Originally Posted by
350htrr
Exactly; BUT,, because of the amount of power, 750 Watts+ and people who override/modify the restrictions the manufacturer's set, these "legally" E-Bikes become E-Motorbikes, some manufacturer's even allow, for owner's changing the settings "for off road purposes"... You CAN, actually ride an illegal E-Bike at the press of a few buttons, if you are that 5% to 10% of the riding population. and... when/if you get stopped you press a few buttons an bingo, you are legal!!!
I agree this is a real problem. I think we are starting to see this happening in the UK, although I haven't personally looked into the hacking options available. I know people often remove the 15 mph speed limiter for the power assist. Obviously I don't do that for our kids bikes to keep them safe. They go faster than 15 mph downhill, but only under their own power and gravity assist! I have had people ask me if e-bikes are more dangerous for kids and I always say no because it's really only when climbing hills that they go faster than normal and they can only hit 15 mph max (actually one is set to 12 mph as a kid's specific e-bike). On downhills they go at the same speed they would on a normal bike. On the flat too not much difference except they can maintain their speed more consistently.