Which Companies Make Multi Mode/ Switchable Class Mode Ebikes?

[AHicks]

User programmable bikes defeat the purpose of the 3 class system. There is no way to enforce regulations if a rider can simply reprogram a bike from a legal class 1 to an illegal class 2 or 3 and ride it wherever he likes.

Most of us adhere to these regulations but there are always a few who abuse them.

First, for those that don't already know, I'm a firm believer in the fact this is WAY more about how a bike is ridden than any knee jerk law ever written.

That said though, if somebody set's their bike up to conform to the current class for the local conditions/enforcement district, why would anyone care? What would make that bike any different from those arriving from the dealer/factory with the same specs?

The fact the bike can be configured to meet different class restrictions is nobody's business but the owner/rider's - as long as that's been done previous to riding the bike under those restrictions.

 

[J.R.]

@timacn I just noticed you are in central PA. @6zfshdb and I are mostly referencing experiences in PA. There is enforcement here and class 3 ebikes aren't allowed anywhere in the state. Not even roads. A class 3 is an unregistered motor vehicle. The 3 class law was introduced in committee last year, where it stalled after one hearing. We essentially only have 1 and 2 now.

 

[Cramer Long]

User programmable bikes defeat the purpose of the 3 class system. There is no way to enforce regulations if a rider can simply reprogram a bike from a legal class 1 to an illegal class 2 or 3 and ride it wherever he likes.

Most of us adhere to these regulations but there are always a few who abuse them.

AI is going to very soon solve this . Of course we'll all have UI so will we even be able to afford Ebikes ?

 

[AHicks]

Well, that's the point, if they can be programmed, they don't adhere to the 3 class law. Sellers will tell you anything to sell.

J.R. even though I REALLY appreciate the efforts of the many that go to bat for e-bike usage, I have to disagree here. If the bike has been modified to perform under the class restrictions of one other than the one it was purchased under, it's nobody's business. Maybe I'm missing something?

 

[mschwett]

Sorry but if these are the criteria for a class 1 Ebike then unplugging a throttle does make it a class 1. When I unplug mine it it MUST be pedaled to engage the motor.

1. Electric motor less than 750 watts
2. Fully functional pedals
3. Weight not exceeding 75 lbs.
4. Maximum speed less than 20 mph
5. Does not have capacity to be completely self-propelled (must be pedaled to engage electric motor)

good point. one could easily consider the two “switches” simply safety features which must be enabled to ride in certain circumstances. “class 1 switch” means throttle disabled and boost limited to 20mph. “class 2 switch” means boost limited to 20mph. “class 3 switch” means throttle disabled and boost limited to 28mph. “no class switch” means no limits and not legal to ride on public infrastructure.

there are similar safety requirements for cars. many roads here require you to turn your headlights on in the daytime. it is illegal to ride on such roads without the headlights on, which is just a switch, after all.

i think this would increase the popularity of ebikes by allowing all of them to be used in some form on most all roads and bike lines and paths. it would also allow the exact same bike to be sold
in many jurisdictions, as long as it had the switch and the corresponding light. yes, some people would abuse it. but it wouldn’t take terribly much enforcement.

 

[timacn]

@timacn I just noticed you are in central PA. @6zfshdb and I are mostly referencing experiences in PA. There is enforcement here and class 3 ebikes aren't allowed anywhere in the state. Not even roads. A class 3 is an unregistered motor vehicle. The 3 class law was introduced in committee last year, where it stalled after one hearing. We essentially only have 1 and 2 now.

