Those who have de restricted an E bike was it worth it ?
Discussion
I’m talking about bikes that were built by the manufacturer as e bikes e.g specalized’s turbo range of e bikes not some random kit of Amazon / Temu.
I haven’t done it and all I really wasn’t is assistance up to 20 mph rather than the 15.5 it currently has.
It will be out of warranty soon so no issues there, and I have the common sense to use the extra oomph only when appropriate.
No throttle wanted I have motorbikes for that.
So did you do it was it worth it ?
I haven’t done it and all I really wasn’t is assistance up to 20 mph rather than the 15.5 it currently has.
It will be out of warranty soon so no issues there, and I have the common sense to use the extra oomph only when appropriate.
No throttle wanted I have motorbikes for that.
So did you do it was it worth it ?
I had a modified Fazua commuter bike for 18 months or so. I fell off it twice quite badly, though not directly related to speed I certainly feel safer now that I cannot hit 20mph with zero effort.
Last 12 months all my eBikes have all being unmodded. It's actually made no difference to the speed of my commute, infact my stock Vado is faster than driving even when there is no school rush our traffic.
Last 12 months all my eBikes have all being unmodded. It's actually made no difference to the speed of my commute, infact my stock Vado is faster than driving even when there is no school rush our traffic.
ahelaborate said:
Yes, absolutely brilliant. 15mph is just too slow. Highly recommended.
I can imagine that 15mph limit is really annoying. Plus I've noticed on the e-bikes I've rented/borrowed getting them much above 16mph on the flat seems to take more effort than a normal bike as it bleeds the assist away (though I've not yet tried an e-Road bike)Yes.
The 15mph hard cut feels like a parachute has been deployed and can be a real issue when you need marginally more speed to hit a feature. It's also extremely annoying when your 9yr old on a 27.5" FS bike can outpace you on the flat. So mine is chipped and I'd say that 90% of the time it's never above 20mph... unless freewheeling down big stuff. But that extra 5mph assist makes the bike so much better on trails / features.
The 15mph hard cut feels like a parachute has been deployed and can be a real issue when you need marginally more speed to hit a feature. It's also extremely annoying when your 9yr old on a 27.5" FS bike can outpace you on the flat. So mine is chipped and I'd say that 90% of the time it's never above 20mph... unless freewheeling down big stuff. But that extra 5mph assist makes the bike so much better on trails / features.
z4RRSchris said:
doing it so you can have more fun OFF ROAD i understand,
doing it so you can commute faster because you don't want to buy a real moped, or get fitter is just moronic - risking having it taken off you, and a fine, and 6 points - no thanks.
Especially when mixed in with normal pedal cycles on cycle lanes, dangerous pests doing it so you can commute faster because you don't want to buy a real moped, or get fitter is just moronic - risking having it taken off you, and a fine, and 6 points - no thanks.
Giantt said:
Especially when mixed in with normal pedal cycles on cycle lanes, dangerous pests
I think we're veering off on a tangent as per usual or perhaps I've picked the OP up wrong but I assumed we were talking about taking a UK legal, pedal equipped non throttle e-bike that has a 15.5mph assist limit... Not to be confused with electric motorbikes like Surons or stand up scooters that buzz around the local high street or characters riding some utter cobbled together piece of crap with a dodgy motor from China and a battery pack sellotaped to the down tube.
Just you mentioned "normal pedal cycles" which is essence, a legitimate e-bike is albeit with electric assist. Bearing in mind, my fat mate on his posh gravel bike can still outpace me on my e-bike on cycle lanes... though cycle lanes in my world are off road trails, not cycle lanes where your head will end up under an HGV tyre.
Assuming I'm correct and we are talking about UK legal, supplied with warranty e-bikes that can in turn have the limiter increased then cool, as you were but if you're thinking anything else and suggesting a petrol moped of being more fit is the answer or thinking e-bikes being discussed here are a dangerous pest, then no. Just no.
I'm a non e-bike user but agree the 25kph/15.5mph limit a little low. I'd happily have a 20mph assist limit rule applied. I don't care if someone with an e-bike takes a KOM, bigger things in life to worry about but if someone can come out for a group ride and use an e-bike to join in and have a social spin and chat then that's all fine with me.
As with everything in life, bikes, cars, motorbikes, it's that 1% of people who ruin it for the 99%. And that 1% will have chipped their bike already for greater than 20mph or bought the full fat electric bike version to be a dick on.
As with everything in life, bikes, cars, motorbikes, it's that 1% of people who ruin it for the 99%. And that 1% will have chipped their bike already for greater than 20mph or bought the full fat electric bike version to be a dick on.
My Canyon Grail
n has been derestricted since day 1, I put road tyres on it and its my commuting beast. Stops assisting at 27.9mph which is fine.
If it was capped at 15.5mph I wouldnt even have the thing, it would be useless imo. So heavy and treacle-y when it cuts out assistance.
