# ebikes are not bikes, though some are



## f4k3 (Mar 8, 2012)

I read a few discussions on wether an ebike is a bike or a moped/motorcycle. And this discussion seems a bit strange to me, because some are and some aren't, et least in my part of the world.

In several european countries, the pedelec ebikes are categorised as regular bikes, both on and off road. So a pedelec emtb is a bike that can be used off road. All other ebikes are regarded as motorized vehichles and will need a license plate to be used legally, at least in some countries, others are following. The pedelec is about the same as the Class 1 ebike. I don't know much about US regulation, but it seems the Class 1 ebike is beeing defined as a regular bike several places.

The idea behind creating the Pedelec ebike class was to make ebikes that would work much the same as regular bikes. They were intended to be used in bike lanes and other places where bikes are allowed. The low speed and low power would make sure it would impact the environment much the same as a regular bike. Judging from my own experience and the leak from the IMBA ebike report, the class1/pedelec isn't a beast that can shred the trails and it don't have higher top speed than a regular bike.

I'm excited about the pedelec/class1 because it's a sensible creation. It's not a way for "speedfreaks" to shred trails, but it can help people with health issues or disabilities to get out and enjoy nature. I hope to read about pedelec/class1 ebikes here, the endless-sphere forum seems to be mostly about electric mopeds/motorcycles.


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## life behind bars (May 24, 2014)

The final nail in IMBA's coffin will be support of ebikes.


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## rider95 (Mar 30, 2016)

Lol funny I remember when the bike shops thought the same about MT bikes and it seemed back then there wasn't that many bike shops around .


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## matuchi (Jun 9, 2008)

Weren't ski resorts saying the same thing about snowboards many years ago too?


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## WoodlandHills (Nov 18, 2015)

I ride mostly with power assist (pedelec) and find that the only time a throttle is necessary is when remounting on a steep trail. Being able to get going on the throttle before the assistance kicks in is very useful for an old guy..... Having said that, I could live w/o a throttle and have no issue with unplugging mine where Class 1s are required for access. 

If you gear to be able to ascend most hills in your area in PAS 1 or 2 while pedaling, then going to PAS 9 will easily get you over the rest! And it will keep you Class 1 legal by limiting max speed while on PAS to 20mph on the flat. Ebikes, just like any other bike can descend a lot faster than 20mph and like other bikes are permitted to do so in certain areas.

E-S is very useful for all kinds of technical issues, but most people there are more about electric MX bikes than eMTBs. Even though a lot of builds start with an MTB frame, they don't end up being used as eMTBs......


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