Thanks for that information! They are enforcing ebike laws in Central Pennsylvania? Class 3 ebikes are not allowed anywhere in the state? But bike shops are still selling them, right? Do you know of specific instances of enforcement/

 

[6zfshdb]

Thanks for that information! They are enforcing ebike laws in Central Pennsylvania? Class 3 ebikes are not allowed anywhere in the state? But bike shops are still selling them, right? Do you know of specific instances of enforcement/

I've been stopped twice so far. Both were on the class 1 only Pine Creek trail near Slatington, PA. The first park ranger looked up my Pedego Interceptor and found it was listed as a class 2 bike which is true since it has a throttle. At that time, there were no class 1 only signs posted. She mentioned the restriction but let me ride anyway without issuing a citation. The second incident occurred while I was eating lunch at the Slatington trailhead. The ranger noticed the throttle but allowed me to ride once I showed him it was disconnected. He did say however that technically, I could be cited since the bike was a class 2.

As I stated in an earlier post, modifying a class 2 or 3 bike to meet class 1 requirements may or may not be legal. It appears to be at the discretion of the officer involved.

 

[jabberwocky]

Thanks for that information! They are enforcing ebike laws in Central Pennsylvania? Class 3 ebikes are not allowed anywhere in the state? But bike shops are still selling them, right? Do you know of specific instances of enforcement/

PA law just defines ebikes as 750w motor, 20mph max assist. Nothing that assists more than 20mph is allowed. PA considered the PFB 3 class legislation last year, I think, but it didn't go anywhere.

Not sure what shops are selling. Bikes like the Creo, which is class 3 only, are shops selling and just saying "don't get caught lol!"

 

[jabberwocky]

As I stated in an earlier post, modifying a class 2 or 3 bike to meet class 1 requirements may or may not be legal. It appears to be at the discretion of the officer involved.

Thats interesting. So they are enforcing the bike "as sold" using a database. Bike is sold as a class 2, so its a class 2 whether you've disconnected throttle or not.

 

[J.R.]

Thanks for that information! They are enforcing ebike laws in Central Pennsylvania? Class 3 ebikes are not allowed anywhere in the state? But bike shops are still selling them, right? Do you know of specific instances of enforcement/

They have enforced the regs on the Heritage Rail Trail. The Rangers told me a couple years ago that the charge is trespassing, an $800 fine. I hope that the fines have been updated since now class 1 are legal. Lancaster river trail has had a lot of problems this year with the Super 73 type bikes. To date they still haven't formally legalized ebikes on that trail. Enforcement is happening there. How they charge, I don't know.

You can sell class 3 ebikes here, legal use is on private land. PADCNR doesn't allow them.

 

[timacn]

Thanks so much for that information! Do you know what the penalty would have been if enforced? Thanks again.

 

[timacn]

Thanks for that info, JR. $800 is a pretty big hit to take! When you say "Lancaster River Trail" do you mean the one that runs from Columbia to Bainbridge or the one that runs in Manor Township to Safe Harbor? Thanks.

 

[Cramer Long]

PA law just defines ebikes as 750w motor, 20mph max assist. Nothing that assists more than 20mph is allowed. PA considered the PFB 3 class legislation last year, I think, but it didn't go anywhere.

Not sure what shops are selling. Bikes like the Creo, which is class 3 only, are shops selling and just saying "don't get caught lol!"

of course it's a democrat - Freedom takers !!!! No denying that

 

[tomjasz]

Please don’t feed the troll.

 

[J.R.]

Thanks for that info, JR. $800 is a pretty big hit to take! When you say "Lancaster River Trail" do you mean the one that runs from Columbia to Bainbridge or the one that runs in Manor Township to Safe Harbor? Thanks.

Both trails. I doubt any judge would apply the max fine for riding a bike. Rangers are often on the trail around Chickies Rock because people hasseling pit viper deadly snakes around there. One was killed and left on the trail last year, so they do patrol the trails.

 

[jabberwocky]

of course it's a democrat - Freedom takers !!!! No denying that

You remind me of that drunk uncle we don't invite to thanksgiving anymore.

 

[Jon A]

I've seen it stated several times that California (for example) law simply states you need to re-classify the bike (add the proper sticker):

It is against the law in California to modify or otherwise tamper with electric bicycles in a way that changes the speed capability, unless the rider also changes the bicycle’s classification.