Most rides I average 21-24 mph
Always in turbo mode and I work it hard, yet it has never skipped a beat, these Bosch motors seem very reliable.
n has been derestricted since day 1, I put road tyres on it and its my commuting beast. Stops assisting at 27.9mph which is fine.If it was capped at 15.5mph I wouldnt even have the thing, it would be useless imo. So heavy and treacle-y when it cuts out assistance.
Most rides I average 21-24 mph
Always in turbo mode and I work it hard, yet it has never skipped a beat, these Bosch motors seem very reliable.
I’m not derestricting mine at all; it becomes a motorbike with all that entails.
It’s all very well saying “it’s just for off-road” but should the worst happen and you are involved in an accident with another MTB or hit a dog walker - regardless of fault - and someone is badly injured or killed and the police get involved then you are going to be in a world of pain. I’m not even going there.
All this “I just need that bit of extra speed/crank before a jump” - just ride a non-e bike.
It’s all very well saying “it’s just for off-road” but should the worst happen and you are involved in an accident with another MTB or hit a dog walker - regardless of fault - and someone is badly injured or killed and the police get involved then you are going to be in a world of pain. I’m not even going there.
All this “I just need that bit of extra speed/crank before a jump” - just ride a non-e bike.
CoolHands said:
Out of interest on the (rare PR-heavy) e-bike police operations how do they know / find that a regular e-bike has been derestricted? Not talking about the obvious deliveroo carbuncles
I think you'd be extremely unlikely to be caught but they do have those mini dynos they can test them on. If it's got a throttle then it's easy.
I see about one other cyclist every fortnight or so so seems unlikely they'd set one up on my commute.
Dog Star said:
I m not derestricting mine at all; it becomes a motorbike with all that entails.
It s all very well saying it s just for off-road but should the worst happen and you are involved in an accident with another MTB or hit a dog walker - regardless of fault - and someone is badly injured or killed and the police get involved then you are going to be in a world of pain. I m not even going there.
All this I just need that bit of extra speed/crank before a jump - just ride a non-e bike.
Riding a motorbike 'off road' can get you in trouble too!It s all very well saying it s just for off-road but should the worst happen and you are involved in an accident with another MTB or hit a dog walker - regardless of fault - and someone is badly injured or killed and the police get involved then you are going to be in a world of pain. I m not even going there.
All this I just need that bit of extra speed/crank before a jump - just ride a non-e bike.
I think this summer, I've seen less e-bikes on the moor?
I'm seeing more blatantly illegal e-bikes being used as rural transport though. Some people riding these things are less annoying than some of the entitled a
holes riding actual pedal bikes.Dog Star said:
I m not derestricting mine at all; it becomes a motorbike with all that entails.
It s all very well saying it s just for off-road but should the worst happen and you are involved in an accident with another MTB or hit a dog walker - regardless of fault - and someone is badly injured or killed and the police get involved then you are going to be in a world of pain. I m not even going there.
All this I just need that bit of extra speed/crank before a jump - just ride a non-e bike.
In what way does it become a motorbike because you've increased the cut off limit?! Last time I checked, a motorbike didn't have pedals to propel the rider and was throttle controlled The 15.5mpg cut-off on ebikes is painfully slow as many have already said, even in my local woods I can easily be doing 20-25mph in sections. Non electric road cycles can easily hit 30-45mph on the roads, why aren't these classed as death traps? It s all very well saying it s just for off-road but should the worst happen and you are involved in an accident with another MTB or hit a dog walker - regardless of fault - and someone is badly injured or killed and the police get involved then you are going to be in a world of pain. I m not even going there.
All this I just need that bit of extra speed/crank before a jump - just ride a non-e bike.
My E bike is derestricted to 28mph but generally, the most "important" speeds needed are around 15-25mph.
STe_rsv4 said:
In what way does it become a motorbike because you've increased the cut off limit?! Last time I checked, a motorbike didn't have pedals to propel the rider and was throttle controlled The 15.5mpg cut-off on ebikes is painfully slow as many have already said, even in my local woods I can easily be doing 20-25mph in sections. Non electric road cycles can easily hit 30-45mph on the roads, why aren't these classed as death traps?
My E bike is derestricted to 28mph but generally, the most "important" speeds needed are around 15-25mph.
It no longer ceases to be the legal definition of an EAPC; it’s classed as a motorcycle in law. Doesn’t matter if you personally think it’s stupid. Pedalling along the flat at 28mph on a MTB you’ll stand out like a sore thumb. You’re getting six points and your bike taken off you. Crash into and injure someone and you’re going to get the book thrown at you. Get caught coming back from the pub on it and you’re into a drink drive + no insurance conviction. My E bike is derestricted to 28mph but generally, the most "important" speeds needed are around 15-25mph.
Some people are ok with that risk - I’m not.
Don’t blame me - I don’t make these laws up, but the severity of the punishments if I got caught mean I’m not going there.
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