# E bikes power assitance cut off?



## User16625 (23 Oct 2016)

Do all e bikes stop providing power at 15mph+? Can you buy an e bike that provides an extra boost of power however fast your going? If you're riding off road I dont see any legal issues.


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## roadrash (23 Oct 2016)

the short answer is yes you can buy a bike (or kit )that gives you more,loads on ebey, but are illegal to use on or off road, this is worth a read.

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/a-guide-to-ebikes.179245/


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## Cuchilo (23 Oct 2016)

I saw a specialized one yesterday that clocked up to 33MPH on a Garmin 1000 . The owner had moved the wheel magnet to the crank arm so it tricked the motor into thinking the bike was going slower than it actually was . After that we had a race on childrens trikes .
Yesterday was great fun !


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## Pale Rider (23 Oct 2016)

RideLikeTheStig said:


> Do all e bikes stop providing power at 15mph+? Can you buy an e bike that provides an extra boost of power however fast your going? If you're riding off road I dont see any legal issues.



The problem is any land to which the public has access is covered by the 15.5mph ebike speed limit restriction.

Strictly, it doesn't even matter if the member of the public has to commit a civil trespass to be there.

Which rules out anywhere you could realistically ride a bike.

A fully fenced and gated field would be a contender, but even then it would be wise to lock the gate.


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## User16625 (24 Oct 2016)

Pale Rider said:


> The problem is any land to which the public has access is covered by the 15.5mph ebike speed limit restriction.
> 
> Strictly, it doesn't even matter if the member of the public has to commit a civil trespass to be there.
> 
> ...



JESUS CHRIST! That is unbelievably pedantic, suppose I should have assumed that. I guess they leave people little option but to break the law if they want powered (or power assisted) transport but dont want the hassle of licensing and insurance. I know I already have a full motorcycle license but I would definitely be put off. I already do 20ish on the flat on my Scott and about 15ish on my commuter bike.


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## AnneW (25 Oct 2016)

So when i do 16+ mph on my e-bike I'm breaking the law? 

Admittedly, it's mostly down hill with the wind on my back......


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## numbnuts (25 Oct 2016)

AnneW said:


> So when i do 16+ mph on my e-bike I'm breaking the law?
> 
> Admittedly, it's mostly down hill with the wind on my back......


NO the motor has cut out at 15.5 MPH, you as normal can make it go faster by pedalling and will not be breaking the law


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## AnneW (25 Oct 2016)

Thanks numbnuts, I can pedal happily now.


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## midlife (25 Oct 2016)

I don't think it's pedantic, more a case of protecting the public. 

Shaun


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## Cuchilo (25 Oct 2016)

midlife said:


> I don't think it's pedantic, more a case of protecting the public.
> 
> Shaun


Yeah , there are some proper idiots out there


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## NorthernDave (25 Oct 2016)

The number of websites that offer advice on how to get around the 15mph limit suggests it might have been done by one or two people...

Not that such things could be condoned, obviously.


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## Pale Rider (25 Oct 2016)

NorthernDave said:


> The number of websites that offer advice on how to get around the 15mph limit suggests it might have been done by one or two people...
> 
> Not that such things could be condoned, obviously.



I don't have a huge problem with someone having an otherwise legal motor set to assist up to ordinary bicycle speeds.

In that scenario, the user would be pedalling fairly hard to do, say, 20mph.

But it is still illegal, and I have a big problem with retailers misleading customers by saying it is legal 'off-road' when it plainly is not.


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## MistaDee (31 Oct 2016)

Cuchilo said:


> I saw a specialized one yesterday that clocked up to 33MPH on a Garmin 1000 . The owner had moved the wheel magnet to the crank arm so it tricked the motor into thinking the bike was going slower than it actually was . After that we had a race on childrens trikes .
> Yesterday was great fun !



On the Specialized Turbo bikes like the Levo 6Fattie MTB then the action of moving the wheel magnet is not needed and its the incorrect way to improve performance, you can connect to the bike using Specialized mission control bluetooth app and simply tell the bike that its wheelsize is smaller than the default setting and they can hit 35mpg quite easily, but the wear rate on the groupset when you do these hacks to the Specialized bikes is pretty extensive.


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## Pale Rider (31 Oct 2016)

MistaDee said:


> On the Specialized Turbo bikes like the Levo 6Fattie MTB then the action of moving the wheel magnet is not needed and its the incorrect way to improve performance, you can connect to the bike using Specialized mission control bluetooth app and simply tell the bike that its wheelsize is smaller than the default setting and they can hit 35mpg quite easily, but the wear rate on the groupset when you do these hacks to the Specialized bikes is pretty extensive.



