Blasting past someone close at 15 mph isn’t on

That’s what motorists do but even faster.

I commute every day on an ebike, mostly on roads but some cycle paths. ~15mph safely on an urban cycle path requires a much higher level of skill than many commuter cyclists have.

I’m used to driving, riding a 50cc scooter, riding a horse and mountain biking, so I’d say that I have a better awareness of both the observation and judgment side of riding, as well as bike handling skills. Plus my bike has big tyres, big brakes and lots of suspension travel – overkill for commuting but it does mean it’ll stop a damn sight quicker than any short wheelbase, high saddled, skinny tyred bike.

The thought of less experienced or complete beginner cyclists being able to legally whizz around town at ~20mph or more seriously worries me. 15mph is more than fast enough. If you want to go faster you can pedal harder or use gravity – I do both but at least a bike going fast downhill is not unexpected. The amount of illegal ebike use is bad enough!

That’s what motorists do but even faster

Just because someone else does it, doesn’t mean you have to. Didn’t your mum teach you that?

Matt, you took the words right out of my mouth.

Forgot to add, I also failed my cycling proficiency at primary school, I am a hacked ebike liability.

Yep, you’re right. It’s a bad idea. Let’s stick with what we’ve got now, cos that’s working really well. That congestion, obesity, asthma, lung disease, depression, road rage and stuff, they’re not really serious problems at all.

All of which are caused by having an e-bike limit of 15.5mph? 😯

Yep, you’re right. It’s a bad idea. Let’s stick with what we’ve got now, cos that’s working really well. That congestion, obesity, asthma, lung disease, depression, road rage and stuff, they’re not really serious problems at all.

Indeed, it’s almost as if people need to learn to slow down, relax and enjoy life at a more sedate pace… Maybe somewhere around 15.5mph or less?…

It’s a spurious claim but I’m going to go with the cost of ebikes and the good old British weather being more of a barrier than a 15.5mph speed limit.

Ah, regulations. They definitely help keep accidents down to zero, eh?!

And the ‘chaotic nature of shared paths’. What sociopathic dystopia do you live in?

By the way, these are rhetorical questions. Too many ludicrous arguments against things that almost never happen in reality. And anytime anyone uses the USA as a barometer for behaviour…

I’m out.

Too many ludicrous arguments against things that almost never happen in reality.

Like 20 mph e-bikes having their brakes explode in flames and causing shockwaves to pedestrians? 😀

If you want to go faster than an ebike allows, get yourself an electric scooter. One that requires a license etc. However my old 50cc scooter was slower than my ebike because of the less direct route which involved a set of traffic lights, plus the ebike isn’t much slower uphill and is faster downhill when it’s steeper – it’s mostly just slower on the flat.

Looking at some of my recent ebike commutes on strava; it’s only short, I can do it in under 10 minutes either way, it’s just under 3 miles with 150’+ of climbing one way and 400’ the other:

Average speed 17.2mph on the way in (max speed 29.3mph) and 15.8mph on the way back (max speed 34.2mph). 100% legal Levo, built up for gnarly MTBing (Hillbilly 2.6 on the front!) in turbo mode plus keen pedalling!

eBikes don’t need to go faster. The argument that they need to be faster to be safer is right up there with the NRA saying more guns will stop gun crime.

Education is the answer, both sides need to learn to tolerate each other, to not behave like idiots and to just look after each other.

Can we also have a petition to make all eBike users legally obliged to load their rides to Strava properly?

“Can we also have a petition to make all eBike users legally obliged to load their rides to Strava properly?”

I put them up as private rides so they don’t show on leaderboards etc. I’m not uploading them as ebike rides because few of the segments exist and on my local trails I marked out about half the segments for normal bikes, so I’m not doing it again (and the steeper shorter segments can’t be created now because strava won’t allow such short segments).

Yep, you’re right. It’s a bad idea. Let’s stick with what we’ve got now, cos that’s working really well. That congestion, obesity, asthma, lung disease, depression, road rage and stuff, they’re not really serious problems at all.

Fixing those problems has f all to do with a speed limit on an eBike. Be great if the country switched from high car use to high bike use but the speed limit of 15.5mph as a deterrent is probably around number 100 on the list of reasons it won’t happen with the top of the list being dangerous/careless driving and crap weather.