I have a Wired Freedom+ and where I ride there are areas of roadway without a bike path or room to ride without being directly in traffic. I turn following off so matter what assist I'm in, I have full throttle available. When I have to, I can usually keep up with traffic, or close to it and quickly get past areas with no room for a bike. Having a powerful bike is absolutely a safety issue. Also, love the channel; keep up the good work.
I would say to just be mindful of the speed limits, conditions, and stop signs. When I ride motorcycles and bikes, I expect a four-way stop to mean stop for all. E-bikes are not exempt.
I would agree with this. Couple points. The state will still want to regulate them just like cars so they can collect revenue...so in comes the license plate and following ALL the street signs, including stop signs, staying in particular lanes, etc. Second, there are cars out there that have +1000 hp and can go over 170mph. They are legal, but the DRIVER is required to obey the law in them. That should be the same for e-bikes, no matter the performance. Too hard for the police to differentiate the e-bike's performance.
Here we go with speed limits again when bicycles don't have speed limits or are they required to have a speedometer. So any speeding ticket is impossible to plead guilty or not in court without a speedometer. An eBike with a motor rated at 750W or less by the manufacturer is legally under Federal law is a bicycle. I used to go 70 mph coasting down mountain roads passing cops with never any speeding ticket.
Honestly Russ this isn't a question that can be answered under current regulations (too vague) and there is a lack of case law to clarify the holes. For example the US refs say motor at 750w, it doesn't specify of that's nominal or maximum, people are making assumptions. Also I can take a 1500w motor and claim it's 750w. What determines power output is the battery and controller, neither are covered by the regs. Regs also don't cover differences in terrain (say Colorado vs Florida) or rider weight/ability(ADA compliance anyone?). As mentioned elsewhere speed limits make far more sense.
Beating a traffic ticket is basically a matter of whether the cop shows to court. They don’t always show, so some guilty people get off. As far as e-bikes go, I can’t see anybody getting a ticket unless exceeding the roads speed limit by a good bit. Even on the Wired, I’d be shocked if a cop cared unless you were doing speed runs on a 25 mph road. Cops see me all the time on my electric unicycle, and none have given me any problem. I have it set to beep at me at 32 mph so if I’m on a 25 mph road I back off a little. If I’m on a 35+ mph road, speed up a little. Never an issue, cops tell me it looks like fun.
Good video was usual. Anecdotal observation from Florida where the State E-Bike laws are fairly straightforward and with deferral options to local ordinances overriding certain aspects like where/when you can ride, but all within the "performance" limitations at the State level - 750W and classes. My son in law is a senior executive of a state wide licensed community development company. He has particular day-to-day responsibility for a largish south central Florida community - not the favorite part of his job. The point is, while we were recently talking about EBikes he mentioned that by far the biggest complaint he fields in this community - more than Florida Black bears (yes bears) - has to do with E-bikes, speed, courtesy, etc. He thinks that there will be pressure - at the County level where this community is policed from - to crack down harshly on rogue EBikers. But we know that such crackdowns always entrap the "good guys". The community its I live in is similar and I routinely see bad behavior. I do not yet have an Bike - still analog - but would love a Wired ST.
Happy New Year Russ. I just got my Wired Cruiser delivered last week. I used your affiliate link. In my town there are lots of young folks zipping around on Surrons (electric dirtbikes) doing wheelies at 50 mph, riding on the road in wrong direction, riding at night with no lights etc. Those bikes aren't licensed, and many riders are too young to have a driver's license, but the police are pretty relaxed about it, so I'm not too worried about myself being hassled since I'm 60 yrs old and ride respectful of others. I noticed you blew through about a dozen stop signs in this video. I also roll through them when it feels safe, as stopping seems unnecessary and less safe most of the time with my seat as high as it is. Could you maybe talk a little in the future about the letter of yhe law regarding stop signs if you have not addressed it already? Thanks!
Thanks for your purchase. The stop sign issue has been discussed at length in many videos but essentially, it is not legal to do as I do by rolling past it. Still, when there aren’t cars or people nearby that I will endanger, I will usually slow down a bit and roll right past it. I have asked one local police officer about this and he said it is up to each officer to either stop me or not to stop me on this but for him, he said he would let me go because he could see that I checked and decided it was safe to keep going. He was a motorcycle cop, so he understands that it is actually less safe for me to stop at every stop sign and that to physically stop causes a potential fall for a bike rider. He understands but not all cops (or viewers) would.
