As someone who commuted for a decade on a non e-bike. I’m legitimately wondering how we integrate them into existing infrastructure in the US. 50cc is the limit for gas engines before you need a motorcycle license, which at the high end is ~5HP. I’m seeing e-bikes with way more than 5HP being used on sidewalks. I don’t have an answer to the problem but it scares me to have such easy access to basically motorcycles that are classified as bicycles. I spent 2 decades sweating and learning to ride fast, now an inexperienced idiot can do 20+ mph when they have no business going that fast.
I do a hill ride that takes me a mile or two up a mountain and I easily catch 40mph when bombing down the mountain. But on regular bike paths, I can’t make the motor go faster than 19mph. Unless I am on a hill. It’s 100% peddle assist and has no throttle. As why it’s a level 1. I wanna throttled eBike next. Or I might just buy a motorcycle. Electric or gas.
Prefacing with, I want an e-bike.
As someone who commuted for a decade on a non e-bike. I’m legitimately wondering how we integrate them into existing infrastructure in the US. 50cc is the limit for gas engines before you need a motorcycle license, which at the high end is ~5HP. I’m seeing e-bikes with way more than 5HP being used on sidewalks. I don’t have an answer to the problem but it scares me to have such easy access to basically motorcycles that are classified as bicycles. I spent 2 decades sweating and learning to ride fast, now an inexperienced idiot can do 20+ mph when they have no business going that fast.
I do a hill ride that takes me a mile or two up a mountain and I easily catch 40mph when bombing down the mountain. But on regular bike paths, I can’t make the motor go faster than 19mph. Unless I am on a hill. It’s 100% peddle assist and has no throttle. As why it’s a level 1. I wanna throttled eBike next. Or I might just buy a motorcycle. Electric or gas.