Embedding a tiny 140 $ chip into your eBike motor to offset its speed limit is a good idea? Perhaps not…
- Why you could want electric assistance beyond 25 km/h
- How to exceed eBike speed limits with an unregistered eBike
- Speed unlocking devices features
- Customers reviews of speed unlocking kits for eBikes
- Disadvantages of twisting your eBike motor with such devices
- Legal problems
- Impaired fitness
- Resale hindrances
In Europe, unregistered (standard) eBikes are not allowed to provide any motor assistance beyond 25 km/h. In the USA, that limit is set at 32 km/h.
In the European Union, if you want an eBike which can support you up to 45 km/h, you have to buy an S-pedelec, or Speed pedelec, which has to be registered, obtain and carry license plates and subscribe an insurance. This kind of eBikes doesn’t seem to be very enticing, since it’s got only 3% of the eBike market share in Europe. Since their price is only an average 20% higher than that of comparable unregistered eBikes, we guess that the public is not very interested in a riding assistance exceeding 25 km/h.
Scott Silence Eride Evo Speed – S-pedelec
Why wishing an electric assistance beyond 25 km/h
When the motor assistance stops at 25 km/h, you suddenly notice that your eBike weighs at least 5 kg more than a comparable standard bike. If you ride your bike in city traffic, exceeding 25 km/h may be difficult and even dangerous. Nevertheless, if you commute often on country roads or suburban paths, and even certain bike lanes, higher speeds can save you a considerable amount of time. That’s why some riders want to bypass that European speed limit.
How to exceed eBike speed limits with an unregistered eBike
Some companies have succeeded in twisting the most common eBike motors with a tiny device that is installed into the motor itself. Be it Bosch, Yamaha, Giant, Shimano, Brose, Impulse, Bafang or others, with roughly 125 € (Wiesel) or 189 € (Speedbox), depende on each EU country taxes, you can buy these plastic-coated chips that connect to your motor via a couple of cables.
Scott Silence Eride 20 Speed – 2021 S-pedelec | priced at 3999 € tax included
Speed unlocking devices features
The most common is Speedbox, easy to mount, allowing you to set the speed you want for limiting the motor assistance. It can even be switched off wide writing, reestablishing the 25 km/h speed limit. Another commenb brand is Wiesel.
Customers reviews of speed unlocking kits for eBikes
They are quite favorable. On Amazon.fr, 6% of the customers noted it with the maximum, five stars, 13% with four stars, 4%, 2% and 6% with respectively three, two and one star. Still, since people post reviews mostly shortly after their purchase, the scope of their reviews very seldom includes durability. Will motors and batteries conceived to support not beyond 25 km/h withstand the stress of supporting your pedaling much further? How will they perform in the long run? The most favorable review on Amazon.fr so far, nickname iRalph:
“I have a recent eBike with a Bosch Performance Line CX motor (85Nm of torque). (…) Given the power of the motor, limiting myself to 25km/h was very frustrating, knowing that my speed was generally between 30 and 35km/h on the flat.
I now ride effortlessly up to 40km/h, the assistance is very noticeable and effective. To ride at 45, 50, or even 55km/h, you still have to push hard on the pedals, but it’s still much less painful than without assistance at all (…).”
Disadvantages of twisting your eBike motor with such devices
Technical problems
Their after sales service is described by some reviews as insufficient, and some even allege having received a kit with torn off cables. Some kits couldn’t work, causing at 504 error or simply stopping their electrical assistance. Others were recognized by Bosch drives, which stopped them right away.
Prematurely wearing off your eBike components
You may wonder why eBike tires, wheels, shock absorbers, chains, chain rings, frames, lights and even mirrors specify when they are conceived especially for eBikes providing assistance beyond 25 km/h, or S-pedelecs. Indeed eBike manufacturers strive to produce the most resistant components with the lowest possible weight. As a consequence, any eBike conceived to seldom exceed 25 km/h is likely not tough enough to withstand the higher speeds constantly reached by supporting your pedaling faster than 25 km/h.
Motor and battery overheating and pre-mature wearing
Whenever you overcome 25 km/h, both your eBike motor and battery stop working. Especially on medium and long trips, that allows them to cool off, extending their life, especially in warm and hot days. Bearings and other parts conceived to turn no faster than 25Km/h could wear off sooner, although most ebike motors and ebikes are designed to ride at 32 km/h which is the legal assist limit on the US market. Not to mention softwares blocking or hindering (such as Bosch’s) your motor as soon as they detect an illegal tuning device.
