E bikes power assitance cut off?

[Salad Dodger]

Oldbadger is correct about the tendency of some bikes to zoom off as soon as you start to pedal. Which in traffic or maybe in a mixed use zone can be a bit unwelcome......

 

[PhilDawson8270]

JESUS CHRIST! That is unbelievably pedantic, suppose I should have assumed that. I guess they leave people little option but to break the law if they want powered (or power assisted) transport but dont want the hassle of licensing and insurance. I know I already have a full motorcycle license but I would definitely be put off. I already do 20ish on the flat on my Scott and about 15ish on my commuter bike.

Dropping those rules would mean places like private car parks are no longer covered by the Road Traffic Act. The fact that it is difficult to have powered transport without licensing and insurance is a good thing over all.

 

[andrew_s]

you can connect to the bike using Specialized mission control bluetooth app and simply tell the bike that its wheelsize is smaller than the default setting and they can hit 35mpg quite easily.

If you do that, you are riding an electric motorcycle, and could get a fairly thick book thrown at you if you get caught, possibly including loss of car licence.
In fact, the Dept of Transport will probably say that you are riding an electric motorcycle even if you haven't changed the wheel size, because the app exists and you could. They have said this about e-MTBs with an "off-road" setting that turns off the 15 mph limit.

 

[ufkacbln]

Take a look at the "Anarchy" of mobility Scooters


This at 4 mph is legal for use in shops and on pavements

However many ride much larger scooters and these should be registered with the DVLA

However less than half of the users of the larger vehicles were aware of this and riding them illegally

 

[oldbadger]

Take a look at the "Anarchy" of mobility Scooters


This at 4 mph is legal for use in shops and on pavements

However many ride much larger scooters and these should be registered with the DVLA

However less than half of the users of the larger vehicles were aware of this and riding them illegally

Sure......
But........ Multitudes of very elderly and very infirm folks are still driving cars, or riding these larger scooters because if they lost them, then their homes would be untenable and they would need warden accomodation, in which case the system would go way past 'overload'. I can see why the authorities are relaxing some rules at this time, because they just don't know what to do. In 2014 an old gent in a Citroen smashed into my vehicle, scraped free and continued on down the road...... he didn't even know he had hit anything! The Police/Courts let him keep his licence, and he does live waty out in the sticks....... wrong but ............. :shrug:

I would buy a new-rule electric-bike because the pedal assist range is brilliant, and off-road, that 4mph button might be very useful, but that's me....... I just try tro be positive in a World which could easily drive me nuts!

 

[jonny jeez]

the short answer is yes you can buy a bike (or kit )that gives you more,loads on ebey, but are illegal to use on or off road, this is worth a read.

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/a-guide-to-ebikes.179245/

when i considered one a few years back (I didn't take up the idea and went for a road bike instead) the very well know bike shop in Richmond offered to change the cassette...or chainring to achieve 22 mph...without batting an eyelid. his only concern was that the battery wouldn't then be able to make it the 22 miles that I was commuting at the time, at the increased speed

 

[voyager]

the pedelec forum has a section on off road e-bikes
it is simple to get a controller that can be set for higher speed but I point out that it is illegal if the cutout speed exceeds 16.5 mph .
that is 15 mph plus/minus 10%.
other ways to get more power is to add an extra battery in series to increase the speed of a derestricted bike even further .
but current drain and the possibility of burning out the motor exists if the internal current shunt un the controller is soldered to lower its resistance. All these modifications , voids the warranty and will leave the rider open to prosecution in the event of the modification being discovered.