 

[m@Robertson]

In the United States, the federal legislature has introduced the Class system, the best implemented by the state of California:

Any e-bike may be assisted by a motor up to 750 W.
...
Now, state and local legislatures have never made a consistent set of laws, so you may ride your e-bike here but be banned from there. (For instance, it is very hard to legally ride e-bike in most of U.S. National Parks, while any e-bike is allowed to ride in any European National Park). Many U.S. residents simply don't care about the whole class system ("Who will ever check me?")

No.

The federal regulation comes from the Consumer Product Safety Commission and is purely applicable to manufacturers who construct products for sale. That law states (in short) that a motorized electric bicycle, with a 170 lb rider, can not exceed 20 mph on throttle alone, and its power must be less than 750 watts (not the same as "up to 750w"). This law has no bearing on private individuals or a DIY ebike conversion since a home build is outside the jurisdiction of - and not relevant to - the CPSC. It also says nothing about where an ebike can or cannot go since that is a matter for the individual states to decide. Note the 170 lb wrinkle.

The 3-class system originated in law in the State of California in 2015. It used the EU regulations as a rough framework, and rather than using the L1e-B limit of 4000w, it uses the 'less than 750w' power limit even for the 28 mph Class 3 thanks to the pre-existing federal manufacturing standard. The California law, unlike the federal, does affect both individuals and their behavior which is to be expected given that vehicle codes are administered by states. Last I looked 28 states 36 states had adopted a version of the 3-class system and it is typically a word-for-word (or near enough the variations do not matter) duplicate of the California 3-class system. This has a lot to do with the fact that People For Bikes did the state-by-state lobbying to get this standard put into state law.

In April of 2020, various agencies within the Department of the Interior proposed and later adopted rules for ebikes that included the 3-class system in their definitions of what an ebike is (but not on where they can go). The biggest takeaway from this is the lands are primarily inside National Parks and do not include land managed by the Forest Service. So... only a small fraction of the land available for recreational use in the USA.

Later, in September of 2020, the Department of Agriculture joined in and the takeaway here is they do include land managed by the Forest Service. Rules on whether or not ebikes are allowed, and which classes, are up to local land use officials and subject to the usual public comment periods and appeals. That is all sorting itself out right now, or was sorted recently. Check your local area's rules.

 

[m@Robertson]

I've seen it stated several times that California (for example) law simply states you need to re-classify the bike (add the proper sticker):

Bear in mind that only applies to a commercially manufactured bike. You can't tamper with something you built yourself, where you are the manufacturer. And yes you can just change the sticker. Many manufacturers sell bikes with bits that turn a Class 2 bike into a Class 3, complete with the replacement sticker

... that nobody reads or cares about. Which makes sense since it can be so easy to change them back and forth, and this ability to change is by the manufacturer's design. This is a hardwired solution that leaves the throttle on the handlebars and just disables it (assuming you take that step at all). But there are bikes manufactured to only allow throttle to operate up to 20 mph and thats their way of providing Class 3 and keeping the throttle on the bike without any need for alteration.

 

[m@Robertson]

Also... there is a lot of talk about 'maximum speed'. Ebike laws in the USA at least - at both the state and federal level - do not consider maximum speed unless it is pure throttle. What they do specify is maximum assist speed. I pedal regularly north of 30 mph on my commuter bikes. I geared them to be capable of it and I work hard to get them there. Local law enforcement is fine with that so long as its 'safe for conditions'.

Maximum speed is governed by existing blanket local speed limit laws. 20 mph on shared use paths for both ebikes and bikes. Whatever the posted speed limit is on the street. And whatever lower limit is 'safe for conditions' is ALWAYS the rule regardless of what is posted - the blanket requirement that the rider must use their brain or else suffer the legal consequences of their acts. I may be able to go 20 mph on a path but I can pretty much say that it is NEVER safe to do so when passing any foot traffic, anywhere, ever. Half that at best and less if its a kid.