Legal speed restrictions on electric bikes

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
PH
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Re: Legal speed restrictions on electric bikes

Post by PH »

Nearholmer wrote: 11 Aug 2022, 4:43pm The law permits ‘not pedalling’ e-bikes, provided they comply with speed and power limits.
Only to 6kph, walking pace.
Bmblbzzz
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Re: Legal speed restrictions on electric bikes

Post by Bmblbzzz »

PH wrote: 11 Aug 2022, 4:56pm
Nearholmer wrote: 11 Aug 2022, 4:43pm The law permits ‘not pedalling’ e-bikes, provided they comply with speed and power limits.
Only to 6kph, walking pace.
But under older legislation throttle control was allowed up to 15mph, I think.
PH
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Re: Legal speed restrictions on electric bikes

Post by PH »

Bmblbzzz wrote: 11 Aug 2022, 5:08pm
PH wrote: 11 Aug 2022, 4:56pm
Nearholmer wrote: 11 Aug 2022, 4:43pm The law permits ‘not pedalling’ e-bikes, provided they comply with speed and power limits.
Only to 6kph, walking pace.
But under older legislation throttle control was allowed up to 15mph, I think.
Yes, prior to 2016.
But if you look around that's a tiny percentage of the bikes you'll see.
pete75
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Re: Legal speed restrictions on electric bikes

Post by pete75 »

PH wrote: 11 Aug 2022, 5:17pm
Bmblbzzz wrote: 11 Aug 2022, 5:08pm
PH wrote: 11 Aug 2022, 4:56pm
Only to 6kph, walking pace.
But under older legislation throttle control was allowed up to 15mph, I think.
Yes, prior to 2016.
But if you look around that's a tiny percentage of the bikes you'll see.
Most newer Ebikes appear to have mid mounted motors driving via the chain ring. Is it even possible to have a throttle control on one of these these?
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
tenbikes
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Re: Legal speed restrictions on electric bikes

Post by tenbikes »

^^^°Yes.
JohnW
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Re: Legal speed restrictions on electric bikes

Post by JohnW »

tenbikes wrote: 11 Aug 2022, 2:53pm The law is clear, but the problem, as always, is the person. Not the inanimate object.
Although in fact the law isn't comprehensively clear, "tenbikes" hits the nail right on the head.
Human behaviour and consideration/respect/concern for others is at a very low ebb.
If I were to tell you the things I've seen, and things others have told me about, on our local Greenway/cyclepath you wouldn't believe me.
djnotts
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Re: Legal speed restrictions on electric bikes

Post by djnotts »

Coming close to needing e assistance I am trying to figure out the legal aspects as apply with a front wheel drive conversion kit.
From above I get 250W and built in speed restrictor cutting power at 15mph.
Do either of these impact on battery size, which I assume a prime determinant of range?
How do I tell if a conversion kit IS legal?
tatanab
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Re: Legal speed restrictions on electric bikes

Post by tatanab »

djnotts wrote: 11 Aug 2022, 10:14pm From above I get 250W and built in speed restrictor cutting power at 15mph.
Do either of these impact on battery size, which I assume a prime determinant of range?
As you say, battery size is simply the size of a fuel tank as it were, nothing to do with speed or power.
How do I tell if a conversion kit IS legal?
Buy from a reputable dealer unless you know exactly what you are looking at. Woosh seem to have a good reputation from what I have read, and an informative website https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?hubkits
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Sum
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Re: Legal speed restrictions on electric bikes

Post by Sum »

djnotts wrote: 11 Aug 2022, 10:14pm How do I tell if a conversion kit IS legal?
Look for a CE mark of conformity on the kit? The ones I've seen have the manufacturer's name, EN15194 standard, 250W power output limit and 25 km/h speed cut-off marked on them. These were on assembled ebikes and not kits, but I assume kits must have the same markings?
djnotts
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Re: Legal speed restrictions on electric bikes

Post by djnotts »

Thanks both. Identifying a "reputable" dealer doesn't seem easy - front wheel conversion kits appear to be very much the low-end of the market and there are truck loads of them out there!
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andrew_s
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Re: Legal speed restrictions on electric bikes

Post by andrew_s »

st599_uk wrote: 11 Aug 2022, 10:42am Presumably they can still be subject to a stop for Wanton or Furious Cycling
If the police ever stop a derestricted ebike, there's a whole raft of charges they can use, since it's a motor vehicle.
No tax, no insurance, no motorbike helmet, no licence, no MoT, no type approval for the vehicle, etc etc.
simonhill
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Re: Legal speed restrictions on electric bikes

Post by simonhill »

I saw a huge electric bike today, almost certainly not a legal e-bike. The irony is that he was on the pavement waiting for pedestrian lights to change as I cycled past on green on the road.

I also saw 2 mid age women on some sort of mobility scooters. They were on the (seafront) pavement doing a lot more than 4 mph. I got the impression they were using them as transport, rather than mobility aids. No problem with that, but at that speed they were illegal on the pavement. I can see these 'scooters' becoming a popular form of transport - in fact a non disabled friend has one but 'drives' it on the road, legally.
MikeF
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Re: Legal speed restrictions on electric bikes

Post by MikeF »

simonhill wrote: 12 Aug 2022, 7:47pm I got the impression they were using them as transport, rather than mobility aids.
:? Isn't that what a mobility aid does? Someone near me has "mobility aid" and he proudly tells me its range is 28 miles, before the next charge is needed.
I think 8mph is the legal maximum but on roads (carriageways).
"It takes a genius to spot the obvious" - my old physics master.
I don't peddle bikes.
Bmblbzzz
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Re: Legal speed restrictions on electric bikes

Post by Bmblbzzz »

8mph is rather an awkward max speed. Too fast for pavements but not really fast enough for busy roads. Must lead to some scary overtakes.
djnotts
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Re: Legal speed restrictions on electric bikes

Post by djnotts »

Some earlier "invalid carriages" would have been fun on cycle routes:

"These early vehicles were powered by an air-cooled Villiers 147 cc engine, but when production of that engine ceased in the early 1970s it was replaced by a much more powerful 4-stroke 500 cc or 600 cc Steyr-Puch engine, giving a reported top speed of 82 mph (132 km/h).[13] They were low-cost, low-maintenance vehicles, designed specifically for people with physical disabilities. Production of them stopped in 1976, and the last were withdrawn from the road in 2003,...."
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