Mastodawn

A rant about electric bicycles:

* For e-bikes to be viable car replacements they need cargo-carrying and hill-climb capacity. The practicality test for an e-bike is to carry four bags of grocieries, or a child.

* The 250W and 20km/h limit for unlicensed bicycles is *far* too low. Human cyclists comfortably exceed this in both power and speed leading to e-bikes holding up traffic. When. I ride the bikeways, human-powered traffic cruises at around 35 km/h.

* The "you must pedal or the motor stops" requirement is some Calvinist bullshit.

* The perl-clutching "but the children" scare in the news about "unlicensed motorbikes" HAS to be some kind of car-industry astroturfing. From what I can see on the bikeways, commuter e-bikes and scooters are HOT items and anyone with a head can see a dent in vehicle sales coming. Users LOVE this emerging mobility sector.

* I work in an industrial area with zero public transport service. I observe large numbers of workers riding scooters in the direction of the nearest train station.

* If governments *really* want to stick to the 250w 25km/h bullshit for "bicycles" then we need URGENT legislation to create a vehicle class for say 1000W 45km/h vehicles. The Australia post electric delivery tricycles are a worked example of the practicality of this class; I don't hear *anyone* having a meltdown about "dangerous monster tricycles on our footpaths".

#MicroMobility #ebikes #solarpunk

ETA: absurd panic-fueled legislation from the fossil-fuel captured Literal Nazi Party: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-24/queensland-ebike-escooter-ban-children-licence-reforms/106487910

E-bike and e-scooter riders to require a licence in Qld under proposed laws

A raft of new rules around the use of e-mobility devices will be ushered in after the Queensland government accepted the recommendations from a parliamentary inquiry.

Show thread

Iron Helmet Games 17h ago

@Unixbigot Hey Kit, I ride a 250W bike 10 km every day to work.. Just wanted to share my view.

I very rarely see a traditional cycles going faster than my 25km per hour. I overtake every non e bike I see. 4 bags of groceries would not impact the ride at all.

I would love to see 1000w motorbikes, but at 45km/h I really think you need be on the road only, not bike paths, and you should have a motorbike license and training.

Show thread

Kit Bashir 14h ago

@IHG I’m a big chonker which is why I’m trying to bike as much as possible! I need to lose about six more bags of groceries, lost four already.

Show thread

mr_harm 14h ago

@Unixbigot @IHG I understand some of your points, but not all.
Especially if you say you use it for weight loss, why are you objecting to having to pedal?

Is the legislation capping at 250W peak or the more diffuse 250W permanent thing like eg in Europe? All bike systems can do way more, some are even up to 1000W.

And this is where I subject: I see people on the regular not being able to handle even 250W (mostly old and/or out of shape). Handing them more would dramatically increase risks.

Show thread

Kit Bashir 14h ago

@mr_harm @IHG There are some steep hills on my ride, even with the motor and me going flat stick we barely make it up them. I could use a rest after that hill! Here they are threatening to confiscate bikes that are able to deliver over 250W at any time. We will get more people out of cars if they can ride in their ordinary clothes and not arrive at their destination all sweaty. They can have a workout on the way home. It shouldn't be a moral crisis how much effort it takes to be car-free.

Show thread

mr_harm

@Unixbigot @IHG okay yeah 250Wp is pretty low.

I'd say 500 would be pretty good for most situations but 250 is definitely just light assist. I think the boom in Europe is mostly due to the very lenient approach by legislation