“These are not bikes”: Peter Hitchens sparks e-bike misinformation row after accusing cargo bike families of riding illegal “heavy electric motorcycles”, claiming they aren’t “proper cyclists” and have “invaded” bike lanes + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
“These are not bikes”: Peter Hitchens sparks e-bike misinformation row after accusing cargo bike families of riding illegal “heavy electric motorcycles”, claiming they aren’t “proper cyclists” and have “invaded” bike lanes
At the start of this week, you may remember, I shared a photo on the live blog, posted by London’s cycling and walking commissioner Will Norman, showing a number of families navigating the capital’s school run on e-cargo bikes.
And while some cyclists dutifully pointed out that the junction in question isn’t exactly the most cycle-friendly, Norman said the photo was indicative of changing commuting habits for families in London.
“Over 250,000 cars do the morning school run in LDN – our bike lanes and school streets are enabling families to choose better options,” the cycling and walking commissioner posted.
I spotted five family bikes at a single junction this morning. Not an event or a photoshoot; just the school run in London🚲
Over 250,000 cars do the morning school run in LDN – our bike lanes & school streets are enabling families to choose better options. 🚲🚶♀️🛴👨🦽🤸♀️
— Will Norman (@willnorman.co.uk) June 1, 2026 at 9:39 AM
Which sounds great. Unless you’re Peter Hitchens, of course.
The controversial journalist, political commentator, and commuter cyclist – who holds the distinction of penning one of the Daily Mail’s extremely rare pro-cycling columns – responded to Norman’s comment by claiming that the cargo bike-using families by accusing them of riding illegal, fast electric motorcycles.
Or pulling a reverse Adrian Chiles, as it’s known in the business.
“These are not bikes but very heavy electric motorcycles, mysteriously exempt from licensing, registration, driving tests, and insurance,” Hitchens posted.
For some reason, Hitchens appears to have confused these families’ legal electrically assisted pedal cycles (cargo bike or otherwise) with the high-powered, often illegally modified electric motorbikes – which notably do need insurance and registration to be used on the roads.
Luckily, Norman was there to set the record straight: “These weren’t. They were fully compliant e-bikes – have to be pedalled and are capped at 15.5mph etc.
“I share your concerns re: illegal e-bikes that are akin to electric motorcycles (don’t need to be pedalled, power not capped etc) and have raised this with government.”
That didn’t stop Peter, though. Let’s just say he hasn’t let this one lie.
“The basis of British road safety since 1934 has been that *any* powered vehicle must display a licence plate and be insured, and that its driver or rider must hold a licence to drive it and have passed a test,” Hitchens posted.
“This rule has been quietly abandoned with major effects. Why? Where are the records of the process by which the EU, and then the UK government, abandoned this wise principle.”
In response, Dr Robert Davis, the chair of the Road Danger Reduction Forum, wrote: “I’m sad that you’ve gone down this road. Firstly, ‘licensing, registration etc’ haven’t controlled or properly regulated cars/vans/lorries, have they? That’s an important point to make.
“Secondly, the legal EAPCs require pedalling and are at least a kind of cycling. You should know that ‘the basis of British road safety’ has been deference to motoring, illegal or otherwise.
“Exactly what have been the benefits of licensing etc? Maybe overall there have been – but not sufficient to bring the danger posed to other road users by car/van/lorry drivers and motorcyclists down to that of cyclists.
“And how many drivers are reported successfully with use of their number plate? These measures are not in any way good regulation.”
Not satisfied with that rebuke, Hitchens turned his attention to the use of e-bikes in cycle lanes – and why, he claims, they constitute “cheating”.
“Cycle lanes were created for muscle-powered, clean, healthy cycling, not for fast, exercise-free, dangerous, heavy electric motorbikes. That is why it is cheating,” he said.
“This is a critique about speed differential, not amount of effort,” replied James Hiddell. “I’m a road cyclist and if I’m cruising at 32kph (or 20 standard freedom units) then someone on an e-bike going the same speed is no problem.”
“You are mistaken,” Hitchens hit back. “The electric motorbikes which have now invaded cycle tracks are usually heavy hire versions, cargo bikes or illegal fatbikes. Cycle lanes are not wide enough to allow them to mix safely with pushbikes.
“I rarely ride above 12 mph, let alone ‘cruise’ electric motorbikes, even if genuinely restricted to 15mph (which few are) are a grave hazard if they hit you.
“Back in the 1970s and 1980s I supported what then seemed hopeless campaigns for dedicatred [sic] cycle tracks in London, for this very reason, that pushbikes don’t mix with heavy engined traffic.
“It is amazing to me now that we won the battle to get dedicated cycle tracks, and almost immediately lost them again when they were invaded by electric motorbikes. Who gained from this? Not proper cyclists.”