Glad to not live in Illinois. I have the Commuter bike that does 20 and a Burchda that does 25. I don't feel safe in hardly any traffic situation at 20. You are more limited to the subdivision driving. At 25, I am wishing when I have to take two lane roads for short distances and in traffic to get between points, that i had the 28 mile or 30 mile an hour capacity. It would be safer. Like you the police all know me. I am suited up with safety gear and drive responsibly. I would want my next bike to go 28 for sure. Oh, I just saw something on the Wired bike. I get 50+ miles on my 31 AH battery. A RUclipsr got similar on his Wired bike. Then he tried it in class two and got 90 miles!. At first that didn't make since, but after thinking, the bike is using so little of it's capability in class two it is the ultimate for distance if you want to ride it fully legally.
I also think that if you drive responsibly that should be enough. What are they gonna do about irresponsible car drivers, make cars that can’t go faster than a certain speed? (For some people I think it’s a good idea)😂 Happy New Year to you and Mrs Right 🎊
You buy a car with 500 hp but you are not supposed to drive faster than the posted speed limit. So why not forget trying to make up all these rules an just go by the speed limit.
I once thought I had a good case to win in court, but the judge wouldn't even listen to the story on why I thought it wasn't my fault. I was moving from my apartment and parked in front of the building, which was legal. However, my door of my vehicle opened to the street side which made loading more difficult. Therefore, I turned the vehicle around so loading would be easier and it was facing the wrong direction but was between the parking lines. A car ended up hitting (barely scrapping the side) my vehicle. I ended up being liable for all the damages and got a ticket for parking illegally (facing the wrong direction). My point was even if I was facing the other direction he would have still hit me so how is it my fault. Apparently if you are illegally parked you are guilty no matter the circumstances. It was very irritating. Still, 50 years later, it is irritating. lol
it's a benefit the bike can throttle that fast but you then lose the benefit of exercise by pedaling. What is worth more to you? The bicycle is one of the best exercise machines invented. To me, a bike is better if it has a throttle but is primarily designed to pedal
russ another issue my 5 yo juiced bike company suddenly went bankrupt last year. so i went shopping again and was about to pull the trigger on an ecells step thru until i read some reviews and it had a better business burreau rating of F I have no problem finding a bjke but any advice on how to trouble shoot the vitality of the company itself? thks
I don't think most police officers care as long as you're not breaking other traffic laws like running red lights etc. if you're travelig slower than the actual posted speed limit I doubt they care, I personally have ridden my Philodo H8 pedaling along at 30 mph in the bike lane of a 45 mph road and had cops wave as they passed by me. in the next lane.
The day I have to appear in court because a Wake Forest cop has caught my BICYCLE on radar, is the day I would a) Probably lose - because I am not paying a lawyer $1k minimum to appear and defend me, and b) the day irony and sarcasm will likely get me in trouble above and beyond what's reasonable. I can see myself saying things like "Yes, your honor. It's true. I am the Evil Kneival of the bicycle world. Ya got me! Im.the mad grocery getting backdoor peddling scourge of bike lanes everywhere! Contempt of court? How about ridicule of pathetic, silly, but obviously raising money at citizens' expense court?
Hardly anyone drives their cars at the legally posted speeds. Mostly people drive at 5- 10mph above posted legal limits. A lot of hypocrisy and cars and pickups and trucks are way more dangerous than a bicycle. Also, many situations make class 2 dangerous, period. Nothing about roads, sidewalks, paths are consistent or safe at the same speed just because the laws are not automatically ideal or practical or safe. Many bike paths here come to a sudden end and dump people right into the edge of car traffic or right into a bridge or right between lanes of traffic.
its not if the bike is legal its rather is the driver legal.. Russ i m older then you and going o 5 yr 16000 miles of e bike commuting in cleveland the problem is not the bike its the rude immature lawless lack of common sense human operating the bike
I have a Wired Freedom+ and where I ride there are areas of roadway without a bike path or room to ride without being directly in traffic. I turn following off so matter what assist I'm in, I have full throttle available. When I have to, I can usually keep up with traffic, or close to it and quickly get past areas with no room for a bike. Having a powerful bike is absolutely a safety issue. Also, love the channel; keep up the good work.
👍
I would say to just be mindful of the speed limits, conditions, and stop signs. When I ride motorcycles and bikes, I expect a four-way stop to mean stop for all. E-bikes are not exempt.
Just drive any bike respectively, Russ you have a great New Year
Agreed.
Respectfully? Absolutely!
I'd like to see the Classes replaced by speed limits instead. It would be far less complicated for people. Thanks for bringing this topic up Russ.
