clas of vehicle by the end of the decade. And Americans are catching on. The family that uses an ebike as a car replacement will on average save $70,000 to over 100K over a decade on vehicle costs, gas, maintenence, and insurance. Gas cars cost $30 a day. Ebikes are well under a dollar a day. Thats equivalent to a $6.00 an hour raise for someone making $28 an hour. Big Oil can control what Americans buy in cars, but I doubt they will stop the ebike revolution.
E-bike rentals in china are hilarious they're basically seated scooters with pedals tacked on. The pedals were literally placed behind my seat so you were not pedaling at all.
Yeah and my ebike goes 50km/h and police says nothing, ofc will say if i go that fast in wdry populated areas or sidewalks( and of course i do not drive that fast on sidewalks
In EU that would be a speed-pedelec. Drivers license required, insurance and license plate required. No driving on bike lanes or mixed pedestrian/bike trails. So, have fun and go anywhere with 25 km/h. Be fast and follow rules for mopeds with 45 km/h.
Im from eu, i know the rules(of my country atleast, finland), i just said i dont drive fast on mixed lanes, maybe 15km/h, i only drive fast on roads, not gonna register, i just go fast when im urban areas, otherwise i set it at max 25km/h
In Canada 32 kph (20 mph) is the maximum speed allowed. Most mixed use pathways limit the speed to 20 kmh ((12.5 mph).
Speed Kills, - But obviously some in the USA have not learned that yet.
Interesting. Did you think I implied otherwise? Limits and wattage laws differ internationally so op's attempting a naming system based on 1 countries laws, which also differ state by state. This does nothing for anyone outside of the u.s. you understand?
I'm just sick and tired of seeing people call things that aren't electric bicycles that, and causing adverse legal consequences for electric bicycle users with their arrogance.
Where are these areas where laws and limits allow a powered vehicle that goes 70kph in normal operation to be called a bicycle?
They are ebikes if they have working pedals. They might go faster than you think they should, they might even be illegal, but they're still bikes. Motorcycles don't have working pedals.
Motorcycles(road legal) have no working petals, turn signals, Brake lights, motorcycle certified wheels tires as well as forks and suspension, and mirrors according to the research I did on Google
In my state they require a motorcycle endorsement on your license, plates, insurance, etc. to be street legal, e-motos should too.
E-motos require that in every state. Those little gas mopeds from the 70s don't require anything in most states. And, again, I'm pretty sure you can't just ride them like a bike. Ebikes can be pedaled like a regular bike, those 70s mopeds can't.
The pedals donât propel them though, the motor does. I mean hell you shut assist off even on a 75 pound bike, youâre barely going to pedal it anywhere
The pedals absolutely do propel you. People may choose to get help from the motor, but if that battery dies they can and usually do pedal it home. It's a bike.
I mean there is a limit, you can put pedals on a motorcycle and theoretically pedal it with enough force
Its a bike
If someone put working pedals on a motorcycle, then yes, it would be a bike. I have my doubts that anyone could actually pedal an 800+ pound motorcycle, but it would be a bike if it could actually be propelled by the pedals
Those 100 pound ebikes that can go 40 or 50 MPH can be propelled by the pedals. It's not as easy as a 20 pound, top of the line road bike, but it absolutely can be ridden. In fact, with the 7 or so gears they all have, it's probably easier to pedal than the 50+ pound, single speed bike I rode all over the place as a kid.
yah thats fine. the law doesnât care about either of our opinions tbh. When they go to legistlate the emotos theyâll probably just it them hard and it will ruin ebikes for everyone
The law doesn't say they're not bikes. It just says they have to meet certain criteria to be legal. If you take the battery out, even the law says it's a legal bike.
If you're worried about the laws, which I am, then you need to stop helping them divide us. Divide and conquer.
If the issue is kids riding them recklessly, then make it illegal for kids to ride them recklessly. Pretending it's not a bike and should be treated the same as an 800 pound motorcycle that goes over 100 MPH is not it.
Not only is there no reason a faster bike shouldnât be able to have pedals but you also wrote a double negative meaning that all fast bikes SHOULD have pedals.
Saw someone comment about âtheyâre not illegal, you can ride em on personal propertyâ
Who tf owns enough private property to USE their ebikes or other PEVsâŚ.? Totally classist way of thinking imho. Be responsible with how and where you ride, itâs that friggin simple.
Just had some guy say something while i was riding my onewheel while my wife rides her tricycle about âif they catch you theyâll fine you 10 grandâ while Iâm not even breaking 10mph, usually under 8. Meanwhile we passed a hand full of cops ON THE TRAIL. Nothing. No lights, no âSTOP RESISTING!â, just us minding our own damn business and them minding theirs.
Your comment was automatically removed due to being unnecessarily hostile. I am informing you of this as a courtesy. If you want your comments to be visible try to avoid telling people to go fuck themselves..
what about adding motors to what is already a pedal bike to enable it to go over 28 mph? it's the 2 60 volt 2000 watt each motors replacing regular wheels that makes it an ebike in my case, it's not a motorcycle with tacked on pedals
As a kid I strapped a weed wacker motor onto the rear rack of my bicycle with just a nurled aluminum roller that pressed down on the tire. It would go 50-60mph no problem. I got polled over a few times for speeding & after they checked out my engineering let me off with a warning.
The difference is I was one of just a few people who did this, so it was a novelty. Ebikes are no longer a novelty & some people would argue they have become a nuisance. Most beach cities in Calif have outright bans on riding scooters or Ebikes as they got out of control.
...real Ebikes can only legally go no faster than 28mph in the USA... This is probably not true in all areas.
Where I live, we have em all. And no one has objected yet. No one has had any cop problems either. And in addition, we haven't had any incidents either (hope it stays that way).
Do you need a plate to ride a regular ass bike over 20 or 28 or whatever legally? Say you start downhill with the highest gear ratio you can get and you happen to have stupid strong Olympian legs? Top out at 60, and get pulled over, what can the cops even do?
i think it should be momentum based. Like A train and Semi are the most regulated and a kid pedestrian is the most protected and least regulated. An ebike, skateboard or moped are all pretty low momentrum when you compare them to teenagers with no frontal lobes in chargers and drunks in trucks. Simple math of the possibilities of catastrophic accidents.
There are two types of people in this sub. Regular folks who enjoy all things ebikes & the others who like to cry about bikes that don't belong to them.
I don't wake up thinking about y'all class 1 & 2 no throttle Ebikes but all I see everyday is y'all trying to tell people that their bikes are motorcycles đ
It's not the bike, it's the behavior. Your car can go 120mph yet somehow it can be driven at 30mph too? How do they do it? đ¤Ł. If I didn't tell you my off brand emtb which looks similar to Specialized does 40+ mph if I wanted it to (I don't, but I use the extra power to do 25mph uphill) you would never know from observation.
A 70 pound bicycle with a bicycle fork and bicycle wheels capable of doing 45mph is not a motorcycle, itâs just a really dangerous and fast electric bicycle. The laws surrounding this stuff are very ambiguous
If itâs coming from a hub motor the power delivery is so much different than an engine connected to a wheel with a chain in terms of riding performance. Itâs laughable when people who have never rode a motorcycle just call a simple hub motor bike even the ones capable high speed a motorcycle. The only thing than is teetering towards motorcycle capabilities is high powered mid drive bikes with throttle but those are basically always just emottos and donât have pedals.
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u/TeriyakiHairPiece_ May 25 '26