The ebike class 1/2/3 concept is stupid puritan nonsense driven by cyclist jealousy and serves only to limit the usefulness of ebikes as car replacements.
These are European classes seeping through. The class C e-bikes are tremendously popular in Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany and are replacing cars for commutes.
In Belgium the adoption is huge because the class C (45 km/h) are allowed on regular bicycle paths and on the road where max speed is 50 km/h (31 mph). They are specifically useful on our cycle highways infrastructure for medium long distances. Daily commutes by bike of 20 to 30 km are quite common now.
A class 3 bike requires a license plate, insurance and a driver’s license.
Class 3 bikes aren’t allowed on mixed bicycle pedestrian infrastructure.
Class 2 bikes are required to follow the same regulation as mopeds and you can ride them from age 16.
It’s all very logical if you place these classes in their proper environment.
I did a 20km commute for a month in one of the Low countries and it was a very pleasant way to spend the morning. In the warmer months at least.
My daily commute is just under 20 Km’s on average. I started doing it by speed Pedelec (Class C) a few years ago. It seems that my commute has become father on average because I don’t have to bother about parking space (most companies around here don’t have staff parking lots) and rush hour trafic. I leave for work 10 minutes later than I did by car.
When the weather is really bad I use public transport, which is fine. I invested in decent clothing to keep me cool, warm or dry and that has been one of the best investment ever.
I’ll engage with the struggle session: I think these distinctions are good actually, as they clarify the gradients between a bicycle and a moped. The 20mph speed limit in particular I think is a pretty important safety feature to have, and a reasonable speed limit on bike paths. The difference between 20mph and 28mph is not trivial, you’re doubling your kinetic energy.
I do agree that Class 3 without a throttle is silly, I think that’s a state-specific rule.
No idea what you talking about, could you give some context pls
Unlike other micromobility vehicles, ebikes are regulated into three classes as shown in the chart. The large majority of ebike models sold are class 1, meaning they have no throttle and the motor will not exceed 20mph. Many cities only permit class 1 ebikes, though this is, as another commenter pointed out, difficult to enforce and rarely enforced.
This is all caused by latent puritanism, specifically a reflexive aversion to things that are new, fun, and cool. Cyclists are jealous of ebikes passing them without apparent effort, while anti-cyclist brainworms types freak out about maniac cyclists going too fast and splitting lanes in their beloved car roads. These two forces which are naturally in opposition come together to hobble ebikes.
Cyclists are jealous of ebikes passing them without apparent effort
As a cylclist…no this is not it at all, and the fact that you think this at all tells me you’re definitely not a biker.
As a cyclist I’m terrified of ebikes flying by me at 20mph wearing zero proective gear without notifying me that they’re flying by me. Or flying at me. Or flying by me on the sidewalk when I’m a pedestrian. Or flying by my door on the sidewalk when I’m literally just trying to get my mail. Or flying through a stop sign at me when I’m walking, biking, or driving. Or any of the other ridiculous things ebikers tend to do at maximum speed with absolutely flagrant disregard for literally anyone’s safety. Getting up to 20mph on a pedal bike requires some serious effort and distance so most people aren’t zipping around on sidewalks or on city streets or on gravel bike trails at 20 mph. E bikers though have one setting and it’s “hit the speed limiter” regardless of their environment or how safe it might be.
Honestly it’s less the bikes that are the problem it’s the people on them. Frequent bikers use body language, signals, words, and sounds to help each other identify where we are and where we’re going in order to keep all of us safe out there. We ding our bells our shout “on your left” when passing. We make eye contact and adjust our speed to pass each other without stopping at intersections. We stay in our lanes and help protect each other from cars when we’re on the roads and on the trails. E Bikers don’t do any of this shit, they just whizz around everyone at top speed without having any respect AT ALL for anyone else on the road. They’re like the BMW drivers of the bike world. It’s a safety hazard for them with regards to their unexpected behaviors and cars, which isn’t really my business I guess. But what is my business is when it’s a safety hazard for me, and that’s what basically every rich asshole on an e bike has become.
I’m not saying ban them or anything like that, banning things is generally dumb, but we absolutely need to do something to deal with the massive safety hazard they’re causing (along with electric scooters) in our already horribly unsafe bike lanes. If classifying them by “level of safety hazard they present” helps us do that then I’m all for it. At the very least I don’t think any motorized vehicle should be allowed in bike lanes or bike trails unless they’re specifically motorized for accessibility rather than for dickhead speed. They should be relegated to the spots where other motorized vehicles are until and unless the people who use them can prove that they can safely exist in spaces reserved for human powered vehicles only.
So basically fuck e bikers, stop putting everyone on a bike in more danger than we already are and maybe we’ll change our mind about you.
Look below to see an example of
BMW driversebikers who have no clue that other people use the infrastructure they’re destroyingWish we had your cyclists, most of the ones in my city are pricks.
Some do the “on your side” yelling as they pass, which strikes me as quite strange because it’s a bit late.
I say this as someone who enjoys recreational bicycle riding.
I gotta say, E-bikes do sneak up on you with 0 warning, and they really only travel at maximum speed, but I think the easy solution is ban cars and appropriate the roads for e-bikes, leave bike paths for pedal-powered.
Definitely in favor of just ridding the universe of cars and separating smaller lanes out for various better modes of transit. That keeps everyone safer
Class 1 shouldn’t exist, and class 3 should have a throttle. I do think 45 kmh/28 mph is a reasonable top speed though. It’s a bicycle, not a motorcycle. Safety is a reasonable concern to have.
My EUC tops out at 55kmh/34mph and it’s still not fast enough for the times I’m forced by bad infrastructure to contend with cars
They should do this to cars tbh
Cars should be destroyed utterly
My town says it forbids Class 3 ebikes on the trail system but I’ve yet to see a checkpoint
Shouldn’t it just be a speed limit??
Exactly. We have service paths along canals that once we’re used to pull barges. Now they are popular bicycle connections because of the straight and flat path they offer. Class C bikes were prohibited to take these roads for a while but now they changed regulation to limit the speed along these paths to 30 km/h (19 mph).
cant really enforce that like you can enforce not allowing a type of bike
They’re not enforcing that either lol
Some things don’t truly have an enforcement mechanism but are intended as public guidance