I would agree with this. Couple points. The state will still want to regulate them just like cars so they can collect revenue...so in comes the license plate and following ALL the street signs, including stop signs, staying in particular lanes, etc. Second, there are cars out there that have +1000 hp and can go over 170mph. They are legal, but the DRIVER is required to obey the law in them. That should be the same for e-bikes, no matter the performance. Too hard for the police to differentiate the e-bike's performance.
@@josephorr5175 Yes, you make some good points.
Agreed. Much easier if it were a speed limit.
Here we go with speed limits again when bicycles don't have speed limits or are they required to have a speedometer. So any speeding ticket is impossible to plead guilty or not in court without a speedometer. An eBike with a motor rated at 750W or less by the manufacturer is legally under Federal law is a bicycle. I used to go 70 mph coasting down mountain roads passing cops with never any speeding ticket.
Honestly Russ this isn't a question that can be answered under current regulations (too vague) and there is a lack of case law to clarify the holes. For example the US refs say motor at 750w, it doesn't specify of that's nominal or maximum, people are making assumptions. Also I can take a 1500w motor and claim it's 750w. What determines power output is the battery and controller, neither are covered by the regs. Regs also don't cover differences in terrain (say Colorado vs Florida) or rider weight/ability(ADA compliance anyone?). As mentioned elsewhere speed limits make far more sense.
Beating a traffic ticket is basically a matter of whether the cop shows to court. They don’t always show, so some guilty people get off.
As far as e-bikes go, I can’t see anybody getting a ticket unless exceeding the roads speed limit by a good bit. Even on the Wired, I’d be shocked if a cop cared unless you were doing speed runs on a 25 mph road. Cops see me all the time on my electric unicycle, and none have given me any problem. I have it set to beep at me at 32 mph so if I’m on a 25 mph road I back off a little. If I’m on a 35+ mph road, speed up a little. Never an issue, cops tell me it looks like fun.
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Happy New Year, Russ. Greetings from Osorno, Chile
Happy New Year!
Like you said “Ride responsibly”. One shouldn’t get pulled over by LEO. Happy New Year!
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Happy New Year
Happy New Year!
Good video was usual. Anecdotal observation from Florida where the State E-Bike laws are fairly straightforward and with deferral options to local ordinances overriding certain aspects like where/when you can ride, but all within the "performance" limitations at the State level - 750W and classes. My son in law is a senior executive of a state wide licensed community development company. He has particular day-to-day responsibility for a largish south central Florida community - not the favorite part of his job. The point is, while we were recently talking about EBikes he mentioned that by far the biggest complaint he fields in this community - more than Florida Black bears (yes bears) - has to do with E-bikes, speed, courtesy, etc. He thinks that there will be pressure - at the County level where this community is policed from - to crack down harshly on rogue EBikers. But we know that such crackdowns always entrap the "good guys". The community its I live in is similar and I routinely see bad behavior. I do not yet have an Bike - still analog - but would love a Wired ST.
Yes, it's always the few that mess it up for the rest.
I have noticed that in ebike videos, shot in the south, people park against the traffic often. Will be ticketed in my hometown. 😊
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Happy New Year Russ. I just got my Wired Cruiser delivered last week. I used your affiliate link.
In my town there are lots of young folks zipping around on Surrons (electric dirtbikes) doing wheelies at 50 mph, riding on the road in wrong direction, riding at night with no lights etc.
Those bikes aren't licensed, and many riders are too young to have a driver's license, but the police are pretty relaxed about it, so I'm not too worried about myself being hassled since I'm 60 yrs old and ride respectful of others.
I noticed you blew through about a dozen stop signs in this video. I also roll through them when it feels safe, as stopping seems unnecessary and less safe most of the time with my seat as high as it is.
Could you maybe talk a little in the future about the letter of yhe law regarding stop signs if you have not addressed it already? Thanks!
Thanks for your purchase. The stop sign issue has been discussed at length in many videos but essentially, it is not legal to do as I do by rolling past it. Still, when there aren’t cars or people nearby that I will endanger, I will usually slow down a bit and roll right past it. I have asked one local police officer about this and he said it is up to each officer to either stop me or not to stop me on this but for him, he said he would let me go because he could see that I checked and decided it was safe to keep going. He was a motorcycle cop, so he understands that it is actually less safe for me to stop at every stop sign and that to physically stop causes a potential fall for a bike rider. He understands but not all cops (or viewers) would.
