I guess, the limit doesn’t apply for every country, but at least in Europe it’s quite common.
Using an exoskeletton would also get around the speed limit for the pedal assist.
I had no idea that exoskeleton assist rigs were a thing. I was picturing a giant beetle riding a bike.
“There’s no rule that says a beetle can’t ride a bike!”
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I was about to tell OP that this would only work if they use a real exoskeleton and have a bike wheel on each hand/foot like a rolling bug.
Legally, yes. The drive train on bikes has something else to say.
You can go faster, the engine just cuts out. You can zoom down a hill at 35 kph no problem.
As someone who has built several eBikes, you can easily bypass the pedal assist limiter simply by not installing it. Connect the control box to the throttle and nothing else (except the battery and motor, of course). Now it’ll behave just like a motorcycle. Press the throttle to go, let go and hit the brakes to stop. Nothing will prevent the throttle from cutting out other than your own hand.
Using a 1000w motor, I am able to build an eBike that will hit 45km/h (28 MPH) on flat ground. You could add a second motor and easily hit 75 (47) but that’s just suicidal so I dare not build one myself (plus you’d drain your already low battery range twice as fast).
It’s not speed so much as torque. Class 3 ebikes are already pushing the limit. You have to be careful with part selection, and tolerances on derailier adjustment is tighter.
And brakes. Then it is a matter of speed. You just need bigger parts to take more heat so you don’t get brake fade. It’s why anything more than a class 3 needs scooter/motorcycle parts. If they don’t, run away.
Probably the legs of the user as well.
Laws are created by humans. What a surprise that there isn’t already a law forbidding something that human common sense tells you not to do.
That being said, I would love to see a video of somebody wearing an exosceleton pedalling away like crazy on a normal bycicle.
Watched a video that people using it, it fare worst than ebike in terms of how long you can ride it. It getting toasty quickly. I’d say if you have a mid drive and a good gear range you will likely have no issue with climbing. As for the speed limit, just get a motorcycle, no need none of those fancy thing.
In Amsterdam, and perhaps throughout the Netherlands, you can ride gas-powered scooters in the bike lanes. Bikes and scooters also have right-of-way against pedestrians.
Same thing in Denmark, though we have two classes of scooters depending on legal topspeed, 30 and 45km/h, where it’s only the slower ones allowed on cyclepaths. Though we don’t differentiate between fuels.
Just buy an electric trail bike.
!micromobility@lemmy.world will flip out about the new exo-bike!
Jokes aside, the limit would be how much force you could apply before something fails, but they could also make specialized reinforced bikes for the frame to hook into if this ever caught on.
Probably the first thing to give out would be the legs, especially of an untrained users.