The Spesh bike has a Brose crank drive motor, no throttle, so you have to pedal.

You can persuade the motor to carry on assisting above 15mph, but there is no way with mountain bike gearing you will hit 35mph, 'quite easily' or otherwise.


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## oldbadger (31 Oct 2016)

I test pedalled a Kudos mountain bike last week. The distributor explained that any new imports cannot have a throttle, and only have a 4mph button which is separate from the pedal-assist mode. This bike had five levels of thrust-power, all cutting out at 15.5mph, and level 1 (lowest) would have been enough for me to cruise up our steepest local hill. I guess that most cyclists might snub the 4mph button, but it could be most useful for slow maneovring through tricky areas, leaving the feet free to stamp 'n' go as required.

But I decided not to buy..... will keep grunting merrily away up Borstal and Radfall Hills!


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## Salad Dodger (31 Oct 2016)

Oldbadger is correct about the tendency of some bikes to zoom off as soon as you start to pedal. Which in traffic or maybe in a mixed use zone can be a bit unwelcome......


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## PhilDawson8270 (31 Oct 2016)

RideLikeTheStig said:


> JESUS CHRIST! That is unbelievably pedantic, suppose I should have assumed that. I guess they leave people little option but to break the law if they want powered (or power assisted) transport but dont want the hassle of licensing and insurance. I know I already have a full motorcycle license but I would definitely be put off. I already do 20ish on the flat on my Scott and about 15ish on my commuter bike.



Dropping those rules would mean places like private car parks are no longer covered by the Road Traffic Act. The fact that it is difficult to have powered transport without licensing and insurance is a good thing over all.


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## andrew_s (31 Oct 2016)

MistaDee said:


> you can connect to the bike using Specialized mission control bluetooth app and simply tell the bike that its wheelsize is smaller than the default setting and they can hit 35mpg quite easily.


If you do that, you are riding an electric motorcycle, and could get a fairly thick book thrown at you if you get caught, possibly including loss of car licence.
In fact, the Dept of Transport will probably say that you are riding an electric motorcycle even if you haven't changed the wheel size, because the app exists and you could. They have said this about e-MTBs with an "off-road" setting that turns off the 15 mph limit.


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## ufkacbln (1 Nov 2016)

Take a look at the "Anarchy" of mobility Scooters


This at 4 mph is legal for use in shops and on pavements







However many ride much larger scooters and these should be registered with the DVLA 






However less than half of the users of the larger vehicles were aware of this and riding them illegally


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## oldbadger (1 Nov 2016)

Cunobelin said:


> Take a look at the "Anarchy" of mobility Scooters
> 
> 
> This at 4 mph is legal for use in shops and on pavements
> ...


 
Sure......
But........ Multitudes of very elderly and very infirm folks are still driving cars, or riding these larger scooters because if they lost them, then their homes would be untenable and they would need warden accomodation, in which case the system would go way past 'overload'. I can see why the authorities are relaxing some rules at this time, because they just don't know what to do. In 2014 an old gent in a Citroen smashed into my vehicle, scraped free and continued on down the road...... he didn't even know he had hit anything! The Police/Courts let him keep his licence, and he does live waty out in the sticks....... wrong but ............. :shrug:

I would buy a new-rule electric-bike because the pedal assist range is brilliant, and off-road, that 4mph button might be very useful, but that's me....... I just try tro be positive in a World which could easily drive me nuts!


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## jonny jeez (1 Nov 2016)

roadrash said:


> the short answer is yes you can buy a bike (or kit )that gives you more,loads on ebey, but are illegal to use on or off road, this is worth a read.
> 
> https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/a-guide-to-ebikes.179245/


when i considered one a few years back (I didn't take up the idea and went for a road bike instead) the very well know bike shop in Richmond offered to change the cassette...or chainring to achieve 22 mph...without batting an eyelid. his only concern was that the battery wouldn't then be able to make it the 22 miles that I was commuting at the time, at the increased speed


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## voyager (21 Nov 2016)

the pedelec forum has a section on off road e-bikes
it is simple to get a controller that can be set for higher speed but I point out that it is illegal if the cutout speed exceeds 16.5 mph .
that is 15 mph plus/minus 10%.
other ways to get more power is to add an extra battery in series to increase the speed of a derestricted bike even further .
but current drain and the possibility of burning out the motor exists if the internal current shunt un the controller is soldered to lower its resistance. All these modifications , voids the warranty and will leave the rider open to prosecution in the event of the modification being discovered.


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