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this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2025
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I could take a picture of my truck that's governed to 90mph and one of those overpowered ebikes that only have pedals for regulatory reasons (that people ride dangerously on bike/pedestrian paths all the time) and ask the same thing. Don't get me wrong, I hate our society's dependence on cars, but this isn't making much of a point.
The regulatory reasons are actually what the speed limit on bikes is about. Lots of places, once you're powered and going over 20mph they become motorcycles, meaning they can only be used on roads, require blinkers, brake lights, horns, registration, licensing, insurance, etc.
So the manufacturers have the motor cut off at 20mph to keep them classified as bicycles.
That's assuming they're actually limited, or that the limiter isn't trivial to bypass. There are a lot of them where I live and it makes trying to use the bike path frustrating sometimes. Regulation is spotty and enforcement is almost nonexistent in most locales.
I dunno why you're getting downvotes, I built my own e bike from a kit, and the speed limiter was enabled via a jumper that was uninstalled by default. Pedal assist was also completely optional. The thing could go 45mph (about 70km/hr) on level ground
I never rode it in pedestrian spaces though, as it would have been very unsafe to do so
Because I outed myself as one of "those people" who dare to own a truck for literally any reason, probably.
What kit did you use? I'm looking into building a capable ebike with my friend who needs to replace a car they can't afford and something slow would be unsafe on the highway we call a main thoroughfare between them and where they work.
I can't really recommend the kit I used XD
It was just about the cheapest 1kW model I could find on eBay, and I'd fully Theseus-ed it within a few years because all its components were crap
Question for everyone, if I, in the unlikely event, go over 20 mph on a bike lane using an nonelectric bike, can I get a ticket?
I can't speak for the whole world but in Sweden if a bike goes over the speed limit you get a ticket. That's if the cops somehow notice or care.
Sacramento ticketing for speeds over 15mph:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrdkc7I5o2g
at least once somewhere in the world in the past it was ruled no because you don't have a speedometer
More likely you will still get a ticket but be able to use the above excuse in court.
Kinda depend on where you are. In my country the cop rightfully doesn't care, as long as you don't cause problem.
In many places , yes you can be ticketed. Maybe even have your bike impounded like a car.
I suggest you look up the number of peopls killed evey year by bicycles and compare it to the number killed by pickups. I'll wait.
His idea of dangerous is scratching his precious truck, not people's lives. Hope that clears it up.
You could and you’d be making a similar point to the OP: cars are far more dangerous and have governors only to protect the engine from damage, not to protect people.
While I think they're being a dick, you're wrong about the purpose of governors - they're also there to prevent the loss of handling that results from low speed tires / low power power-steering being run beyond their rated capacity (and historically to prevent blowover crashes, which is only really a risk to trucks anymore)
90 is too fast.
Why do people ride bikes on pedestrian areas?
Because the car areas are too dangerous for them and there are no bike areas.
Bike lanes are car infrastructure