Glad to not live in Illinois. I have the Commuter bike that does 20 and a Burchda that does 25. I don't feel safe in hardly any traffic situation at 20. You are more limited to the subdivision driving. At 25, I am wishing when I have to take two lane roads for short distances and in traffic to get between points, that i had the 28 mile or 30 mile an hour capacity. It would be safer. Like you the police all know me. I am suited up with safety gear and drive responsibly. I would want my next bike to go 28 for sure. Oh, I just saw something on the Wired bike. I get 50+ miles on my 31 AH battery. A RUclipsr got similar on his Wired bike. Then he tried it in class two and got 90 miles!. At first that didn't make since, but after thinking, the bike is using so little of it's capability in class two it is the ultimate for distance if you want to ride it fully legally.
👍
I also think that if you drive responsibly that should be enough. What are they gonna do about irresponsible car drivers, make cars that can’t go faster than a certain speed? (For some people I think it’s a good idea)😂 Happy New Year to you and Mrs Right 🎊
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Happy New Year to you too, Russ.
🥳
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
Great video! Thanks for sharing this topic very informative
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You buy a car with 500 hp but you are not supposed to drive faster than the posted speed limit. So why not forget trying to make up all these rules an just go by the speed limit.
I once thought I had a good case to win in court, but the judge wouldn't even listen to the story on why I thought it wasn't my fault. I was moving from my apartment and parked in front of the building, which was legal. However, my door of my vehicle opened to the street side which made loading more difficult. Therefore, I turned the vehicle around so loading would be easier and it was facing the wrong direction but was between the parking lines. A car ended up hitting (barely scrapping the side) my vehicle. I ended up being liable for all the damages and got a ticket for parking illegally (facing the wrong direction). My point was even if I was facing the other direction he would have still hit me so how is it my fault. Apparently if you are illegally parked you are guilty no matter the circumstances. It was very irritating. Still, 50 years later, it is irritating. lol
Same thing for the guy who fit me. The judge pronounced him guilty before he had a chance to even say two words.
Have a grear year 2025 Russ. Ride safe always.
Happy New Year!
what bike you on in the video I would like a basket?
This is the Magicycle Cruiser. But baskets are not universal. Companies don’t have a standard on where they drill mounting points.
it's a benefit the bike can throttle that fast but you then lose the benefit of exercise by pedaling. What is worth more to you? The bicycle is one of the best exercise machines invented. To me, a bike is better if it has a throttle but is primarily designed to pedal
The Wired bikes have great gear ratios for pedaling. No ghost pedaling on these bikes.
So what's the weather by you, Russ? Is there any snow yet?
Not today, but we have had snow last week. Today is raining and currently 39
@RussIsRight o wow ok sorry for that, but hopefully, sun and warmer days are just around the corner.
russ another issue my 5 yo juiced bike company suddenly went bankrupt last year. so i went shopping again and was about to pull the trigger on an ecells step thru until i read some reviews and it had a better business burreau rating of F I have no problem finding a bjke but any advice on how to trouble shoot the vitality of the company itself? thks
Hard to say how a company will do. Even large companies go out of business.
I don't think most police officers care as long as you're not breaking other traffic laws like running red lights etc. if you're travelig slower than the actual posted speed limit I doubt they care, I personally have ridden my Philodo H8 pedaling along at 30 mph in the bike lane of a 45 mph road and had cops wave as they passed by me. in the next lane.
👍
The day I have to appear in court because a Wake Forest cop has caught my BICYCLE on radar, is the day I would a) Probably lose - because I am not paying a lawyer $1k minimum to appear and defend me, and b) the day irony and sarcasm will likely get me in trouble above and beyond what's reasonable. I can see myself saying things like "Yes, your honor. It's true. I am the Evil Kneival of the bicycle world. Ya got me! Im.the mad grocery getting backdoor peddling scourge of bike lanes everywhere! Contempt of court? How about ridicule of pathetic, silly, but obviously raising money at citizens' expense court?
🤣
Hardly anyone drives their cars at the legally posted speeds. Mostly people drive at 5- 10mph above posted legal limits. A lot of hypocrisy and cars and pickups and trucks are way more dangerous than a bicycle. Also, many situations make class 2 dangerous, period. Nothing about roads, sidewalks, paths are consistent or safe at the same speed just because the laws are not automatically ideal or practical or safe. Many bike paths here come to a sudden end and dump people right into the edge of car traffic or right into a bridge or right between lanes of traffic.
See you on the other Side 🎉2025
Happy New Year!
its not if the bike is legal its rather is the driver legal.. Russ i m older then you and going o 5 yr 16000 miles of e bike commuting in cleveland the problem is not the bike its the rude immature lawless lack of common sense human operating the bike
👍