“E-bikes are completely and utterly dissimilar to bicycles”: A short history of Peter Hitchens’ relationship with e-bikes
Of course, this isn’t the first time that Peter Hitchens – perhaps London’s second most notable cycle commuter, after Lord Vine – has called for stricter laws governing what he calls the “e-bike menace”.
Back in 2024, the controversial author took part in a debate with cycling campaigner Richard Scrase, a trustee of cycling campaign group Cyclox (from which Hitchens resigned in 2019 over his e-bike stance), which was catchily titled: ‘E-scooters/e-bikes: blessing or curse?’
Claiming that he was nearly “knocked off the pavement” by an e-bike rider on Oxford’s Marston Road, Hitchens told the meeting, organised by the My Jericho community group, that he had been “nearly swatted by e-bikes a number of times, and not just by delivery drivers”.
“You are riding a motorcycle – it is a bicycle with a motor. It’s the same with a car,” Hitchens said of e-bikes while calling for them to be subject to the same laws as motor vehicles, while also criticising Lime bikes, which he claimed “lie about” the streets of London.
“[E-bikes] are completely and utterly dissimilar to bicycles… and if they were compelled to be licensed, and people rode them without that, then the police would have to act,” he said,
When challenged by an audience member on his anti-e-bike stance, Hitchens responded: “My views are from experience. Every minute I walk on the streets in London and in Oxford, my life and health are in danger.”
In response, Scrase noted the much-ignored distinction between legal e-bikes and illegal e-motorbikes, and said people shouldn’t be put off e-bikes by a small group of people using “illegal machines”.
During the debate, Scrase concluded that e-bikes were “reliable”, “cheap to run”, “fun”, and “good for your health”.
Which is why they’re being used by more and more families on the school run, right Peter?
And… she’s off! JOGLEJOG history-maker Dr Sarah Ruggins begins 6,000km ‘One Way North’ record attempt, aiming to become the fastest cyclist to ride from the bottom to the top of Europe
We might have to rename June ‘ultra-endurance cycling record season’ or something (I’ll have to think of something snappier than that if it’s to catch on, I suppose).
Because it’s all go at the moment on the epic rides front. On Wednesday, extreme triathlete and gravel racer Caroline Livesey shattered the women’s record for the fabled North Coast 500 by over four hours, covering the 516-mile Highland route in 32 hours and 22 minutes courtesy of a storming, almost non-stop ride through the relentless Scottish rain.
On Sunday, Lael Wilcox – the holder of the women’s record for circumnavigating the world by bike – is heading off on another around-the-world ride, this time in pursuit of the outright world record.
And this morning, last year’s JOGLEJOG hero Dr Sarah Ruggins set off from Tarifa in Spain aiming to secure another outright ultra-cycling record of her own: to become the fastest cyclist ever to ride from the very bottom of continental Europe to the very top.
Last May, Ruggins a relative newcomer to cycling who first started riding a bike just three years ago after losing her ability to walk as a teenager due to a debilitating illness, earned her place in endurance sport history by smashing the outright world record for cycling the length of Britain and back, beating James MacDonald’s previous benchmark for the epic 2,700km ride.
Ruggins completed JOGLEJOG (or John o’ Groats to Land’s End and back, if you’re not fond of acronyms) in five days, 11 hours, and 14 minutes, meaning she bettered MacDonald’s record, set in 2017, by around seven hours, placing her in the rarified sporting air of female athletes who hold both men’s and women’s endurance records.
View this post on Instagram
Now, 13 months later, the Canadian-born, Gloucestershire-based rider is hoping to ride her way to another outright record. Ruggins’ ‘One Way North’ ride will take her 6,000km (3,700 miles) from the Tarifa in the very south of Spain to Nordkapp, on the northernmost tip of the top of Norway.
She’s going to ride through nine countries – Spain, France, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and Norway – in her attempt to beat the current record of 16 days, 20 hours, and 59 minutes, set by Bath-based academic and road safety advocate Dr Ian Walker in 2019. To do, she reckons she’ll have ride for 22 hours a day. Gulp.
“On a ride like this, the hard part is staying sharp when tired,” she said in a statement before setting off his morning. “The record will come down to thousands of small decisions, repeated hour after hour.
“It’s about focusing on the controllables that allow you to keep moving forward when the environment is not in your favour and your mind is telling you to quit. I’ve learned you can outwork most challenges as they arise if you adhere to your process and not your emotions.”
View this post on Instagram
I imagine there’ll be plenty of outworking to do over the next two weeks. But, for someone who’s overcome childhood illness and taken on the Transcontinental (twice), the Race Around Rwanda, and JOGLEJOG within three years of taking up cycling, I reckon Dr Ruggins will keep moving forward no matter what.
And her mum was there to wave her off this morning, which is worth a few extra watts out on the road, surely?
“It feels like an injustice to me”: Lorena Wiebes breaks silence on “harsh” bike weight disqualification at Giro d’Italia
It turns out Lorena Wiebes’ return to Italy wasn’t just about mingling with the tifosi at the roadside.
