Live blog: e-bike rider shoots past cyclist at frightening speed, rider hospitalised after crashing into huge Buckinghamshire pothole, this year’s Giro-themed gear, star-spotting in Asda + more
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Wed, May 02, 2018 13:40
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Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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Latest Comments
mdavidford 2 hours ago
Isn't the opposite of someone who's homogenised split personality disorder?
GravelIsNothingNew 4 hours ago
AI is cancel culture Anyone who thinks it’s good has no talent and wants to be homogenised into a world of bland sameness.
Car Delenda Est 4 hours ago
@chrisonabike also a lot easier to wrap up when the 'hurty words' are telling people to burn down hotels hosting asylum seekers and then people go and do exactly that.
Defblade 4 hours ago
"The spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said the force was unable to comment on this recent spate of reported bikejackings because “they are not linked, given they are in different areas”." Because crims on mopeds _definitely_ can't travel to different areas of the city, very easily?
ktache 4 hours ago
@Pub bike I run nokons on the Good Bike, very little compression on the outers, both xtr brake and gears. For the several years I will keep the well lubricated quality nokons inners I will have to adjust to take the little slack out of the rear a few times, just to make the shifts crisp. Ceramic brakes so pad wear is negligible, the rear will need more adjustment over time than the front, presumably as it's a much longer cable run. Nokons cables on the rohloff on the Ultimate Commuter, have had to take some slack out, mainly out of the getting lower gear cable, I'm guessing as I often trying to find the non existent lower gear on the hard climb.
Pub bike 6 hours ago
@imajez Brake adjusters mainly deal with pad wear whilst gear adjusters fine tune shifting during set-up and after fitting a new inner cable. Brake outer housing is spiral-wound and compressible giving compliance at the lever and the false impression that the inner cable somehow stretches whereas the metal strands in gear outer housing are laid axially and as such the outer housing doesn't easily compress over time keeping shifting precise. I find that a previously well-adjusted rear derailleur system that needs adjustment likely needs a new inner cable.
OkCarl 6 hours ago
I ride expensive bikes wearing expensive helmets, my bike equipped with an expensive bike computer, fitness watch and cell phone. I carry my debit card. I worry. You would expect anyone living in Chicago to worry about bike jacking. Yet, for some strange reason. The Chicago land criminal community has not caught on to bike jacking. They like retail break ins and ATM smash ups.
chrisonabike 6 hours ago
@mattw "footpaths" Hmm... true this is an underappreciated resource and indeed in danger. But I think this is very location dependent. If we're taking in urban locations, are you talking alleys - narrow almost always no room for expansion? Or "footways" - also often not ample and we're back to "fighting over scraps" with pedestrians or even forced-conflict with "shared use"? In the countryside - perhaps? If what goes in NL applies more generally (and why wouldn't it - they're humans too) more people may be prepared to travel on bikes there than UK opinion holds. ("people depend on their cars... nobody cycles or walks ... the non-existent footway beside the A-road!"). Although that may depend on "cyclists and walkers get the direct route" which isn't always how we do it...
imajez 7 hours ago
@james-o Cable brakes and gear shifters have have barrel adjusters to deal with the inevitable cable stretch, that most certainly occurs over time.
4 thoughts on “Live blog: e-bike rider shoots past cyclist at frightening speed, rider hospitalised after crashing into huge Buckinghamshire pothole, this year’s Giro-themed gear, star-spotting in Asda + more”
Why any big concern with “e
Why any big concern with “e-bike rider whizzing past” ? Granted the first time is a bit of a shocker. There will be quiet electric motorcycles doing at least 3X=5X a bicyclist speed in the very near future.
ridein wrote:
How about the fact that these current “modified” devices are inherintly dangerous, and also illegal. An E-bike is legally restricted to 250W, and a max assisted speed of 25km/h across the EU area. The brakes on these monsters are no better than normal bike brakes, yet they weigh a lot more, and where they have been tested are unfit for purposse.
Many of these “can” be made street legal, in Norway at least you can register them, get a number plate, pay insurance, and use a motorcycle helmet – then keep out the bike lanes.
As an example of the issue, a rider in Tronheim is looking at (equivalent to) £7,500 in compenasation to a cyclist he hit, plus 6 month loss of his driving licence, and several weeks in jail after he crashed his modified “e-bike” with a 5600W motor into another cyclist and broke her neck. Drivers on the road alongside report that as they were doing 60-70 km/h he was “sailing past with ease”, he left a 19m skid mark before the point of impact. Under testing after the accident it was found to have a top speed on 108km/h (almost 70mph)
Yes Electric motorbikes are on their way, but these will be registered, and tested by roads authorities to ensure they are street legal, will require EU control/MOT check (country dependant), a drivers licence, insurance (not just home insurance cover). They will also have muchbetter brakes, and be illegal on shared use foot and cycle ways.
StuInNorway wrote:
Yep, any electric bike that fast should be registered as a motor scooter. That means the rider needs to have a licence, a motorcycle helmet and insurance. I agree that the weight and speed of the thing means that the brakes won’t be up to the job when it’s at full tilt and as it’s quiet, pedestrians (and drivers) won’t be looking out for it either.
I see that the cops in Sweden stopped a guy on an electric bike after he hit close to 100km/h. A quick check showed it was more powerful than allowed and further tests revealed its motor was 16 times the limit for electric bikes. Ths tory I read was a bit vague but I think he converted it himself with a kit he bought. The Swedes don’t look kindly on traffic offences and he’s being hit with a big fine.
As for fast descents, well top TdF riders can hit 120km/h for sure. But that’s on stretches of roads where it’s expected. Hitting those speeds on a bike with inadequate brakes in normal traffic conditions is like playing Russian Roulette.
Why the worry? We all go that
Why the worry? We all go that fast down hills don’t we? Should we all be subject to licence/ insurance restrictions accordingly? I don’t think so….