It wouldn't take much(electric wise) to be able to run 90 or 110. :)

http://www.electricrider.com/custom/index.htm

If you were doing the speed limit on the highway on your bike, could you get a ticket?

Ideas:

http://www.evalbum.com/type/BICY

http://staton-inc.com/

The laws would have to be changed to allow bikes on highway lanes.

Honestly, I don't know if a bicycle would handle highway speeds well. Seems really dangerous, since they're not really built for such levels of performance like a motorcycle. But meh, I don't know.

I suspect hubs and wheels would have to be specially engineered for such prolonged speeds. Normal bikes are not.

I'm happy at 18 MPH. When my motor does not kick in because I am going over that, I am surprised. I am a leisure-biker......still get weirded out when going downhill quick.

Funny, not like that in a car at all...must be the airbags!:)

I for one would avoid such a speed, but only because I tend to buy the $199 Canadian Tire specials. Ok bikes for casual rides, however on 1 hill we have here it's a long slope that flattens a bit to go slope again, both CT Bikes developed speed wobbles the older they got.

My worry would be parts failure during ride, as stated most bikes are not really designed or tested at standard U.S. hiway speeds (55mph)

1 bearing shatters as you cruse along at 55 and your basicly road kill.

You need a lot of batteries to be able to go 55mph for any useful distance. You'd also want to be able to stop as quickly as a motorcycle can, without flying over the handlebars. And you'd want to have your bike be as stable as a motorcycle is at high speed if it swerves or hits a small pothole. (longer wheelbase, full suspension, and low center of gravity are major factors here.)

It wouldn't take much(electric wise) to be able to run 90 or 110. :)


Try sticking your hand out an open window of a car window doing about 80-mph (what people get away with here) flat- horizontal to the ground (fingers forward) then raise your fingers so your hand is about 45 degrees. Upwards lift.

On an upright bike same principle. Rider~hand~lift~gust. Probably heard about aerodynamic principals before as almost everyone has. If a rider makes it to 50-mph, that alone would mean a rider would have to be as low as possible- almost kissing the handlebars and stay in that uncomfortable position.

I don't know if 2" or 3" of rubber on asphalt would be too dependable at high speed for long distances if any upwards lift occurs!

well my bike goes over 50 very nearly 55 and while it can get a little squirmy if you hit bumps and stuff its really not that bad, and I don't even have suspension. And I can get quite far at that speed, good solid 20+ miles, more then enough for me to get to work.

Don't forget to talk about the speed rating on your tires. I don't think they would blow but I doubt they are Z rated.

It definitely would be an experience and a half trying to pull that off. I've taken a street legal dirtbike weighing under 300 pounds to speeds up to about 80. It gets very interesting on those skinny tires, so I can only imagine what it would be like on a bike.

Plus you get blown around just a little bit

Not electric- but over 70 mph.
http://www.exertrike.com/photo_galleries/new_geek_chopper/

This 50 mph trike (http://www.bugev.net/) is semi-enclosed and seems to account for high speeds in its design.

This dude went totally over the top with his BugE:

http://www.evalbum.com/1810

I like tadpole trike for EV's. Good frontal tire area compare to single front wheel design.

Don't some of the Tour De France guys cruise 60 on the downhills? 60 downhill next to cliffs is more dangerous than 60 on flats. But I still wouldn't do 60 either way on a bicycle, especially on the highways with other cars and trucks around. Just get a motorcycle if you're interested in speeds like that on a regular basis. It's still better than a car.

If you were doing the speed limit on the highway on your bike, could you get a ticket?



and to answer your original question.........i think you could get a ticket in most countries unless you had met the compliance laws for your district and registered as a motorcycle. ebikes and moped have speed restrictions tho not very strictly enforced until you are 'noticed'.

the TDF guys do 60 mph for short stretches. Also, they are on very well maintained bikes that weigh 15 pounds and the riders are generally pretty light as well.

Compare this to this beast which I am guessng weighs a tad over 15 lbs and the pilot is likely a bit heavier as well.

That being said, I want one. So what if it is a ticking bomb waiting to go off. Give me a set of racing leathers and my shoei full face and I'll take my chances.

The look of cagers being blown into the weeds by a frickin bicycle has to be priceless.

Holy ****!!!

well im runing 60volts and its way over 40mph, full out i have a hard time keeping my helmet from blowing off
even when its tight. im looking at upgrading to a hardshell helmet maybe a bell helmet :)

the road beside my place is max speed 50 full out no cars pass me :>

I have a half mile stretch of road that I need to get through that has no shoulder or bike paths/sidewalks. It is very narrow, speed limit is 35 MPH and I have no choice but to use it, then after I get by that road there are nice bike paths. I think it would be much safer if I could just boot it to at least 35 MPH and get by that stretch of road. Sometimes higher speeds are safer. Currently I can only get up to 20-23 MPH:(

It's not the higher speed that's safer but the SEPARATION higher speeds sometimes provide.

Fact is, you're never gonna be the fastest thing on the road no matter what - my opinion - use good mirrors, take motorcycle safety courses and practice defensive driving at every opportunity. The best way to avoid accidents is to stay away from them.

:thumb:

im going to be making a vid tonight to show the speed im geting, and you will see how safety is important.

Looking forward to that video:)

heres the short one :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH7grkJYVCQ

Very nice. There's a lot of devices on your steering wheel that I do not recognize.
Going from a chain drive currie motor to a hub motor, have you noticed anything different? Does the rear wheel still spin without friction? Is pedaling as easy? It was hard to see exactly how fast you were going from the video, but it looked pretty fast.

it just a moded tachometer im using for speed. my wattmeter only goes to 50volts so i cant use it im ordering a
Direct Plug-in Cycle Analyst from e-bikes.ca. i dont miss the currie drive i found it loud and not verry Efficient.
i can pedal fine theres no friction.

my area has speedbumps so i have a hard time going full speed without slowing for potholes or kids :)
it would have looked faster if i mouted the cam on the front but theres no room.

I suspect hubs and wheels would have to be specially engineered for such prolonged speeds. Normal bikes are not.

Yes they are. Quality bike parts are engineered to handle it better than cheap motorcycle parts! :)

It's all about the angles. The steep rake on a bicycle makes it very easy to fly over the handlebars. That's why we have to move our butts rearward of the seat on descents. The steep angles make it easier to pedal up hills - downhill specific bicycles have much slacker angles there.

A cruiser or chopper bicycle with slack angles would make a good candidate for highway speeds, but they are usually fitted with inferior parts than high-end 29ers.