Can electric bikes actually keep up with traffic?

no you idiot they aren't supposed to replace a ferrari

>>1081540
You can't keep up with city traffic already?...

>>1081540
If the bike is intended for road use the assist is governed to 20 mph in most jurisdictions. There are some faster ones that use a loophole by indicating they are not intended for use on the road. And some really fast ones from builders that don't give a fuck about laws.

>>1081540

City traffic, yes. In fact, since bikes don't have to stop at stop-lights and can travel through narrower pathways (like alleys, bike paths, and sidewalks - legal or illegal depending on where you are), you can in fact arrive at your destination more quickly than if you had taken a car.

On the open road, a car will smoke an E-bike.

>There are some faster ones that use a loophole by indicating they are not intended for use on the road. And some really fast ones from builders that don't give a fuck about laws.

And if you use either of these categories anywhere other than your own property, and you gain the attention of the police (by getting in an accident, for example), you will find yourself being charged with some offense related to having an illegal E-bike, on top of whatever headache you were already dealing with.

Illegal bikes from "I don't give a fuck" importers/assemblers are also not guaranteed to be safe, and this spotty safety record combined with their illegality is a great way to burn down your house and then have your insurance company wash their hands of you, which happens at least a couple times a year. You don't want to be one of those people.

Look, if you really want to go fast on a bike, just get a motorcycle. They're made to go fast and the law won't be against you every step of the way.

>>1081554

Meant to quote you here >>1081810

Wouldn't want you to miss a (You), I mean, you're on /n/ so you probably need a couple extra.

>>1081810
Police have also been known to ticket scooter type e-bike riders who remove the pedals, even though that type of e-bike isn't meant to be pedaled at all. I doubt you could even pedal those single speed monstrosities for any significant distance.

>>1081540
>Can electric bikes actually keep up with traffic?
As long as traffic goes <28mph yes.

>nb4 modified motors that go 40mph+
Natural selection will catch up with you eventually.

>>1081815
>Police have also been known to ticket scooter type e-bike riders who remove the pedals, even though that type of e-bike isn't meant to be pedaled at all.

Where was this?

Most police in most areas of the world do not know anything at all about the E-bike laws of their own country and put very little effort towards enforcing them, so it's unusual when you hear about someplace that actually experiences enforcement of any kind.

It makes sense that they'd target this particular thing, since it's one of the few things about E-bikes that you can determine visually from a distance. Most of the time when an E-bike is breaking the law, you require specialized equipment (or at the very least, a detailed, up-close visual inspection) to determine and record that lawbreaking is taking place.

>I doubt you could even pedal those single speed monstrosities for any significant distance.

You really can't. The cranks are usually too short, too stiff, the bike is too heavy, etc. They're only on there so that scooter-style electric bikes can be legally sold, since the law in most places says something like "must have working pedals" in its description of what a legal E-bike is.

>>1081540

So whats a good 500w e-bike kit I can slap on my cyclocross bike?

>>1081834
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/electric-bikes-need-pedals-to-avoid-licensing-in-b-c-1.1167387

But I also saw this one where a judge said removing the pedals doesn't automatically make it not a bike, so who knows.
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/ontario-e-bike-rider-wins-court-battle-after-police-officer-gave-him-11000-in-fines-over-broken-pedal

I thought I saw a few US stories on this in the past, but only came up with these two Canadian ones. In the end I think it comes down to, if you are being an asshole and cops are around they'll try anything they can to screw you.

>>1081540
Yeah


California recently amended the moped and motorized cycle (149cc gas engine or 1000w electric motor or less) to include ebikes


_-------+++

Driver must have a motorcycle license (M1 or M2).

A "motorized bicycle" is also defined as a vehicle with pedals and an electric motor (not more than 1,000 watts) which cannot be driven at speeds of more than 20 mph on level ground even if assisted by human power. (CVC §406(b)).
If you operate a motorized bicycle which meets the definition of CVC §406(b), you:

- Must be 16 years of age or older.
- Must wear a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet.
- Are exempt from the motor vehicle financial responsibility, driver license, and moped plate requirements (CVC §12804.9).
A motorized bicycle is issued special license plates and identification cards, which requires a one-time $18 fee. No renewal is required.

>>1081846

Well, there is a difference between intentionally removing your pedals and having a broken one. I believe that's what happened here.