Since her disqualification from the Giro at the weekend, the Dutch champion has remained notably quiet as the controversy surrounding her and her underweight bike continues to grow. After heading home for a few days, Wiebes has travelled back down to Italy in her camper van, to get some training in while cheering on the peloton.
And on Thursday, the SD Worx star finally broke her almost week-long silence, echoing her SD Worx team’s claim that she was unfairly booted off the Giro.
Appearing on the Dutch podcast La Koers, Wiebes reflected on her reaction to her shock disqualification – after her bike was judged to be 20g below the UCI’s 6.8kg minimum weigh limit – saying: “At first, I mainly felt sadness. Later came anger about why things turned out this way. The evening of the decision and the second day were very tough.”
She continued: “If it had been the same all the time, I could have accepted it more easily. You could still doubt the equipment, but that it fluctuated, it was even harder.”
As we pointed out on Monday, despite claims made on social media, Wiebes’ underweight bike was likely not a result of her switch to a 1x setup, the Dutch rider pointing out she had used a single chainring on several occasions this season, while also repeating her team’s claim that the race jury’s weighing procedure was not carried out properly.
“I had ridden with a single chainring before and knew that my bike for Milan-Sanremo was also weighed with the same set-up,” she said.
“The UCI weighing annoyed me the most. After the race, we did it again at the hotel. It was perfectly fine then too.
“If I hadn’t ridden my sprint according to the rules, you can live with the fact that it’s your own fault. Now it doesn’t feel like I bear any blame.”
Wiebes also questioned whether a disqualification – and the loss of her stage one victory – was an appropriate response to a 20g weight discrepancy.
“I would like the UCI to take another look at those regulations. Whether a rider really needs to be punished so severely if there is something wrong with the bike that you, as a rider, have no control over it,” she said.
“The penalty is too harsh. It is tricky, though. Climbers can benefit from a lightweight bike but on the other hand, I think: are you really going to put minutes on someone if the bike is 20g lighter?
“It feels like an injustice to me, perhaps a yellow card and a fine for the team would have been better. If you have a bike that is too light a second time, you can be disqualified from the race. That seems more logical to me.
“What is most important to me is that there should be no more fluctuations in the measurements. The UCI absolutely needs to look into that.”
French wonderkid Célia Gery powers past Lucinda Brand to take first career grand tour stage, as sprinters foiled by thrilling late Elisa Longo-Borghini-led attack
If you haven’t been paying attention to Célia Gery, now is probably a good time to start.
The 20-year-old French star, the current U23 world champion, has enjoyed a blistering 2026 so far, winning the Brabantse Pijl and GP Chambéry during a golden long weekend in April, while also finishing ninth at Binda and 11th at Paris-Roubaix.
And this afternoon, Gery has added a grand tour stage win to her ever-growing palmares, keeping cool during a chaotic final 30km to power past veteran Lucinda Brand on the finishing straight in Salice Terme to secure the victory, as the sprinters were foiled by a thrilling late attack spearheaded by a time-hunting Elisa Longo Borghini.
Gery took advantage of the ferocious descent off the Pietragavina, the day’s sole climb, to bridge across to the breakaway, with Brand and Longo Borghini joining her and eventually forming a dangerous group of six, featuring the remnants of the early attack, Gaia Segato, Chantal Pegolo, and Alison Jackson.
On the flat run-in, Longo Borghini, sitting sixth overall, was in full GC mode, taking long turns at the front and, aided by an ever-willing Jackon, building up a healthy gap as the sprinters’ teams, coalescing after the climb, struggled to regroup.
The attackers’ ambitions were also boosted when FDJ’s GC-focused chase was called off by Demi Vollering, the Dutch star seemingly unfazed by Longo Borghini’s move and keen to let her young teammate Gery fight for the win.
That decision may have proved decisive, the break entering the final kilometre with just enough of an advantage to fight for the win, the wily Brand entering the final corner at the front, only for Gery to surge by in the last 50 metres to secure a tactically perfect breakthrough grand tour win.
View this post on Instagram
“I’m very happy. I didn’t think I’d win before the start,” Gery said after the stage. “At the top of the climb I accelerated to position Demi for the descent, but I was going very fast and I found Silvio Persico. I didn’t know what to do when the group went away, it was a bit weird.
“I was able to play tactically with Brand, and stay fresh in the head and keep my nerves. And that’s it, I did it.”
In hindsight, UAE ADQ may rue Longo Borgini’s earnest willingness to gain a handful of seconds on GC (including one last-ditch mega pull for most of the final kilometre), the team’s Irish sprinter Lara Gillespie leading home the peloton just eight seconds after Gery raised her arms in triumph.
