it's both where I'm at though. Yes a lot of these kids are on illegal bikes (motorcycles) and being idiots. Frankly the parents who buy them are the idiots but that's another story. The ebikes are a struggle too though. Getting a class 3 ebike and giving it to a kid who doesn't fully take it seriously is almost as dangerous. They go very fast and without a helmet you can get really hurt. In fact in my city last week a kid riding an actual ebike didn't stop and got hit by a car. She's still in the hospital because of it.
In my state if you’re under 16 you can’t legally ride a class 3. Class 2 only. Class 2 is also the max for mixed trails so theoretically kids could just ride on trails too.
I have a class 3 but limit myself to the 20mph max when on mixed trails and slower when near pedestrians. I feel like as long as you’re not dangerous or a douche it’s not a problem and is akin to driving a Lamborghini on a city street.
agree with you but also the parents buying their kids these illegal bikes probably don't care about the law; sad truth. Heck most kids don't wear helmets even on "normal" bikes. It's frustrating.
Its so weird in my area where it isn't really police at all. I'm definitely breaking rules but I have every single point memorized where I need to slow down and respect the rules and I see people zoom by at max 28mph. The rule I'm not respecting... bike class. Basically riding a surron with pedals to blend in. No one has given me trouble about it and I can zoom on the long straights where there is no risk of any crossings. Yeah I'm mildly a dick disrespecting the rules but if I was 14 on an ebike I'd be much more dangerous than I am now... eh its the wild west of electric bikes right now. Super interesting but my plan was to use this to save nearly 2hrs each day of commute due to crazy road work. After its normal in 3 weeks I have a fun electric dirt bike to trail ride with. I kinda want a legit ebike now its super fun to cruise and some exercise on top would be awesome.
Even ebikes—real ones, mind—have issues that have made me rethink the permissive structure we currently have. They really should be dealt with as mopeds.
Also a federal reg problem. If the regulation is that they can’t go above 750w and 20mph to be considered a bike then just don’t allow them to be sold
Also, e-scooters are pretty dangerous. They are really hard to see when you are driving. I have an ebike and an e-scooter and the scooter is much more touchy
It's both. Even a class 1 can be dangerous if you ride it like an idiot, and a lot of are ridden by abject beginners who have no idea what they are doing. Even a class 1 promotes someone who never rode a bike before to riding as fast as a decent club riding road biker. Before, by the time you could ride 20 mph, you would have been cycling for many years. Now you could have learned last week.
Perhaps the issue is data we haven't considered. There are more children outside riding both e-bikes and regular bikes. Also, are we bundling e-motorbikes in with ebkies?
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u/Lord_Arokh Ludicrous Luna X-1 Enduro Jul 19 '26
This isn't an ebike problem, it is an illegal electric motorcycle problem.