BBC Breakfast item today on illegally modded ebikes

[ebikeerwidnes]

What West Yorkshire Police class as a legal e-bike. It has pedals.
View attachment 779275

Wouldn;t like to try pedalling that up a hill!

unless it has a throttle - which requires a special certificate from the DVLA??

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

Having only had an ebike for three months, when I'm looking at Strava segment leaderboards, the number of riders I'm spotting with blatently illegal motor assistance above the UK limit of 25kph (~15.5mph) is shocking.

I'm not talking about the motor vehicle speed times here, as many motorcyclists tag their rides as ebikes (which are somehow not being auto-flagged by the Strava system when exceeding 50mph on flat or uphill stretches of road), but derestricted ebikes doing ~20mph on draggy inclines or ~18mph up 4%+ sustained inclines.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

There used to be quite a few around here
but the delivery riders seems to use cars these days
and the nutters have reverted to petrol again

not seen a badly ridden didgy ebike for a while

I do see some on my rides - but they are generally just being ridden normally
and don;t so silly speeds with no pedalling

no idea why this has changed - have not seen the Police doing much to stop them!

 

[captain nemo1701]

I once saw a guy - all in black, ninja mask etc - shoot past a motorbike who was doing 30mph. I see loads of these darn things, obviously modded and some seem to have and extra battery stuck to the frame with insulation tape. Earlier this year, whilst reporting a stolen moped dumped on the B2B path, a Deliveroo rider waltzed past on his moped with hazard lights flashing. Obviously thought that orange flashing lights make it magically legal to ride mopeds on cyclepaths. I personally will never order food from these firms. I read a rather sad article on Yahoo from a gig (ie rip-off) economy rider who lost pals due to house fires caused by dodgy batteries / chargers. I did Fire Warden training at work, the ex-fireman who taught us that its almost impossible to put a lithium-ion fire out, just let it burn until its out of fuel.

 

[fossyant]

The delivery ebikes tend to be used in high density areas. I don't see any where I live, but say five miles away, Levenshulme, for example, I then see loads. We have numerous delivery 'cars' parked outside our local McDonalds, no bikes. Go to another in Levenshulme, and there are loads of 'bikes'. Piccadilly Gardens has areas where all the riders wait for orders, same on Princess Parkway in Moss Side - groups of riders awaiting deliveries from the take aways. The is also a 'bike' shop in Moss Side that specifically works on these e-bikes for the delivery riders - it's not for 'normal' bikes.

 

[wiggydiggy]

The delivery ebikes tend to be used in high density areas. I don't see any where I live, but say five miles away, Levenshulme, for example, I then see loads. We have numerus delivery 'cars' parked outside our local McDonalds, no bikes. Go to another in Levenshulme, and there are loads of 'bikes'. Piccadilly Gardens has areas where all the riders wait for orders, same on Princess Parkway in Moss Side - groups of riders awaiting deliveries from the take aways. The is also a 'bike' shop in Moss Side that specifically works on these e-bikes for the delivery riders - it's not for 'normal' bikes.

Aye thats true. I still have actual delivery drivers around me using cars, but my trip into Leeds on Saturday and there are loads of Deliveroo, JustEat and Ubereats delivery drivers on illegal bikes. And Leeds Councils only response has been to pin a few signs around asking them not to ride when its busy. Council responds to complaints with new cycling signs

 

[Beebo]

Good.

I believe delivery companies are the primary cause of the rise of the use of illegal e-bikes and e-motorbikes, lets keep the message simple that these companies need to take responsibility for the illegal actions their employees take.

Yes they should take some responsibility.
But are they employees? Or self employed contractors?

 

[classic33]

Yes they should take some responsibility.
But are they employees? Or self employed contractors?

They're self employed, with the right to decline any delivery order if they want to. Do this too often and they get offered less, until they start accepting the ones that would be impossible do on a legal bike or EPAC.

Got this from a Uber eats delivery rider, waiting for his next job at the Corn Exchange in Leeds. He caught me eyeing his bike up, and we got talking from there.

 

[KingstonGraham]

What West Yorkshire Police class as a legal e-bike. It has pedals.
View attachment 779275

It's got 250W and limited to 25kmh. Fair to call it an e bike.

Seems to have low range and you wouldn't want to run out of battery though.

 

[classic33]

It's got 250W and limited to 25kmh. Fair to call it an e bike.

I'd say the taxi driver he passed going up Sunwin Road would disagree. Then there's the throttle fitted, illegal in itself on any EPAC compliant bike after 2016.

 

[KingstonGraham]

I'd say the taxi driver he passed going up Sunwin Road would disagree. Then there's the throttle fitted, illegal in itself on any EPAC compliant bike after 2016.

I assume buyer's remorse and modified it after realising they couldn't make money being legal.

It's so obvious what's illegal, it would be good to see a bit of a crackdown, but then people's takeaways would be late.

 

[Dan Lotus]

I live more out in the hick lands of berkshire - here we have a load of delivery riders, though I must be honest I have not noticed them being driven dangerously, or ridiculously fast.
I would presume for them, as it is all or part of their income, it is in their interest to keep the bike in one piece.
I have seen them going down no entry roads, or places where they simply shouldn't be, but again not dangerously.

I personally wouldn't choose to order food through a delivery service, I'm close enough to walk in to pick stuff up, and I just feel they have a pretty hard time of it - I'd feel guilty taking the delivery from them, even though I know it's very marginally adding to their income.
It just doesn't sit with me well - but I'm not having a go at people who do use them.

There are however a couple of local ebike riders who whizz up and down our road at serious speed - I can only estimate, but it's a small residential cul de sac, and it's got to be in excess of 30mph.
They ride with and without helmets They have masks on when not wearing a helmet), sometimes solo and sometimes two up.
I've also seen them riding at night using a phone to temporarily light up the road so they can see, but they stop as soon as they are through a junction.
There are children, pets, and foxes on our road, so a reasonable chance of something getting injured.

It's been reported to the local plod, but seemingly nothing has been done as they continue to ride around.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Yes they should take some responsibility.
But are they employees? Or self employed contractors?

Doesn't really matter, neither option makes the bike legal and the riders are still dressed and branded JustEat, Deliveroo or Ubereats.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

There used to be quite a few around here
but the delivery riders seems to use cars these days
and the nutters have reverted to petrol again

not seen a badly ridden didgy ebike for a while

I do see some on my rides - but they are generally just being ridden normally
and don;t so silly speeds with no pedalling

no idea why this has changed - have not seen the Police doing much to stop them!

Well that'll teach me

after saying that I have just nearly been splattered by an modded electric thing on the High Street

I was walking back to the car - down the pedestrianised bit - and curver right a bit to pass a coplue on my left

just left a polite distance

and some k***head on an electric thing shot between us at one hell of a rate
I mean - I ride a fair bit - enough to know what FAST means and that qualifies

if he had his me I would have been in an ambulance
and worse still - my wife's pasties would have got squashed!!


his mate went round the far side a bit slower but still fast


no way he missed me or the other people by more than a couple of inches
if eitehr of us had wandered unpredictably - and we have all seen pedestrians do that - then he would have been in trouble - and so would we!!

 

[fossyant]

There are however a couple of local ebike riders who whizz up and down our road at serious speed - I can only estimate, but it's a small residential cul de sac, and it's got to be in excess of 30mph.
They ride with and without helmets They have masks on when not wearing a helmet), sometimes solo and sometimes two up.
I've also seen them riding at night using a phone to temporarily light up the road so they can see, but they stop as soon as they are through a junction.

You have a regular "user" or "dealer" on your quiet cul de sac then, unfortunately.