Those eight seconds probably won’t matter much in the pink jersey battle come Sunday. But they separated Gillespie from a potentially career-defining grand tour victory. Oh, to be a fly on the wall at the UAE dinner table tonight…
Carnage at the Tour de Wallonie as Modern Adventure’s Ben Oliver wins crash-marred sprint to seal overall title
A brilliant breakthrough stage race victory for the New Zealander Oliver at the Tour de Wallonie this afternoon, during what is his first full season racing in Europe.
I spoke to the Modern Adventure rider after his debut Paris-Roubaix in April, and you could sense that he was knocking on the door of a big result. And beating Arnaud De Lie to take two stages and the overall at Wallonie is proof of that.
However, that was a messy, messy sprint, and I’m concerned the race jury might have something to say about it before the day’s done:
Ben Oliver (Modern Adventure) wins the last stage and the overall title of Tour de Wallonie! 👏🇳🇿 There was again a very bad crash before the sprint, Oliver collided with Heiduk so the jury might relegate him. I wouldn’t.#TourdeWallonie pic.twitter.com/ycQkx8ql2g
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) June 5, 2026
Pink jersey down! Giro leader Anna van der Breggen involved in mass crash
Not ideal at all for the pink jersey, who hit the deck hard along with several other riders following what looked like a nasty crash with around 50km to go, caused by a touch of wheels near the front of the peloton (thankfully nobody seems too seriously affected by the spill).
View this post on Instagram
Van der Breggen is back in the bunch and looked comfortable enough on the main climb of the day, but suffering a fall of any kind the day before the Giro’s hardest stage wouldn’t have been part of SD Worx’s plans for today. Just goes to show, you can’t take anything for granted at the Giro.
Have you been wondering what’s going on in the world of e-bikes this week? Don’t worry, our ‘Enry’s got you covered…
Mercian builds another celebrity charity bike, this time for England football legend Jill Scott
Mercian Cycles’ celebrity charity cycling challenge obsession shows no signs of slowing down, does it?
After building BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James a lovely steel tandem for his 1,000km ride for Comic Relief earlier this year – a bike that played host to both Geraint Thomas and Prince William, as well as the Breakfast Show host – the iconic Dery-based brand is at it again.
It was announced this morning that Mercian have once again teamed up with the Beeb’s charity wing to build a custom bike for England football legend Jill Scott, who’ll be taking on what sounds like a horrifically difficult five-day, 388-mile duathlon challenge for Sport Relief next week.
View this post on Instagram
Former Everton and Manchester City midfielder and Euro 2022 winner-turned-all round TV and podcast personality Scott will set off from Wembley on Monday for a 112-mile ride to Villa Park in Brimingham. She’ll then cycle another 99 miles to Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium, before running (yes, running) 38 miles to Manchester.
Finally, a 111-mile ride to the north-east will tee up the final leg, a 28-mile run to her spiritual home, Sunderland and its Stadium of Light. I’m tired just thinking about all that.
For the cycling legs, Mercian have supplied Scott with a Ventura Allroad bike, painted with “custom Sport Relief graphics”. No photos have been released yet of the bike, but we have asked Mercian nicely, so fingers crossed.
But Jill has given it the Scott seal of approval, saying: “The bike’s great, they made sure that it’s fitted so I’ll ride it to the best of my ability.”
> Check out the Mercian tandem that Greg James will ride 1,000km for Comic Relief
Bob Smith, a mechanic at Mercian, told the BBC it was “great” the 80-year-old brand – which was saved from liquidation last year – was building another bike for a celebrity fundraiser, following the success of Greg James’ tandem expedition.
“I think it’s down to Greg. The people who organised the rides were blown away by the bike and how Greg got on with [it],” he said.
“They must have thought, if they were doing another one, they would contact us again.”
‘Go on, weigh my bike now, I dare you’
She may have been controversially booted off the Giro after her bike went on an unexpected post-stage diet, but that hasn’t stopped Lorena Wiebes taking to the roadside to cheer on the peloton:
View this post on Instagram
The UCI probably has a rule against standing on walls and clapping, I’d be careful if I were you Lorena…
How to build a (mini) bike, brick by brick… literally
Remember the Lego bike that was unveiled at the start of the Giro? Well, here it is in all its Danish bricky glory:
View this post on Instagram
What can I say, the algorithm knows me…
Anyway, what does giant nerd – sorry, I mean Lego Instagram content creator Artur make of the brand’s miniature piece of BMC-adjacent aeroness?
“What I like: The model is huge. Much bigger than I expected. It has the largest tyres LEGO has ever produced (the instructions say, but I don’t remember if they were any larger). It takes up a lot of shelf space!” he posted.
“Lots of new parts. I was amazed at how many new pieces this set includes to make the model realistic. The new, largest gear wheel yet, the new ‘one-way’ gear wheel (that is, it stops in one direction), the new panels that form the rim… it’s great!
“The model has realistic proportions and appearance. As someone who enjoys cycling, I couldn’t imagine a better model. A great addition is the stand on which we assemble part of the model and it is not something artificial, but rather reproduces real stands used in bicycle repair shops. No stickers.