Forget about eBike guarantees
In case your eBike drive experiences some defaults, requiring its warranty to cover repair costs, OEM software will probably detect that you had mounted an illegal limit unlocking kit. You will bear the cost of otherwise reimbursed reparations.
Legal problems
Although policemen are not very likely to stop you because you are riding too fast, being hard to tell whether high-speed is due to muscular strength or unlawful assistance, an electric assistance exceeding legal eBike speed limits can cause serious problems. Imagine that you hit and anger a pedestrian. Since you will probably be accused of riding too fast, he may sue you. A technical examination of your eBike would be requested by a judge or his assurance, if he’s got one. Even if you disassemble your illegal kit, most electric eBike motors record your performances, i.e. average speed, top speed, etc. Indeed, for instance with Bosch drives, if you replace your display, the new one will display again the same data, because they are stored by the motor. It’s therefore easy for illegal expert to detect illegal deployment of speed limit unlocking kits.
Impaired fitness
Needless to say, unlocking support speed limits will prompt you to rely much more on your mother then on your muscles. Your eBike would no longer be a patient’s ally to keep you fit, becoming a sort of electric scooter.
Resale hindrances
It’s not easy to persuade a secondhand purchaser that such a kit did not harm nor worn off your eBike. Even if you previously disassemble it, any skilled buyer will check out your riding data on the display and discover that your average speed “smells” an illegal kit. You’ll have to reduce the expected price.
I do not think its an issue, remember that 20mph = 32km/h is the assist speed limit in the US and its obviously more dangerous than the 25km/h in EU.
32km/h will surely be safer for cyclists in the 30km/h areas that exists in more and more EU cities.
It will avoid what happens now: cars drivers trying by all possible means to overtake cyclists riding at 25km/h!
Hello Cyclist,
You definitely have got a point there. However, while you are referring to the situation on streets, most of the European bicycle lobby organisations care about using the ebike on bike lans and avoiding the street.
Cheers, Matthias
I don’t get the issue. There are so many cyclists that can go 30mph + on non ebikes that are way more prone to crashing than a mountain e-assist bike. I have a turbo levo and I ride often with my friends on regular road bikes at 24-30 mph. I got the bike to get a workout and I do exactly that but I also can go near the speeds I used to go pre having 12 surgeries on my leg. Once in awhile I ride in a canyon on a street and theres a big downhill that I have gone down hundreds of times on a group road ride exceeding 40 mph. Whenever we do that ride now, I do a top speed run where my pr is 47 mph. To get that on my turbo levo, even with a 36 front chainring, I have to spin at an unreal cadence for a 61 year old….lol
At that speed, that bike is so stable, but my buddies on standard road bikes come by me everytime. When is big brother going afer them?
You can go buy a super car any day of the week and go drive it at speeds you aren’t qualified to drive at, or many other sports cars attainable. This stupid limiting of ebikes is ridiculous and not based on reality.
The 25km/h assist limit in the EU is incoherent and dangerous because most cities have now 30km/h speed limit area’s (streets, bigger area’s or even whole city limit like in Brussels) where all vehicules are riding at 30km/h excepted ebike that due to their weight and assist limit of 25km/h have difficulties to follow the flow of vehicules riding at 30km/h.
It would be much safer for ebike to be able to ride at the same speed as the flow of other vehicules (including unassisted bikes).
Increasing the assist limit to 32km/h causes no technical problems at since all ebike motor and ebike are designed to ride at this speed which is the legal assist limit on the US market.
It is very easy to upgrade existing ebikes to assist up to 32km/h/ 20mph since its just a firmware parameter change, i.e. set the “region” parameter to US instead of EU.
Hello,
Thanks for your detailled comment. In Germany the speed limit of 25 km/h is THE major reason for ebikes to be allowed to use bike lanes and cycle paths joining regular bikes. No key cycling lobbyist is currently seeking to change this.
Cheers, Matthias
Hello,
Thanks for your answer.
Rules are different in different EU countries, in Belgium, speedpedelec are now allowed on bike lanes and cycle paths, so ebike with a slightly higher assist limit of 32km/h should not cause any problem.
Hello,
Thanks for your message.
Inasmuch a slightly higher assist limit of 32km/h can encourage more commuters to leave their car for an eBike, it could be desirable. Nevertheless, safety problems on bike lanes and parks can be an issue.
Cheers, Luca