How serious can you take a 70mph cyclist
Max speed
- Thread starter Biker man
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ebikeerwidnes
Guru
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- Z’ha’dum
Fair enough
The A30 had some uber smooth descents. The A303 does too.
View: https://youtu.be/X-C2-CSEJCY
View: https://youtu.be/nZAyEzVR_X0
Because UK signed and ratified Vienna convention on road traffic and USA didn't.
Recent highway code changes are common across most if not all signatory countries too.
UK has a long way to go to be fully compliant, more highway code changes are coming, hopefully.
https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetailsIII.aspx?chapter=11&mtdsg_no=XI-B-19&src=TREATY#EndDec
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I think the current 15mph for E bikes is just right. Let's be honest a "good" cyclist will usually only average 17/18 mph on a road bike out on a good ride out. Most of us will average much less whilst the super fit will average 20 mph. If you would to increase the legal set speeds of an ebike to 20 mph you would no doubt get people calling them to be upped to 25mph. Where does the line be drawn on this ?
Granted all bikes can be ridden much faster than this, but its usually in short bursts. Hurtling down the Horseshoe Pass i touched 45mph. It felt like a moment of madness as my road bike felt very twitchy, and looking at those thin tyres didn't inspire confidence. Good fun whilst it lasted, but I wouldn't want to do that all the time. 15mph is a good speed to cycle along and its in keeping with the majority of most average cyclists, so why change it. The whole point of an E bike is to make cycling easier for people who struggle to use a normal bike, or for people who live in particularly hilly areas. I cycle with a chap (who's been a life long cyclist) and is now in his late 80s. He's got a very nice road going Ebike and wouldn't be able to come out and enjoy is life long passion of cycling, if it wasn't for his Ebike.
My dad is also in the same position, in that we can both enjoy cycling together, in his aging years, were we can enjoy some quality time together.
In essence, an Ebike should always be classed as an electric assisted bike which is in the same average speed range of a normal bike. If you want a faster electric bike, then they should be registered ones like the Super Soco, or Lexmoto cypher offerings.
Just my two pence worth👍
Granted all bikes can be ridden much faster than this, but its usually in short bursts. Hurtling down the Horseshoe Pass i touched 45mph. It felt like a moment of madness as my road bike felt very twitchy, and looking at those thin tyres didn't inspire confidence. Good fun whilst it lasted, but I wouldn't want to do that all the time. 15mph is a good speed to cycle along and its in keeping with the majority of most average cyclists, so why change it. The whole point of an E bike is to make cycling easier for people who struggle to use a normal bike, or for people who live in particularly hilly areas. I cycle with a chap (who's been a life long cyclist) and is now in his late 80s. He's got a very nice road going Ebike and wouldn't be able to come out and enjoy is life long passion of cycling, if it wasn't for his Ebike.
My dad is also in the same position, in that we can both enjoy cycling together, in his aging years, were we can enjoy some quality time together.
In essence, an Ebike should always be classed as an electric assisted bike which is in the same average speed range of a normal bike. If you want a faster electric bike, then they should be registered ones like the Super Soco, or Lexmoto cypher offerings.
Just my two pence worth👍
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Alex321
Veteran
- Location
- South Wales
Some people who have no clue about road cycling will think that. But probably not many.
I will be surprised if you can find a single experienced road cyclist who thinks 45mph is bonkers.
And I have seen no evidence anywhere of any police officer thinking it is.
And yes, I do appear to be on a different planet to you. You should try coming to planet earth one day, you might even like it.
All y9ou are doing in this thread is showing that you simply have little to no experience of road cycling.
Alex321
Veteran
- Location
- South Wales
Well it isn't an ebike forum, it is a general cycling forum, which has a section related to ebikes.
But apart from you, most people do talk "sensible (sic) without a load of tosh". You are the one talking tosh in this thread.
Alex321
Veteran
- Location
- South Wales
That is correct.
That is absolutely not correct.
You don't have a clue what speeds bikes are designed for, you admit you don't know, and yet you are "certain".
