Originally Posted by
Joe Minton
RolandArthur:
Your location lends you credibility --- Please enlighten us.
My information was from an article and a video report out of Europe. I certainly could be wrong given that my sources were not official and governmental.
Joe
I don't know if there are any EU-wide cycling laws. I think Germany has the strictest bicycle lighting requirements, but racing bicycles are exempt from some of them.
Equipment on Bicycles sold as new, each bicycle must provide the following equipment:- Brakes: Two independently acting braking devices.
- Bell / horn: For dispensing acoustic warning.
- Lighting: Non-blinking front headlamp to illuminate the road of white or pale yellow color. A red rear taillight that stays lit when stationary.
- Reflectors: front with a white with a red rear reflectors that may be connected to the lights and/or connected to the pedals. At least two yellow reflectors on each wheel.
- In daylight and good visibility bicycles may be used without lights.
- Racing bike exceptions: Racing bikes are not required to meet the above rules. However, if riding at night, all bikes, including racing bikes are required to have lights and reflectors.
- A Racing bike is defined as less than 12 kg, with drop handlebars, a rim diameter at least 630 mm diameter, and a rim width not more than 23 mm. Mountain bikes are not road bikes so are exempted from certain requirements (unless ridden at night on the roads). [NOTE: I do not know if they are exempt from the equipment list if they are ridden on the roads during the daytime.]
OMG, I wonder if that's really accurate. Rim at least 630mm??? So you have to ride 27" wheels to get the racing bike exemptions in Germany?
Luckily my MTBs also meet the weight requirement to be MTBs, but not the rim diameter requirement.