The Future of eBikes: How Fast is Too Fast?

[GAJ]

As a longtime motorcyclist, 20 mph is fine on my e'bike with more effort getting me a few more mph above that but nowhere near 28mph on flat ground on my Turbo Vado SL 5.0.

 

[DaveMatthews]

I got up to 60kph going down a hill on my Stance a couple of years ago in North Vancouver.
Scared the carp out of me...

 

[DaveMatthews]

Oh... and Surron type bikes unlicensed on the street at these speeds is stupid.

 

[Jim1348]

E-Bikes are getting faster, more powerful, and pushing the limits of what’s street-legal. With models hitting 40+ mph and custom builds going even beyond that, it raises the question ,how fast is too fast for an eBike?

Should high-speed eBikes be regulated like motorcycles? Or should riders have the freedom to push the limits? Some say anything over 28 mph belongs in a different category, while others argue that technology is evolving, and laws need to keep up.

What do you think? Should eBikes have a speed cap, or should we embrace the thrill of high-performance rides? Also, drop your fastest eBike setups lets see who’s really pushing the boundaries

I wonder if people were asking these same questions years ago with automobiles, too. There was no internet, yet, of course, but perhaps in some circles it was discussed.

On the other hand, perhaps people had more common sense back then. Who knows!

 

[GAJ]

I wonder if people were asking these same questions years ago with automobiles, too. There was no internet, yet, of course, but perhaps in some circles it was discussed.

On the other hand, perhaps people had more common sense back then. Who knows!

Indeed they were.

There were "red flag" laws passed in some places.

From Wiki.

"Red flag laws were laws in the United Kingdom and the United States enacted in the late 19th century, requiring drivers of early automobiles to take certain safety precautions, including waving a red flag in front of the vehicle as a warning."

 

[Gionnirocket]

Indeed they were.

There were "red flag" laws passed in some places.

From Wiki.

"Red flag laws were laws in the United Kingdom and the United States enacted in the late 19th century, requiring drivers of early automobiles to take certain safety precautions, including waving a red flag in front of the vehicle as a warning."

Can the red flag be a bloody shirt from an unknowledgable pedestrian?

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

World record for most failed IQ tests documented in a single video:

Just occurred to me that roadies in big groups have been doing their own kind of street takeovers for decades — even when there are perfectly good bike lanes.

I don't approve of those, either. The system is safest when everyone stays in their own lane. No one has a god-given right to ride even 2-abreast, let alone 5.

The group I ride with occasionally spills over from the bike lanes to the car lanes way too often for my taste. Another local group has a strict single-file policy, but they're way too fast for me.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Just occurred to me that roadies in big groups have been doing their own kind of street takeovers for decades — even when there are perfectly good bike lanes.

I don't approve of those, either. The system is safest when everyone stays in their own lane. No one has a god-given right to ride even 2-abreast, let alone 5.

The group I ride with occasionally spills over from the bike lanes to the car lanes way too often for my taste. Another local group has a strict single-file policy, but they're way too fast for me.

That also kind of depends on context. Most of the "group" rides I've ever participated in are carefully routed onto very quiet roads. When I say "very quiet" I mean it isn't super likely that we will encounter more than one or two motorized vehicles over the whole route. And much of the rides are on narrow spooky tracks where 25kph is an insane speed in any vehicle, motorized or not. Some sections are on fine glacier silt or granite slabs that emulate good pavement in dry conditions but are vicious slippery when even slightly wet. So again no sane person can go very fast.

In a quiet forest you can here motorized vehicles from an amazing distance. Which can give you five or ten minutes of warning to get out of the way.

 

[jabberwocky]

Just occurred to me that roadies in big groups have been doing their own kind of street takeovers for decades — even when there are perfectly good bike lanes.

I don't approve of those, either. The system is safest when everyone stays in their own lane. No one has a god-given right to ride even 2-abreast, let alone 5.

The group I ride with occasionally spills over from the bike lanes to the car lanes way too often for my taste. Another local group has a strict single-file policy, but they're way too fast for me.

IME roadie groups go much too fast for MUPs and bike lanes. Traffic lanes are generally the appropriate place for them.

Most of the groups I've ridden with do their best to accommodate car traffic passing, but when you have a group of 20-40 roadies in a line, its hard to pass unless the road is really favorable (wide lanes, long sitelines). Single file makes drivers feel better emotionally (doesn't change whats necessary to safely pass but they see cyclists using less of "their" lane). Which can be a double edged sword; if the lanes aren't wide enough for a single file cyclist and a car to share, the car has no choice but to go into the opposing lane to pass anyway, and riding single file just means the length of the group to pass is twice as long. I've certainly had drivers start to pass a group and then have to kinda merge into the middle of it to avoid oncoming traffic, which is dangerous.