Alex321
Veteran
- Location
- South Wales
And that is perfectly fine. Many people aren't happy at higher speeds.
There are only a few roads round here where I am happy exceeding 35mph, but personally, I am often happy to do more than 30. But everybody has a maximum speed at which they feel comfortable, and if that is 25 for you, that is absolutely fine.
classic33
Leg End Member
I am not boasting about how fast I can go on a bike that is Playground talk.
@Biker man
I believe that 20mph is fine.
Do what you want to get your desired speed-but ride responsibly.
I believe that 20mph is fine.
Do what you want to get your desired speed-but ride responsibly.
Exactly a month ago I was riding through a village near Ruthin in the middle of the road was a Peacock you never know what will come out in front of you.@Biker man
I believe that 20mph is fine.
Do what you want to get your desired speed-but ride responsibly.
The issue though is stopping. If you are drafting a lorry/HGV and they put the anchors on at 50mph you will be road kill very quickly!!
I've done it before in the past but on reflection its a pretty stupid thing to do if you value your limbs staying connected to your body.
I recently ended up having to mount a kerb on my road bike at 20mph+ after someone decided they could just pull out infront of me and expect me to stop as quickly as a car. They honestly didn't understand why a pedal bike cannot stop as quickly as a car, and just drove off thinking I was just another dramatic cyclist.
Lets also not forget pedestrians who will cross the road without looking if they don't hear a car, including parents with push chairs/prams. Trying to sustain anything over 20mph in the city centre on a pedal bike is simply an accident waiting to happen.
Maybe am just getting old but for the sake of my family I've given up trying to chase any kind of high speeds on the pedal bike.
Ebiks are great/enjoyable without needing to pretend to be a motorbike. Going up hill at 15mph with zero effort makes me smile just as much as descending a blind, single track country road at 30mph+.
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youngoldbloke
The older I get, the faster I used to be ...
Welcome to the 'how fast can I cycle downhill' thread!
Actually I can go quite fast downhill on my Orbea Gain e-road bike. it weighs 16kg, light for an ebike but quite heavy for a road bike. On the other hand it is quite difficult to stay with a club group out for a weekend leisure ride, even the steady group, as the speed will often drift up past the 15.5mph assistance cut off, especially on long level stretches or gently undulating roads and false flats. Of course you can pedal harder, but being 74 and having bu88ered legs this soon takes it's toll. I have some advantage on the hills of course but not on the flatter routes. For me an 18mph cut off would be helpful and enable me to take part in club rides much as I did 4 or 5 years ago before my leg issues began.
... and I've heard all the arguments about caring clubmates adjusting their speed, finding others in my position to ride with etc etc etc. It's difficult if you are the only assisted one, to spoil the club ride party. There would be no need if the cut off was raised to a realistic level - perhaps for e- road bikes only.
I believe the original thinking was that a 25kph cut off was quite sufficient for the utility e-bikes in existence at that time, and of course still is, but the development of leisure e-bikes (e-road in particular) has made this figure unrealistic for such bikes.
Actually I can go quite fast downhill on my Orbea Gain e-road bike. it weighs 16kg, light for an ebike but quite heavy for a road bike. On the other hand it is quite difficult to stay with a club group out for a weekend leisure ride, even the steady group, as the speed will often drift up past the 15.5mph assistance cut off, especially on long level stretches or gently undulating roads and false flats. Of course you can pedal harder, but being 74 and having bu88ered legs this soon takes it's toll. I have some advantage on the hills of course but not on the flatter routes. For me an 18mph cut off would be helpful and enable me to take part in club rides much as I did 4 or 5 years ago before my leg issues began.
... and I've heard all the arguments about caring clubmates adjusting their speed, finding others in my position to ride with etc etc etc. It's difficult if you are the only assisted one, to spoil the club ride party. There would be no need if the cut off was raised to a realistic level - perhaps for e- road bikes only.
I believe the original thinking was that a 25kph cut off was quite sufficient for the utility e-bikes in existence at that time, and of course still is, but the development of leisure e-bikes (e-road in particular) has made this figure unrealistic for such bikes.
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