Electric Bikes - Pedal only now

http://www.minister.infrastructure.gov.au/ck/releases/2012/May/CK013_2012.aspx

The rules regarding electric bikes are changing and changing for the better in my view. Now let me first state I have no problem with electric bikes. I think they help people that may be becoming a bit frail or need to get somewhere without getting there to sweaty but there have been problems with them in Australia. The main thing is that I have always believed when it came to electric Bikes is that they are to be a bicycle first, not a motorbike. Therefore the person is the main power source first and electric second.

Throttle is gone and I am glad.
Most E-bikes that were sold in Australia were of appearance to the bike shown above. The difference between the bike shown above and the ones sold in Australia is most of them are throttle assist (or so called assist). As I said above I believe a bike should be a bike not a motorbike. In most cases that I have witnessed throttle "assist" turned a bicycle into a low powered motorbike. Most times I have seen throttle E-bikes in Brisbane the rider has been no pedalling at all and letting the motor do all the work. This gives no benefit to the person riding it and has caused problems. Unlike true motorbikes many of these throttles did not go back straight to neutral if pressure was released. This has meant that they can be tricky to operate.

Pedal Assist the only way
From now on all new E-bikes are to be pedal assist only. This means only when the rider starts to pedal will the motors (assist) will kick in. This means there is to be no more "NEW" people rolling along without doing any work. That said the most important part is that pedal assist is not tricky. A pedal assist E-bike is as easy to ride as normal bike the only difference is before pedalling is you set a dial to how much help you get. This means when you stop pedalling the motor stops. This is extremely important if you have to do an emergency stop.

I have tried both forms and I have to say I hated the throttle assist. I found it tricky to use and stopping was not easy. The pedal assist was a dream. I started to spin the pedals and I was off with all the control a normal bike gave me of starting and stopping.

Increased power
The maximum power output of E-bike has also changed. It was 200W it will now be 250W while I am not a fan of this on the power grounds it does have a very important benefit. European E-bike can be imported almost directly into Australia now. This means high quality European models will now be available to the Australian market.

I have to say I like the changes and welcome them. Bring on the Pedal Assist Cyclists of Brisbane.