Rollfast

Idaho House Bill 76 would clarify that electrically assisted bikes (e-bikes) are classified as a human powered bicycle, in line with industry standards. The bill has passed both chambers of the legislature and awaits the decision of Gov. Brad Little.

https://www.idahostatesman.com/outdo...227243029.html

Rajflyboy

Hope this passes.

E bikes are bikes. Yes they are.

2old

Should help tourism and may be a model for other states.

Doc_Wui

We packed our ebikes on my station wagon's trailer hitch, and with the overloaded car dragging sparks for over a thousand miles, we drove to Vail/Breckenridge in Colorado only to see signs saying "Boo. Ebikes suck. Go home". Well, we rode them anyway. Live free and be fined. That was 2017. Some of the best riding of my life, being from flat country,

A year ago, Vail lifted its restrictions. The old burgers in Breckenridge were still huffing/pufffing about overcrowding on their paved trails, but I think they have a deadline to meet before the tourist season restarts. Of course it's crowded. You got dozens of out-of-state tourists on rentals, gassed out because of the altitude, and standing in middle of the paths just a mile out of town, Let them rent ebikes to tow their kids.

This is a goal. Tote the ebikes another 2000 miles for a 30 mile ride in Idaho.

chas58

Federally, they are classified as non motorized vehicles, but of course states and local government can get more restrictive.

I've enjoyed ebiking with my stealth bike and being under the radar for 5 years, but now those little electric scooters are going to give us all a bad name.

IMHO, anything that is <=20mph should be fine on a bike path (I'm a bit conflicted about mountain biking though). I do 25mph on public streets on my e-bike (and faster on my non-ebike when in a group).

MNebiker

MN has ebike rules in place and has produced an excellent bicycle handbook that includes the statutes that define ebikes:

Minnesota Statute 169.011, Subdivision 27:
“Electric-assisted bicycle” means a bicycle with two or three wheels that:
(1) has a saddle and fully operable pedals for human propulsion;
(2) meets the requirements:
(i) of federal motor vehicle safety standards for a motor-driven cycle in Code of
Federal Regulations, title 49, sections 571.1 et seq.; or
(ii) for bicycles under Code of Federal Regulations, title 16, part 1512, or successor
requirements; and
(3) has an electric motor that (i) has a power output of not more than 1,000 watts, (ii)
is incapable of propelling the vehicle at a speed of more than 20 miles per hour, (iii) is
incapable of further increasing the speed of the device when human power alone is used
to propel the vehicle at a speed of more than 20 miles per hour, and (iv) disengages or
ceases to function when the vehicle’s brakes are applied.
Minnesota Statute 169.011, Subdivision 47:
An electric-assisted bicycle with pedals and a motor that can’t go faster than 20 mph is
considered a bicycle under state law; all relevant bicycle laws apply.
Minnesota Statute 169.222, Subdivision 6(b)
The driver of an electric-assisted bicycle must be at least 15 years old.
Minnesota Statute 85.015, Subdivision 1(d) and Statute 85.018, Subdivision 2(d):
Generally electric-assisted bicycles may operate like bicycles do, unless otherwise posted.

The state laws also provide that restrictions can be placed on ebikes under local laws. So far, I ave not found any restrictions in the Twin Cities area.

I do find it ironic that my ebike is limited to 20mph, but the human powered bikes can go as fast as possible without restriction.

MikeyMK

There's poor emphasis on the top speed being the motor, not the pedals, although it is there.

Here, the motor is restricted to 15.5mph (25kms). But not the bike. It's perfectly legal to do 100mph, as long as it's not the motor doing the work.

In road legal mode, I'm regularly hitting the mid 20s on descents, pedalling hard, charging my batteries back up. This is legal because I'm doing the work, not the motor.