“What I don’t like: There is a rear light, but why not the front one? The brake handles do not close towards the handlebar, only outwards. Sometimes the chain skips on the sprocket. You could try adding some spring tension to the rear, like on a real bike.”
Not sure Artur has a future as a road.cc tech reviewer, if I’m honest.
“Ten lanes in the whole county is a drop in the ocean, and Oxfordshire residents who use cars will almost all be unaffected by this pilot”
For so-called ‘quiet lanes’, they’re making quite a bit of noise lately…
Giro d’Italia Women stage 7 preview: Hilly day lends itself to interesting tactical battle before GC fight recommences in the Alps tomorrow
Tomorrow, the Giro heads into the Alps for what promises to be a blistering, potentially race-deciding battle on the epic Colle delle Finestre.
But first up, we have this cheeky, disruptive, tactical headscratcher of a stage, one which pink jersey Anna van der Breggen and her SD Worx team will be approaching like a grumpy teenager told to clean up their bedroom. They’re not looking forward to it, but it has to be done.
That’s because today’s 159km stage through Lombardy is mostly flat – with the exception of the 7km-long climb to Pietragavina, located just 27km from the finish in Salice Terme.
The Pietragavina ascent isn’t particularly long or steep, but its proximity to the finish lends it some tactical intrigue. The sprinters’ teams won’t want to work all day knowing what’s ahead of them, while the GC favourites won’t want to burn up too many matches before the Alps at the weekend, rendering it the perfect place for a well-timed ambush. Things could get interesting…
Why don’t cyclists use the cycle lane? #681,082: Because there’s a set of traffic lights in the middle of it
Please can we stop contractors in Headingley and Hyde Park blocking the cycle lane and footpaths with signs for cars 🙏🙏🙏 @timgoodall.bsky.social
There’s other ones where the temporary traffic light has been put slightly to the side so it’s possible to pass through on a bike.
— Anthony (@anthonyobrien.bsky.social) June 4, 2026 at 2:14 PM
“We agreed that we were going to attempt to cycle across the US. The only problem was we didn’t own bikes. I think the first ride we went out for about 10 miles and came back and couldn’t walk…”
Podcasts, get your podcasts here, fresh out of the oven! Perfect for some Friday procrastination…
Help us to bring you the best cycling content
If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £2.49. Our mission is to bring you all the news that’s relevant to you as a cyclist, independent reviews, impartial buying advice and more. Your subscription will help us to do more.
36 Comments
Read more...
Read more...
Read more...
Latest Comments
"Driving an SUV in the UK should require a C1 category driving license." At the end of the day, this is all about safety/risk. I agree with the idea and would welcome a view from the motor insurance industry. If the risk andor claims costs of KSIs/property damage is much higher for drivers of larger vehicles, should those increased premiums/renewals be shared amongst only those drivers? Or, as is currently, all drivers including those of us who only drive smaller vehicles?
Councillor Ed Hill demonstrates perfectly how inexperienced and badly trained are Reform and ex-Reform councillors. Anybody informed on the subject would have ensured that their diatribe contained at least one example of 'I'm a cyclist myself, but......'
You're allowed to look at the cycle lane before and as you turn. Which is what this driver did, except he then also stopped and waited for a cyclist to appear in order to make this 'point'. PS if you have to stop, then turning your head to look is another option. You can also lean forwards in your seat AND turn your head. Take this person's driving licence away please.
Um - I think you missed the 'andor' at the start of mitsky's post. Prevention is better than cure, but prevention *and* cure is better than either.
@mitsky Prevention is better than cure. i wouldnt want wait until they kill someone before action is taken. And many people driving never even had to sit a theory test. So are we to take a driving test taken decades ago as enough to assume they understand many new rules that have been brought in in the mean time? When I was in the army , I had to sit a theory test once a year to keep my ability to drive military vehicles in date. I see why this shouldnt be replicated for all drivers. Standards have dropped sharply in recent years. And if it helps make roads safer and also educate many about things like priorities for vulnerable road users there is only positives to take away. any push back is , i assume, more to do with ego. Why should I have to resit a test periodically if Ive never had an incident? Personally Id rather not wait to find out. I would rather know if youre behind the wheel of a car you know exactly that the rules are cos you're up to date via a theory test. I would also suggest that if anyone fails their theory so badly or repeatedly they should have their license reviewed and a possible loss of license until a full test is passed. I know many will say, they will continue to drive without a license. I believe in the cases where this is true, they would do so even if banned after an incident anyway. At least this way we are attempting to educate and raise standards of all road users not just the very worst.
@Smoggysteve Andor if there is evidence of a driver using the vehicle in a way that would fail a test (ie dangerous fault) then they should lose their licence rather than just recieve points and a fine. If a dangerous fault on a test is enough to prevent someone gaining a full licence, Shirley that same fault should be enough to lose it.