 

[Gionnirocket]

IME roadie groups go much too fast for MUPs and bike lanes.

They're often a much greater menace than any ebike in my area.

Traffic lanes are generally the appropriate place for them.

Most of the groups I've ridden with do their best to accommodate car traffic passing, but when you have a group of 20-40 roadies in a line, its hard to pass unless the road is really favorable (wide lanes, long sitelines). Single file makes drivers feel better emotionally (doesn't change whats necessary to safely pass but they see cyclists using less of "their" lane). Which can be a double edged sword; if the lanes aren't wide enough for a single file cyclist and a car to share, the car has no choice but to go into the opposing lane to pass anyway, and riding single file just means the length of the group to pass is twice as long. I've certainly had drivers start to pass a group and then have to kinda merge into the middle of it to avoid oncoming traffic, which is dangerous.

Well then cyclist are creating the danger and should not be using that road. Or at the very least breaking up into groups of 5-6.
Period.

 

[6zfshdb]

One of my favorite trails is the paved, flat and relatively straight, 28 mile long Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT). It's a state park trail that I've been riding for over 20 years. There were several bike clubs that used it and would tear down the trail at 25+ yelling an screaming at pedestrians & other bikers to GET OUT OF THE WAY!! The trail is posted with a 15 MPH speed limit but park rangers never did anything about it.

Over the years, tree root heaves in the pavement made the trail unsafe to ride at that speed and the clubs went elsewhere. For several years, I could ride there in peace without that annoyance. Eventually, the roots got too bad even for my liking. This year however, the park service removed the roots and repaved the trail surface. I'm afraid these "outlaw" bike clubs are sure to return.

 

[Gionnirocket]

One of my favorite trails is the paved, flat and relatively straight, 28 mile long Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT). It's a state park trail that I've been riding for over 20 years. There were several bike clubs that used it and would tear down the trail at 25+ yelling an screaming at pedestrians & other bikers to GET OUT OF THE WAY!! The trail is posted with a 15 MPH speed limit but park rangers never did anything about it.

Over the years, tree root heaves in the pavement made the trail unsafe to ride at that speed and the clubs went elsewhere. For several years, I could ride there in peace without that annoyance. Eventually, the roots got too bad even for my liking. This year however, the park service removed the roots and repaved the trail surface. I'm afraid these "outlaw" bike clubs are sure to return.

Might be time for a clothesline

 

[jabberwocky]

Well then cyclist are creating the danger and should not be using that road. Or at the very least breaking up into groups of 5-6.
Period.

They have every right to ride public roads. No danger is being created by people riding bikes; drivers have the responsibility to refrain from passing if they can't pass safely.

One of my favorite trails is the paved, flat and relatively straight, 28 mile long Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT). It's a state park trail that I've been riding for over 20 years. There were several bike clubs that used it and would tear down the trail at 25+ yelling an screaming at pedestrians & other bikers to GET OUT OF THE WAY!! The trail is posted with a 15 MPH speed limit but park rangers never did anything about it.

The managing agency of the MUP near me has been known to message shops or groups that cause issues on the trails. Its pretty rare IME, though there are jackasses in every group. Even nice straight MUPs kinda suck for serious road riding. Too narrow for pacelining and generally they cross lots of roads without right of way so you have to stop frequenty (or run stop signs frequently which is risky). Groups here in Leesburg will literally ride the parallel road to avoid the trail.

 

[6zfshdb]

Might be time for a clothesline

On one occasion, after the third group of speedsters screamed at me to get off the trail, I thought about pretending I didn't see or hear them. All it would take to cause a major pileup is for me to step out onto the trail and jump back at the last second. I decided against it though. With my luck I would have been caught up in the wreck.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

On one occasion, after the third group of speedsters screamed at me to get off the trail, I thought about pretending I didn't see or hear them.

Wow, so you're a legitimate trail user, and they're expecting you to vacate, not just move to the right?? They certainly need some kind of lesson in manners.

Totally get the fantasy. I'm having a few myself just thinking about it. But glad you left it at that. We'd rather not have you posting from jail.

What would it take to get more cyclists to think about the optics of their behavior in shared spaces?

 

[PedalUma]

Mill Valley, California is the epicenter of where this discussion is playing out. The off-road eMotos are getting impounded when spotted in public. The police are making the distinction between off-road motorcycles (that happen to be electric) and assisted bicycles. There is more on the City's site.

Electric Off-Road Vehicles

Off Road Vehicle Traffic Press Release

www.cityofmillvalley.gov