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Interesting picture at end of article showing woman carrying e-bike up the steps: https://electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/01/soltera_ls_3.jpeg http

Interesting picture at end of article showing woman carrying e-bike up the steps: https://electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/01/soltera_ls_3.jpeg https://electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/01/solte... The bike would weigh about 20kg. She's carrying it on her shoulder like it's nothing. E-bikes are awesome, but not easily carried on shoulder. The speed limiter is another annoyance, to comply with laws the assistance cuts out at 25kph or similar. On straight paths 25 feels sluggish on a big sturdy ebike, so there's incentive for rider to fix and circumvent or bump the limit by 10 or so.

Schroedingersat 4y ago
Then we need to have and enforce the power limits at sale more effectively and test to the real power limit rather than using a protocol designed to test a lower bound. If we allow manufacturers to design them with a 1000W motor 'limited' to 750W and with suspension for for 50km/h then hand them over to customers with a wink, then that's what they'll do. If we then cave to their lobbying that it can only be solved by locking down the controller and preventing modification, they'll do that too. Enforce making the motor and frame smaller and lighter until 25km/h feels right. Sure, some people will DIY a higher power motor, but it will be so few it does not matter if all the bikes for sale on the shop floor or larger online sellers are truly 250W with a peak torque at under 20km/h in top gear. 25-32kph is the ideal status quo speed for human piloted transport. Faster than traffic can flow in medium to high density areas, but slow enough that it is hard to kill yourself and everyone has plenty of time to react at conflict points without burdensome traffic control measures. Pushing for faster ebikes just turns what little dedicated infrastructure there is into mini stroads and we're back to the same idiotic arms race that got us here in the first place.
- exodust 4y ago
  In Australia the motor cuts out at 25 km/h. This is too slow. The motor cuts in and out frequently and the bike feels "off". So I paid a guy to halve the speed that is reported to the controller. This is the best way to modify the bike, as it can be easily reversed. No hardware change needed, and no trace of tampering. I couldn't do it myself. A guy with special bluetooth device and software connected to my bike made the change. Bike is now good. Motor no longer cuts out at 25 km/h. I almost never ride above 35 km/h anyway, and often use the lowest power setting. If they had made the limit 32 km/h, I probably would never have bothered hacking the firmware.

Schroedingersat 4y ago

Then we need to have and enforce the power limits at sale more effectively and test to the real power limit rather than using a protocol designed to test a lower bound. If we allow manufacturers to design them with a 1000W motor 'limited' to 750W and with suspension for for 50km/h then hand them over to customers with a wink, then that's what they'll do. If we then cave to their lobbying that it can only be solved by locking down the controller and preventing modification, they'll do that too. Enforce making the motor and frame smaller and lighter until 25km/h feels right. Sure, some people will DIY a higher power motor, but it will be so few it does not matter if all the bikes for sale on the shop floor or larger online sellers are truly 250W with a peak torque at under 20km/h in top gear. 25-32kph is the ideal status quo speed for human piloted transport. Faster than traffic can flow in medium to high density areas, but slow enough that it is hard to kill yourself and everyone has plenty of time to react at conflict points without burdensome traffic control measures. Pushing for faster ebikes just turns what little dedicated infrastructure there is into mini stroads and we're back to the same idiotic arms race that got us here in the first place.

exodust 4y ago
In Australia the motor cuts out at 25 km/h. This is too slow. The motor cuts in and out frequently and the bike feels "off". So I paid a guy to halve the speed that is reported to the controller. This is the best way to modify the bike, as it can be easily reversed. No hardware change needed, and no trace of tampering. I couldn't do it myself. A guy with special bluetooth device and software connected to my bike made the change. Bike is now good. Motor no longer cuts out at 25 km/h. I almost never ride above 35 km/h anyway, and often use the lowest power setting. If they had made the limit 32 km/h, I probably would never have bothered hacking the firmware.