Increase in seizures of illegal ebikes

[fossyant]

Channel 5 now, 14th October 7pm. The Invasion of e-bikes - The Scourge of our streets ! Whoooo scary.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Channel 5 now, 14th October 7pm. The Invasion of e-bikes - The Scourge of our streets ! Whoooo scary.

Just watched it

nothing unexpected - few details of how teh "bike team" work in terms of testing the ebikes they find
and when they stopped one clearly dodgy "ebike" the bloke on it got away with it because he managed to turn the motor off before they managed to test it

worrying that it turns out that the batteries (etc) are self declared as compliant to safety regs and that's it
which explains some of the one I have seen

shows how important it is to only use a bike by a decent brand!!

impressive how the Lime bikes that they find in the canal still work OK after 2 days under water
so it is clearly waterproof!!

 

[Mike_P]

North Yorkshire Police joined the list of police forces on Monday who cannot get the basics right by announcing they had taken an ebike off the streets. The word illegal missing along with preferably electric motorcycle noticeably absent.

 

[fossyant]

I actually thought the show was quite balanced after the blimmin cabbie was off the screen.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I actually thought the show was quite balanced after the blimmin cabbie was off the screen.

Yes - it was quite good

A lot of people would have learned something from it
and it was not sensationalist - which was a possibility

but quite well done for a one programme coverage of all the basics

 

[fossyant]

Yes - it was quite good

A lot of people would have learned something from it
and it was not sensationalist - which was a possibility

but quite well done for a one programme coverage of all the basics

I was impressed. It did go over how dangerous these dodgy battery bikes were. So, good on C5. That first few minutes I thought it was a rant against any bike from a cabbie.

Overall, very good !

 

[fossyant]

The only thing I might have added was another bike on the 'track' from a race cyclist and asking them to chase down the dodgy e-bike. I recon they would do it for a lap only ! Good to see a regular road cyclist beat the legal 'e-bike' on the track.

 

[Dadam]

Channel 5 now, 14th October 7pm. The Invasion of e-bikes - The Scourge of our streets ! Whoooo scary.

Might check it out on catch up. I'd have avoided it in case of it being ragebait, I get enough of that on the odd times I peruse social media, but feedback sounds ok.

 

[fossyant]

Might check it out on catch up. I'd have avoided it in case of it being ragebait, I get enough of that on the odd times I peruse social media, but feedback sounds ok.

It was actually quite balanced. Shock ! Ignore the Taxi driver at the start though !

 

[presta]

If e-bike batteries are so volatile that it justifies banning them from trains, why haven't any crushed e-bikes burnt down a police station yet?

Waste disposal sites are close to becoming uninsurable, because discarded batteries are setting fire to them at the rate of more than one a day:
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/dont-put-batteries-in-the-bin.310968/

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Found this

https://scottarthurmp.wordpress.com/2026/10/15/illegal-e-bikes-tackling-the-source-and-the-demand/

might lead to nothing but they are talking about it

 

[Drago]

It would help if they stopped calling these illegal devices "ebikes."

"E-motos" is the modern term, or mopeds/motorcycles if youre old fashioned. If they cant even make the correct distinction in language it doesnt bode well for future action.

 

[Mike_P]

Maybe the solution is drop the use of the word ebike. A legal one is also known as Pedelec and illegal ones are plainly electric motorbikes.

 

[classic33]

Maybe the solution is drop the use of the word ebike. A legal one is also known as Pedelec and illegal ones are plainly electric motorbikes.

There are also speed pedelecs, S-pedelecs, which fall into the illegal category.

It's part of the reason why people keep on saying that the current regulations are too complicated. If the bike you are riding is capable of moving without input from you, above walking speed*, then there's a very good chance it's illegal. Clearly illegal if you're moving uphill, without pedalling as fast other motorised traffic.

*Grand-father rights apply to pre new regulation bicycles/tricycles built, and converted before the new, "harder to understand/follow" regulations came into force.

 

[Dadam]

Maybe the solution is drop the use of the word ebike. A legal one is also known as Pedelec and illegal ones are plainly electric motorbikes.

The train has bolted and the horse has left the station some time before its stable door was slammed. Like it or not ebike is now being used as an umbrella term. All we can do is insist the media be precise about the terms they use. Some hope.