Better still, make SUV drivers register an abnormal load every time they want to move the vehicle. 😁
As someone who lived in Exeter many years ago, its deeply disappointing to find that a part of the city elected this moron of a councillor.
Since so many people fail to understand the basic but vital changes made over the years to the HWC, I propose ALL drivers licenses are suspended until they sit and pass a theory test every 2 years to ensure they are kept informed with all the different rules that have been brought in over the years. Its clear that many drivers who think they know the rules are, in many cases, very wrong. If I was trained in using a very dangerous piece of machinery, I would expect to have to be retrained on it to satisfy the safety case to know I was still competent to operate that machine if it changed in any way from its previous standard operating procedure. Why should cars or lorries be any different?
36 thoughts on ““These are not bikes”: Peter Hitchens sparks e-bike misinformation row after accusing cargo bike families of riding illegal “heavy electric motorcycles”, claiming they aren’t “proper cyclists” and have “invaded” bike lanes + more on the live blog”
I have a Tern GSD S00 and I can assure you that nothing about it is illegal or overpowered. In fact, its wildly underpowered as soon as the roads point upwards. The regulations on ebikes are frankly ridiculous and don’t take into account the different needs of different kinds of ebike.
I take my 3 year olds to nursery on the back of it and between us and the bike I reckon we are pushing 180kg. 250w doesn’t really touch the sides on a 15% hill. As a comparison, on my 7kg road bike with a system weight of around 92kg, I am pushing 250-300w up plenty of hills around me to keep moving at anything but less than walking speed.
I have no particular gripe with the speed limit set on these bikes but the limitation on the power of the motor is stupid. I would change it to allow 500w and a max speed of 32kph personally.
@mctrials23 I agree that the EAPC max speed bracket being changed to 20mph would be sensible, but in terms of power, I think a fairer measure would be a maximum power to weight metric. Although that would be even more difficult to police, there’s already distinctly underwhelming enforcement of the current legislation so [shrugs] IDK.
We have clearly defined and fairly robust rules in place so better enforcement, and education of hacks like Hitchens, and Giles at the opposite end of the spectrum, would go a long way to making this a non-issue.
But hey, we live in a world that breeds misinformation.
Short: while current limits are arbitrary and it’s all a dynamic balance (with the built / transport environment) I don’t think changing the rules leads anywhere good for us all. Though with the currently and foreseeable focus on motoring such arguments may seem like irrelevant pedantry.
Currently the rules give a small * nod to those who want to move when they are physically not / no longer able, and also the “harm minimization” of “one less car” to move other people and things.
But humans have a childlike “but we can, so I want to (and more), so we must!”. That’s previously lead to 50kg humans driving multi-ton trucks a few hundred yards to the shops. Or people being tempted to “see how fast it goes” doing over 100mph in built-up areas.
We all unconsciously have “car” and “driving” as the mental baseline for how people should get around. Meaning that lots of that carries over into “but it’s just a bike…”
If mass cycling ever got started in (most of) the UK I’m not convinced that even starting again small and slower – but more powered than current rules – wouldn’t quickly lead to (the few) nicer spaces we cycle in being unpleasant for the less-powered to use or even pedestrians to be around.
* Small because in practice all the other rules keep enough people driving often enough that in practice it can be very inconvenient / unpleasant to do otherwise.
Again hard to appreciate when we’ve so few people cycling in the UK. One has to imagine eg. a busy cycle path in say Utrecht but also crowded with delivery “micro trucks” and “S-pedelecs” or faster.
But perhaps if we ever did build “cycle superhighways” like motorways…? Noting the like don’t even exist in NL. (They’ve got “fast cycle ways” but the “fast” is more about efficient / direct / not stopping at lights or give-ways all the time).
@chrisonabike The limits aren’t exactly arbitrary. They necessarily define a class of vehicle – distinct from 49cc motorbikes – that have power assistance and must be pedalled rather than being outright powered (ie throttle controlled) deliberately so that the rider is exempt from licence, insurance and helmet etc. requirements of a motorcycle.
If someone needs more power they “just” need to get a motorbike. Obviously this means registration, licence, helmet etc. but that is the price of throttle control and more power (and with power comes responsibility etc.).
@chrisonabike But the current rules aren’t fit for purpose. I don’t think a 50kg woman would be able to get around here on a cargo bike with kids or any amount of load on it effectively simply due to the restrictions in power. The motor cutout at 15.5mph is very slow and someone on a normal bike would find it easier to go faster than that. The people who are a menace on ebikes are not riding restricted ones so the rules have absolutely zero effect other than perhaps encouraging people to derestrict their legal ebikes to make them more usable. Perhaps if the restrictions were a little more sensible then people wouldn’t feel the need to play with that sort of thing.
If someone could go 32kph on their ebike they might be happy with that and go 32kph. If someone isn’t happy with 25kph they will derestrict it and suddenly they have access to 40kph+ so why would they go 32?
