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Please read HR727 as it defines what is legal for sale as a "low speed electric bicycle" in all 50 states. How you would consider referring to federal legislation that passed one vote short of full congressional consensus (ie keep in mind these are state representatives voting on federal...

So very few seem to understand that the federal regulation on wattage is a MOTOR RATING, not a limit. A power limit is established by the constraints of 20mph on a level surface - essentially the power is limited above 20mph to what would sustain the ebike at 20mph, on a level surface with a...

If ebikes are to achieve their full potential for urban mobility 15mph is too slow (oil and car industry just loves to here that position because it keeps ebikes in the recreation and leisure use realm). It's interesting that you mention being perfectly happy with a 15mph speed/assist limit...

I agree with your technical information that geared hubs will be more "zippy" feeling up to say 10mph and then direct drive hubs start to hit their strides. Obviously this is not idea for mtn bikes but for urban mobility it's where riders will spend most of their riding time. I want to add that...

I've always wondered if the higher cost and maintainance of having a torque, cadense, speed, etc. sensors were known vs just a simple throttle (this still fully allows the rider to provide all the input they desire while have 100% complete control of the assist level instead of it being...

I think what you describe is a good mountain bike but for a bike to be a better transportation / urban mobility solution maybe just a throttle is a better way to go.

According to federal regulations a "low speed electric bicycle" is not a motorized vehicle (i.e. think of it as not even having a motor by definition). So long as riders travel at rational safe speeds on a MUP why would an ebike / LSEB be a problem?

I don't think anyone is arguing against rational speed bike/ebike speed limits on MUPs. What the debate is about is should ebikes have assist speed limits such that some feel that effectively ensures they never speed on a MUP. If you believe there should be an assist speed cutoff then you...

I'm a huge believer that ebikes will become a major transportation solution but it will a slow process and the infrastructure will like only improve with more riders. Most people still view bikes and even ebikes as recreational or leisure products. In reality the focus on Class 1 and 2 ebikes by...

Sadly that is exactly how "legal professional" bureaucrats make most decisions. They know study data is unlikely to support their position so they avoid studies and just wing it. This is pretty close to how People for Bikes came up with the 3 ebike classes. As if there is a difference between...

I agree with the derailleur and tire puncture comment but I think 25kph is too slow for ebikes to become legit urban transportation solutions. I think an assist limit that slow actually puts riders at more risk when riding on road side bike lanes where other vehicles are going much faster and...

Given that most electric cars only have one gear (direct drive) the gearing on a powerful ebike become more about allowing reasonable cadence for the rider over the entire use speed range in my opinion. Optimize cadence for efficiency is way less important but keeping the rider able to input...

I understand. If the priority is rider power input the gear spacing is very important. But lets say you have a 160nm Bafang Ultra mid-drive ebike with a throttle. I would say that gear spacing at 100% (ie 1;1 to 1:2 to 1:4 3 speed) would be fine. You could cadence to 80rpm then shift to...

If you have enough motor power the ideal cadence becomes a much wider range.

Half the range is under-drive so that means to have reasonable cadence above 20mph the belt drive sprockets will have to be sized to gear up the ratio which reduces the transmitted torque to thepi rear wheel. When you have a powerful mid-drive motor like the Bafang Ultra it's hard to image ever...

According to federal law HR727 the defined "low speed electric bicycle" is supposed to be the equivalent of a bike. Not just for safety regulations but for "use" regulation by the states - review of the records does indicate that was the intent of that bill that passed one vote short of full...

You motor has a 250W "rating" but the drive system most likely peaks much higher. Probably 90% of ebikers think the motor ratings are peak power but that is very rarely the case. Sadly the lawmakers fall into the 90% that do not understand a motor rating vs peak power so they do not under the...

Is there any data that supports you rider weight + bike weight claims? Probably not.

I would think that for last mile solutions most people don't need an ebike and something like a light Brompton makes great sense.

My predictions (I'm only interested in urban mobility to keep that in mind when reading my predictions) ... - We'll see higher torque rated IGHs with fewer gears than what Rohloff and Kindernay are promoting. Ebikes (especially powerful ebikes) do not need 14 speeds. What is important is...