Also, here is the main point about the second case:

>The officer and the Crown believed that since the pedal was broken, the e-bike was a motorized vehicle, in essence, a motorcycle — and Eybel needed a licence and insurance. The justice disagreed.

Cop was a retard and didn't understand how laws work, basically. Nothing unusual.

>if you are being an asshole and cops are around they'll try anything they can to screw you.

Well that's certainly true anywhere you go, no matter what you're riding.

>>1081859

Could you give me the name of that statue?

>>1081861

*statute

It's been a long day

I couldn't find a single video on youtube of someone pedaling a scooter e-bike without motor assist. At the very least it would make an interesting challenge video. I'd be curious to see what kind of speed you'd be doing at 100 rpm to get an idea of how its geared.

>>1081540
That depends on the type of e-bike

>25km/h """250W"""
Not realy, they are slower than I am without a motor.
>45km/h unlimited power
They can be pretty damn fast, especially when the limiter is removed.
>deathbike
It litteraly beats a Tesla model S P100D on the quarter mile...

No because they are a fucking gimmick.

>>1082065
nigger

>>1082065
that's been around for 100+ years?

>>1082065
>gimmick

They sell 30,000,000 of them in China every year. The global price of lead is actually fixed in relationship to the sale of E-bikes because of all the SLA batteries the Chinese buy (about 4 billion annually).

The rest of the world accounts for millions more, with a quarter-million sold in the US last year. This is up from 0 about 20 years ago, and the market is only expanding, not shrinking, because the technology is improving and the laws around them are changing. Just in the past couple years we've seen many states in the US change their laws to suit the ever-increasing flow of E-bikes. The EU and China are cooperating on legal matters to get Chinese bikes sold in Europe. Chinese companies are opening state-of-the-art battery manufacturing plants around the world to produce large-format Li-Ion batteries for bikes. I could talk about this literally all week.

But sure, it's a "gimmick". Whatever you say, buddy. I don't understand complete dorks like you who think you can miracle an entire industry out of existence by whining on the internet, especially when you clearly know NOTHING about it!

File: IMAG0515.jpg (365KB, 1594x902px) Image search: [Google]

365KB, 1594x902px

>>1081540
for shits and giggles I threw pic related together

>1300w/48v
>controller is capable to 1600w/60v]
>4 lead acid 12v jet ski batteries
>range of 25 miles
>top speed of 40mph
>0-40mph instantly because muh torx
>was basically motorcycle with pedals

I pieced everything out and converted the bike to pedal power to sell it but I still got the motor and I plan on a li-ion build for lighter/more range.

Shit was FAST. Difference between gas and electric is electric might have a low top speed but you'll touch it instantly.

>>1082116

Where is this?

>Difference between gas and electric is electric might have a low top speed but you'll touch it instantly.

There's nothing "low speed" about electric motors. You can easily build one that goes crazy fast (there are 100+ mph electric motorcycles out there that you can buy right now), it's just that that's illegal in most places so nobody bothers with spending the time and money to do it; you don't build a product you can't sell.

The real difference is that electric motors have a flatter torque curve than an IC engine - their maximum torque is available the instant you feed electricity to them, because the thing that pushes them is the magnetic field generated by the electrical current running through the motor winding - not any physical movement inside the motor.

IC engines, by contrast, have to be spinning to generate power - they have to build up their RPM's before they can apply torque. That takes a few seconds and usually some gear shifts before they're at the proper RPM for the speed you want.

>>1082167
lol that was somewhere in downtown Chicago on the L because the wiring in my throttle broke that day so I had to lug it on the train or pedal the bitch home. Carrying it up the stairs sucked but it's better than pedaling a tank. I was surprised CTA personnel let me take it on the train.

now about gas vs electric, you're preaching to the choir except I'm going to say that 40mph is a relatively low top speed for a 1300w (1.7hp) machine. I'm almost sure if that was a 1.7hp gas engine with a transmission it could top out higher. That flat torque curve though is indescribably dick shimmying, scary fun, and addictive on a 1000w+ ebike.

File: img_2180.jpg (251KB, 800x469px) Image search: [Google]

251KB, 800x469px

>>1081844
>mid drive master race

>>1082192
>riding a bike that looks like an IED in america

Electric bikes are no slower than non-assisted bikes, so yes they can easily keep up with traffic.