Make rules too restrictive and people ignore them.
@mctrials23 but I want a pony?
That’s the thing with rules – there’s *always* “but why not just one more”? Seems sensible. It’s only once / it’s only me. Well, also my friend now…
People do what others do. That can work against (“hey – we’re all derestricting our EAPCs – I’ll send you a video showing how”) or for (the parental mafia confront a family whose kids are zooming about because “they’re a threat to our kids”)
A few people doing things differently (driving a traction engine, considerately…) is often fine. The rules guide us when this is much more prevalent / not done in a socially-conscious way.
Also: nobody’s stopping people driving (or ordering a delivery) for those “I need to get the piano back home” tasks.
@mctrials23 These particular rules have been “road tested” in some of the places with the highest cycling rates and found workable and acceptable to most *.
It’s not about my specific use case or yours – but ultimately about how we bake things to make it appealing to use (mostly) active travel. And use very small and efficient transport modes for small tasks eg. “I need to travel a short distance (but longer / faster than I’d walk / carrying some things)”. Rather than “Now it’s there my default is a private (serious power / speed / weight / size) vehicle”.
I’d like to say “nobody’s stopping the kids cycling to school *with* their parent” or taking public transport. But of course in the UK those options are effectively absent for most (and/or are so unusual, “odd” and unappealing most people don’t even consider them).
* Although there’s ongoing debate in NL – is more policing needed? Are EAPCs leading to more casualties – or is it unregulated machines, or something else? Should there be more classes of vehicle, and should special infra be available for faster machines etc.
@mctrials23 15mph is not slow…
“someone on a normal bike would find it easier to go faster than that”
– perhaps some might but, as a sustained cruising speed around town, it’s fine. My average is generally lower than that for commuting; my max is considerably higher, but it is not sustained. People who want to use e-bikes are not generally in need of greater speed.
I suggest that you are used to going faster – and if you can fine – but it’s not a case for increasing the EAPC limit.
For those who pedal around at higher speeds, their awareness of the speed they’re doing is greater because they are putting the effort in. By contrast, when I spent time in USA, where the limit is 20mph, the riders I encountered were that much faster (would you believe!) and it felt a more hostile experience where cyclists and pedestrians mixed. The power assistance is disconnecting from the reality of the speed.
I would be happy to see a review of the power input for heavier cargo bikes to match the reality of pedalling a load uphill, but then there would also need to be consideration for the delivery of that power when empty to avoid drastic acceleration.
@mctrials23 There isn’t a restriction on power that limits EPACS in that way (and I live in a hilly area where 50kg women take kids to school on cargo bikes).
There is a 250W limit on Continuous Rated Power but no limit on peak power, so your cargo bike can have 1000W output temporarily to get up a hill. The speed restriction is what limits output in terms of risk to others.
Yes some de-restrict like some drivers do 50 in a 30 zone – you can’t control with legislation, it just enables action (if there are resources etc).
@chrisonabike Are the current limits arbitrary? My understanding is our EAPC rules are derived from the EU’s, and I’m sure I recall reading the EU regs were decided based on likelihoods of the rider having and coming away uninjured from a crash, ie it was determined above 25kph would have been a big increase in injuries so that’s where the limit was set.
@yodhrin perhaps that’s the wrong term: i was just acknowledging that these are a balance, depending on what you want.
I think for (European) *urban* environments (because they’re where the vast majority of people are doing their travelling) the limits are a reasonable balance overall. That’s also since I’m interested in nicer places and more resilient / sustainable transport choices. And I think that relies on less private motoring; and that cycling has a major part to play.
But there are other logical balance points depending on your particular concerns.
Ignoring the companies who simply want to upsell the bicycle, or grab new “free space” for their businesses…
… if you believe in “safety by keeping up with the cars” you might think faster is sensible. My view is that this should not be a goal since cycling doesn’t mix well with fast motor traffic. Also most people won’t switch to cycling simply because they can ride faster in that traffic. I believe this would reduce safety overall – more speed is generally “less reaction time and worse crash outcomes”.
For me the way to improve safety and convenience for cycling is a general redesign of our roads and streets (like in NL). But of course that is a much longer-term proposition (though places can start right now…). For many places it would be a decade or more for serious change even if we went at it vigorously…
If you don’t believe in / give a stuff about having mass cycling (just your own use – is Mr. Hitchens one?), or you feel we need to directly replace most current car journeys with the same but by bicycle – then maybe much bigger faster machines make sense?
I don’t think that’s the way as i think the calculation charges if you’re not the only cyclist in your village. And I don’t think bicycles are (mini) cars – although i agree our *cars* could be smaller.
Or if your region is made of mountains or you’re in the US / UK countryside more power / speed might interest. But *most* urban areas aren’t, especially in the UK, and the vast majority of people in the UK live in or near at least middling-size urban areas.
