Street-Legal ebikes are underpowered
The problem with fast eBikes is safety -- there&#x27;s a huge difference in injury (and survivability) between a 15mph collision and a 30mph collision.<p>If a collision between an unprotected bicyclist and a stationary object is similar to that between a car and a pedestrian, the chance of death in a 15mph (25kph) collision is around 5% and the chance of non-minor injury is 10%. In a 50kph collision, that jumps up to a 50% chance of death and 95% chance of non-minor injury.<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.safespeed.org.uk&#x2F;killspeed.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.safespeed.org.uk&#x2F;killspeed.html</a><p>So sure, build your 30mph bike if you want to, but understand that it&#x27;s  no longer a bike, it&#x27;s a motor vehicle, and should be restricted to licensed adults and should not be used on bike paths and the rider should probably be wearing a motorcycle-style helmet. I know there&#x27;s some debate on the effectiveness of bicycle helmets at preventing injury in the low-speed accidents cyclists are usually in, but for motorcyclists, the benefits are more clear -- a 37% reduction in deaths and 67% reduction in brain injuries.<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.iihs.org&#x2F;iihs&#x2F;topics&#x2F;t&#x2F;motorcycles&#x2F;fatalityfacts&#x2F;motorcycles" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.iihs.org&#x2F;iihs&#x2F;topics&#x2F;t&#x2F;motorcycles&#x2F;fatalityfacts&#x2F;...</a><p>Oh, and make sure that your brakes are able to stop your 1000W+ motor if the throttle gets stuck wide open.