Bike Talk v.008 🚲

Speed. It is the very reason that people lean toward buying electric or gas-powered bikes. For the ability to travel faster and ride easily but how fast does one need to

travel on a bicycle?

Well, if you'd asked me when I was just getting started on my electric bike journey, I would have said as fast as I can go. You know 30-40 miles. As I learned quickly, that would have been an ignorant mistake. It's already dangerous for a person to travel at 50 mph on a motorcycle, let alone 30 mph on a bicycle.

I didn’t realize how fast 20 mph was until I fell on the first ride of my electric cruiser. I almost lost my elbow! The point is these bikes are fast and can be dangerous and that is why there are speed limitations in place in North American and parts of Europe.

Hints why the electric bike industry has to create class designations to decipher what is classified as legal motors to have or use in these countries.

Classes

Class 1: Electric bikes that are pedal-assist only, with no throttle, and have a maximum assisted speed of 20 mph.

Class 2: Electric bikes that also have a maximum speed of 20 mph, but are throttle-assisted.

Class 3: Electric bikes that are pedal-assist only, with no throttle, and a maximum assisted speed of 28 mph.

While pedaling, e-bikes can go as fast as you can pedal but, most bikes stop providing electric assist while pedaling at 20 mph (Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes). Class 3 electric bikes will provide assistance going at speeds up to about 28 mph with pedal assist only. All classes limit the motor’s power to 1 horsepower (750W), however; you can get more wattage if you buy from Asia.

Once again, how much speed does one require? In my personal experience, I can knowledgeably say that 20-28 mph is more than enough for a converted bicycle. However, for a manufactured bicycle built with a custom battery and frame that will properly carry the weight, 30 mph or more is more suitable.

Superfast E-Bikes

By now we know that US (Class 1 & 2) e-bikes have a speed limit of 20mph. This is the legal limit at which the motor can assist the rider on an e-bike. Anything beyond the limits is classified as ‘speed’ pedelecs or s-pedelecs (Class 3 in the US). Pedelecs are capable of pedal-assisted (no throttle) speeds up to 28mph, my friends, that speed limit is more than plenty. These bikes can be equated to motorbikes and mopeds.

Pedelecs were designed to give the rider the benefits of exercise while pedaling at lower power levels, giving a conventional bike experience. Pedelecs come with legal requirements to enable them to be ridden in public bike lanes & roadways. However, the requirements don’t always allow for Pedelecs to be ridden in the bike lanes, they are banned on low-speed pedestrian/bike-specific pathways.

What's great about Pedelecs, the bike can get you where you want to go faster, allowing the rider to travel further than with a Class 1 or 2 e-bike.

Beware Of The Danger

As I mentioned before the first encounter with my bike, Ghost Cruiser. I nearly lost my elbow when I took that nasty dive, as my bike tire got caught in the railcar track. Many things can happen to an inexperienced rider, it can be dangerous.

High speeds can be deadly, you must always take into account the law of physics. A bike traveling at the 28 mph mark will do much more damage than a bike traveling at 15 mph. An accident at 28-30 mph will increase the injury by 3 times.

The weight of the bike assisted with the speed will only make the bike harder to respond, the first problem with classified "superfast bikes" is the large and very heavy battery that mounts to the bike. The heavier batteries may increase the bike range but it also increases the rider's chance of injury.

The second problem is the rider's time to react as well as the time to respond to the others around them. Often riders underestimate their braking distances, I know I often do. Many of us have experienced a close call when a diver automatically assumes you will be doing the conventional bike speed, as they rush to cut you off. When riding a superfast bike the chances of reacting to these types of drivers drastically decreases.

You have to be aware of and be a driver for everyone on the road. E-bikes are just beginning to take off in the US and many other countries, to the average driver or anyone crossing your path, it would seem that the rider may not be approaching as fast. Fact is, riders are beginning to experiencing serious and fatal incidents in the countries where e-bikes are just beginning to take off.

A third factor to the problem is the possibility of component failure especially for the bikes that are D.I.Y. and bikes that are simply not built for the forces being exerted. The frame strength and rims must be built for speed also must be strong enough to stand up to the potential blunt forces.

Please do yourself and your family a favor and be safe out there. Stay in your lane and remember to raise your awareness. As always 'Cruise Easy!’