(Aside: the countryside is tricky. I do think there’s a serious conversation about the sustainability of people living there and “needing” to drive to work in cities; but that would probably have the largest group of people with the most political clout out with pitchforks…)
@mctrials23 That’s a very heavy machine, easily twice as heavy as any normal townbike, three times heavier than most road bikes. For the same speed, you will have *twice* the energy, possibly closer to three times, than traditional bicycles.
I disagree strongly that you should be allowed to put way more energy into a barely-regulated machine than your own legs, or indeed the legs of any semi-fit male, could put into it. Because the consequences to others are greater.
@Paul J I can put out enough power to get it well above the cut off on flat roads. Downhill it easily goes up to 30mph simply due to the weight. 20mph isn’t something I would suggest is an excessive speed and 180kg fully loaded is still 1/5 (or more likely 1/10th) the weight of any car on our roads these days.
The bigger issue is that if we want car replacements, we need to make things like cargo bikes viable. ie. enough power to allow smaller riders to go up steep hills with enough speed that the bike doesn’t become hard to keep upright. This is a problem for me and I am an 80kg lump who is fit.
@mctrials23 I’d have absolutely no problem with 20mph on the roads, in fact it makes a lot of sense with 20mph becoming the default speed limit in many urban areas. The trouble is it is too fast for segregated cycle lanes and definitely too fast for shared pavements and it would be extremely wishful thinking to hope that everyone would restrict themselves to 15mph or lower in those environments, so I fear it has to remain 15mph for the sake of other cyclists and pedestrians.
@mctrials23 We bought my wife a “class 1” e-bike a few years ago so that we could ride together more often. It’s a Townie Go. She’s still slower than I am, but it’s a lot less difference. In the US, class 1 is pedal assist only to ~20 MPH, max 750 W, but hers is a 250 W Bosch mid-drive.
I took her bike to the shop and back for service once. On the way home, I put it in “turbo” mode and put in a pretty high effort. My average speed was comparable to what I can do on my non-electric bike. Maybe a little slower. It just makes cruising at 15 MPH / 25 km/h and climbing hills at ~10 MPH a lot easier.
@andystow I don’t think I would have any issue if I wasn’t using a large e-cargo bike with child seats and children on it. On the steeper hills its an effort to stay at more than 5-7mph and unfortunately its sometimes our classic roads where parked cars are on either side and naturally being a cyclists I can fuck off when it comes to any sort of priority so I get cars who just drive at me and expect me to be in the dooring zone, not wobble and they happily pass me at speed within 50cm or less.
@mctrials23 probably right. Hers is a bit over 50 lb / 26 kg, I think, with a rear rack and mudguards.
@andystow Mine is 35kg naked. Its got 2 child seats, a front rack and usually 2 20kg children so including myself we are looking at 170kg plus.
Peter Hitchins clearly doesn’t think or read before writing does he. An ideal writer to have empathy with his Daily Mail readers.
Also by Mr Hitchens – “London Is NO LONGER A British City” (youtube)
I can see you for who you are.
This is Hitchens’ bread and butter these days, be knowingly wrong on a subject and keep doubling down nonetheless. A real pub bore.
Personally I’m upset that we’re finally getting cycle lanes where everyone can feel safe and Hitchins wants it to be just for him and his able bodied mates.
@Car Delenda Est Good point. Could he be reported for being anti-disabled?
Peter Hitchens once wrote a book in which he claimed that heroin wasn’t actually neuro-chemically addictive. His relationship with facts and reality isn’t great.
In some families, the intellectual gifts seem to completely elude one sibling. The Corbyns have Piers and the Hitchens’ have Peter.
Aren’t opiates less addictive than say cycle racing or endurance events? After all with the former it’s about *avoiding* the pain (increasingly the suffering of not getting the drug), but I hear at least in racing proponents go searching for it?
Next time some arsehole tells me to use the cycle lane, my response shall be:
“I’m terribly sorry but I can’t as Peter Hitchens says that my e-bike is cheating and not a bicycle and therefore I am unable to use the lane.
If you have any disagreements with that, please contact Peter Hitchens.”
Ok, slightly longer and less pithy than my normal response of “you should be on the motorway”, and my all time favourite of “away and boil yer head”.
Its always an enjoyable experience when I am told, having been left disabled by a car driver, that I am “cheating”.
My response to that is a resounding “fuck off and mind your own business.”
Why does this comments system only allow comments a few levels deep…
My vote is for no change to EAPC regulations, and a forlorn hope for any enforcement against illegal electric motorbikes, all in the cause of preserving the few proper cycle lanes we have
Nope.
@mdavidford Beat me to it!
The only response anyone should ever give to Peter Hitchens is to remind him that the world would be a better place if the god he loves so much hadn’t taken the wrong brother.
Abel?
“Every minute I walk on the streets in London and in Oxford, my life and health are in danger.”
Yes Peter, but much, much more from motor vehicles than e-bikes. But why let little things like facts get in the way of your idiotic ranting.