grueSay NO to Mandatory E-Bike License Plates and Registrations [California]
EponymousBoshLotta people here who apparently aren’t familiar with e-bikes, talking about how e-bikes perform. My RadRunner 2 has only ever hit 27 mph (43 kph?) going downhill on a steep incline, meanwhile I’m getting passed by dudes on $5000 fancy-ass racing bicycles. Not really sure why I’m the one who needs the license.
(Also: I wish e-bikes were the biggest problem on bike paths here in Kentucky. I have encountered Actual Legit Gasoline-Powered Fucking Motorcycles many, many, MANY times on the Louisville Loop.)
F=ma so therefore your ebike is still going to hit harder at the same speed as that ultra light racing bicycle because the e bike is heavier. There is also a skill factor here. It takes practice and skill to get a standard bicycle going that fast whereas anyone can get on an ebike and get it going that fast.
I’m not certain lisencing alone is going to solve the problems but there are some important distinctions between bicycles and ebikes.
An average ebike only weighs ~25 lbs more than an average bike. That’s basically difference between an average woman and a man or within a standard deviation of the average man’s body weight. Should we only be requiring licenses for fat people?
Just set the max speed on the ebike to a safe limit and call it a day. Your speed matters way more than the bike weight anyway (KE=0.5*mv^2^)