'70 MPH e-bikes' prompt one US state to change its laws • Hacker News Board

Re: '70 MPH e-bikes' prompt one US state to change its laws

#111

Post by pandaman » Fri, Aug 01, 2025, 1:57 AM UTC

californical wrote: post #60

nicoburns wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think higher speeds should be allowed, but they should be liscensed like any other motocycle (perhaps they're their own class with their own rules, but they should be registered with a license).

I can hit that speed on a regular bike with a good wind, which is perfectly legal. Adding an extra licensing step could slow the adoption of people switching from cars to e-bikes for commutes (a very positive step in my opinion). A coworker of mine has a medium-speed e-bike, maybe goes 25-30mph in the (mostly empty) bike lane of a 45mph road for a lot of the journey. Tries to take 35mph side roads for the rest. It’s…

Can you hit that speed on a regular bike on a regular street? Can you break quick enough when people or cars get into your path while at that speed? E-bikes I see around here are operated by people who don't use the front brake and wipe out all the time at <20 mph. It would be fine if they just hurt themselves but they also run into pedestrians and cars, causing bodily harm and property damage.

Re: '70 MPH e-bikes' prompt one US state to change its laws

#112

Post by Hamuko » Mon, Aug 04, 2025, 4:09 PM UTC

tim333 wrote: post #88

throw0101c wrote: post #13

I personally like the EU rule (168/2013) on e-bikes for this: > pedal cycles with pedal assistance which are equipped with an auxiliary electric motor having a maximum continuous rated power of less than or equal to 250 W, where the output of the motor is cut off when the cyclist stops pedalling and is otherwise progressively reduced and finally cut off before the vehicle speed reaches 25 km/h [15.5 mph] * https://en…

I ride an EU rule ebike. It's good on the whole but I think they could go to 500W or 750W and still keep the 15.5mph. It's quick on the flat but on any sort of hill it struggles and drops to more like 5 mph, or needs pedaling.

I have a 1000 W e-bike in Europe (Finland). Like a 250 W one, it's road legal and restricted to 25 km/h. The only difference is that I'm required to have liability insurance on it, which is about 100 €/year.

Re: '70 MPH e-bikes' prompt one US state to change its laws

#113

Post by Mawr » Mon, Aug 04, 2025, 6:50 PM UTC

californical wrote: post #60

nicoburns wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think higher speeds should be allowed, but they should be liscensed like any other motocycle (perhaps they're their own class with their own rules, but they should be registered with a license).

I can hit that speed on a regular bike with a good wind, which is perfectly legal. Adding an extra licensing step could slow the adoption of people switching from cars to e-bikes for commutes (a very positive step in my opinion). A coworker of mine has a medium-speed e-bike, maybe goes 25-30mph in the (mostly empty) bike lane of a 45mph road for a lot of the journey. Tries to take 35mph side roads for the rest. It’s…

The operative word here is "I". It's not people who are experienced enough cyclists to be able to go fast that are the problem. It's novices that are able to go super fast without all that experience you've gained over time.

Re: '70 MPH e-bikes' prompt one US state to change its laws

#114

Post by Mawr » Mon, Aug 04, 2025, 7:00 PM UTC

hnuser123456 wrote: post #29

potato3732842 wrote: post #5

Going 30 on anything that resembles a bike in geometry and construction is not a leisurely activity one engages in casually. 40 is pushing it, 50 you know is unsafe. 70 is a publicity stunt in a controlled environment. Yes, I know road bikes (with or without electricity) hit high speeds in certain situations, but those situations are away from traffic or potential traffic, a big downhill in the middle of nowhere or a…

I have a class 3 ebike, so 20mph throttle-only, 28mph if you pretend to pedal for whatever reason. The requirement to pedal is more dangerous than the speed. It's fast, but on a long, straight, paved path, it's not that scary, and I wanted to go faster. If I could just throttle it up to 35mph, I wouldn't even need bike lanes around town. 45mph, and I could easily get to the next town over. It's a lighter, slower, che…

> It's a lighter, slower, cheaper motorcycle that doesn't need a license, registration, insurance, or gasoline.

There's a reason why motorcycles need those things. As well as why they have those thick tires, suspension, large disc brakes, require proving that you know how to operate them, and the law requires you at least wear a helmet.