Because its not a point of sale requirement? The code here in VA just says "All class three electric power-assisted bicycles shall be equipped with a speedometer that displays the speed the bicycle is traveling in miles per hour." It doesn't say they are required to be sold with one. Something like a basic Planet Bike or Cateye wheel magnet computer would suffice, as would any of the common GPS devices made by Wahoo or Garmin. I read that as "if you get a speeding ticket on your class 3, you can't use "I didn't know how fast I was going!" as a defense"
The Creo is definitely not marketed as a general purpose ebike, it is designed (and priced) for people who want a high-end road bike experience, but with assist. That crowd absolutely wants a clean cockpit, and almost certainly already have some sort of gps bike computer. I can't speak to how Specialized thinks of it internally or what their market research says, but I'd guess that very few people buy Creos and run it without something that displays speed. Specialized does make a compatible display unit that is relatively (compared to the bike) inexpensive.
Ok....you wrote: "Because its not a
point of sale requirement? The code here in VA just says "All class three electric power-assisted bicycles shall be equipped with a speedometer that displays the speed the bicycle is traveling in miles per hour." It doesn't say they are required to be
sold with one. You are correct but just seems very very strange that the other 2 classes do not require a speedometer even though assist speed does not restrict how fast an ebike can be pedaled.
The "Model Electric Bike Law with Classes" includes this statement: "
A person shall not tamper with or modify an electric bicycle so as to change the motor powered speed capability or engagement of an electric bicycle."
That sure seems to imply to me that the class 1, 2, or 3 programming must be on the bike prior to 1st sale and the buyer can not modify it after purchase. My point is the 3-class legislation CLEARLY requires an ebike to have defined programming at the time of sale, but guess what the CPSC doesn't say it's required. The conflict does exist and it does impact interstate commerce because some compliant CPSC "low speed electric bicycles are not compliant to 3-class legislation and some 3-class compliant ebikes are not compliant to CPSC regulations. I see no way the CPSC just ignores this after a petition for preemption is submitted. Something needs to be fixed and this was an inevitable issue.
No way Bosch, Yamaha, Brose, etc. would allow a buyer to modify the programming after sale and I find it unlikely they would even allow a bike retailer to do that unless a certified service shop which would rule out all direct to consumer sales.
One last note on this temper statement. There are few multi-mode ebikes (ie switchable from Class 1 to 2 to 3) now on market. These are being legally sold but clearly that is changing the motor powered speed capability so is it 3-class complaint? Who can enforce that?
I even question who is ultimately responsible for putting on the class sticker. I believe some states do state the sticker must be on the ebike prior to 1st sale.
Some 3-class states like Minnesota require ebrakes on all ebikes even though not required per 3-class model legislation. Most of the biggest ebike brands have models without ebrakes so who is going to remove the installed brakes and integrate the ebraking function on a Bosch drive system ebike (that would most likely void the warranty). Note: Minnesota may only allow Class 1 and 2 for use but I've contacted several ebike retailers in Minnisota and they all sold Class 3 ebike models even though they said the did not think they could be legally ridden in that state (I wonder if they tell the buyers that).
Are you ALL paying attention to these issues or just ignoring them? It all started with PFBs pushing 3-class when they got lobby money to do so.
