E-bikes could get faster, more powerful and not require pedaling, in a move announced today by UKGOV. Cycling organizations are opposed to the plans.

  • Swarfega@lemm.ee
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    6 months ago

    25kph is too slow for road ebikes. I wish they would allow these to at least be 32kph/20mph.

    • Linkhar@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      As someone who bikes in Copenhagen i love that they are not faster. E bikes are allowing people to get to speeds that they cannot handle because it is a lot easier. So they go faster than their abilities and becomes very dangerous on the overfilled bike lanes

      • FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.ioOPM
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        6 months ago

        If people wanted to go faster even if the motor was limited, couldn’t they just pedal faster anyways? 20mph on a regular bicycle is pretty achievable even by a novice.

        • Linkhar@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Yeah, but those people can -usually- handle the speed because they are pushing for it themselves. It gives them more respect for the speed. It’s getting too fast without realising how fast that becomes dangerous. And i see that a lot

          • FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.ioOPM
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            6 months ago

            I’ve definitely seen people do dumb shit on regular bicycles plenty of times, but yeah, I suppose it is more frequent on ebikes. Where I live, scooters seem to be the most frequent offenders of doing dumb shit though. I figure it’s because they’re more popular among younger people who just do dumb shit because they’re young (I know I did, kind of amazed I didn’t die).

        • Swarfega@lemm.ee
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          6 months ago

          Yes you can. On an ebike the engine just stops providing assistance above 25kph. In the EU that is. It’s more in north America

      • Swarfega@lemm.ee
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        6 months ago

        I’m talking about a typical enthusiast road cyclist rather than the average Joe out on their bike or commuting to work on bike paths. I whole heartedly agree that on bike paths and inner city commuting that we don’t need people zipping around busy streets.

        The people I know, who ride socially but on road bikes, have modified their ebike to allow them to go faster as on flat roads they simply cannot keep up with the rest of the group. Obviously it’s completely the opposite way round as soon as there is elevation involved.

    • Norah - She/They@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      6 months ago

      No, it isn’t, because it’s a bicycle. If you want to go faster, get an electric motorcycle, and get your license which teaches you how to handle those speeds.

    • BorgDrone@lemmy.one
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      6 months ago

      Then get a speed pedelec. Those go up to 45kph, but you are required to wear a helmet, have insurance and have a moped license.

    • Shimitar@feddit.it
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      6 months ago

      What’s even the point of road e-bikes? They are supposed to be sport devices, where the whole point is to train and exercise.

      I am an avid road biker, crunch hundreds of kms per months/week on roads with my road bike and really there is no point in this kind of e-bikes.

      I am talking of sport bikes, not leisure or going-to-work type of bikes.

      Instead, MTBs make much more sense as e-MTBs due to the kind of terrains they go trough.

      • Swarfega@lemm.ee
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        6 months ago

        The person I know is aging but is an avid cyclist. Sadly they are no longer able bodied to ride a normal bike and keep up with the majority of the other riders they ride with. Having that assistance allows him to get out on the bike. Without it he would no longer be riding a bike.

        My dad also got an ebike MTB because riding a normal bike just isn’t an option anymore. He’s approaching 77.

        I live in a hilly area and often see older people out on their bikes in the summer. They all use ebikes.

        • Shimitar@feddit.it
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          6 months ago

          Agreed those are good reasons, but I really hope those bikes do not get common.