Ebike de-restricting, pros and cons including how to do it yourself. 

Thank you for watching and your comments

Do you notice that are you causing any harm to the motor!? Like you say I am way faster in my normal bike and that is frustrating to me. The 15mph is to low. If would be a 20mph that is a decent speed. Sometimes put myself in more danger on the traffic because this low limit

@@Danielkuota1 not noticed any wear yet and got 800 miles on it. Pretty sure they were designed to go faster before some twats in Brussels got involved. Anyway if it breaks at least I know I had fun in the process!

@@mulletthehunter7163 thanks for your feedback

@TheYorkshireBikeMechanic I have only recently found your YT channel, and have to say just how superb that it is. I was an early adopter of emtb's in the UK,having owned, ridden and reviewed them for near on 16 years now. I used to have a very strong opinion about the deristricion of ebikes. In the early years of riding an ebike, opinion was very much against them, and the topic of speed was very high on an agenda to have them banned. The pro speed lobby were creating a great risk that government might apply even stronger rules. The pro speed lobby basically took the selfish two fingers up attitude, only thinking about themselves. Thankfully, things appear to have settled down now, although sadly, restricted or not, an ignorant few risk upsetting the balance by going to fast past non assisted riders, or members of the public. I have had lengthy chats to Mark H about deristricion of ebikes and the law in respect of it. Without going on too much, I still don't see the need for a higher assited speed limit in an off road situation, but for road riding, 20mph would certainly be beneficial and to a greater extent safer in respect of being around other road users. I recently bought a Riese Muller Roadster S-pedelec to sell on again, and was actually pretty surprised that even with a 625wh battery, how quickly it drained. You can't have speed without using extra energy. Also glad to see that you covered yourself in respect of working on deristriced bikes. I was a bit concerned about that one at the start of the clip.

Yes I think I agree, 20mph is reasonable.

Not in a congested city like London, pedelecs are much faster than cars over a distance of an average journey which may be somewhere between 3 to 8 miles. It is only the motor power assist which is restricted to 15.5 mph, not the overall speed of the eBike. Fit and more especially younger pedelec riders don't restrict their overall speed to 20 mph local limits, they get to the destination much faster than all other vehicles, they can additionally use routes unavailable to motorbikes or mopeds, my son reaches speeds of up to 30 mph where permitted, albeit downhill, 20 to 25 mph isn't unusual for fit and younger pedelec riders with power assist limited to 15.5 mph. Cyclists can ride eBikes with more power assist, but the bike is then classed as a moped and a motorbike helmet is required in addition to tax, insurance and registration. The problem is that pedelec riders aren't wearing any protective gear whilst they are travelling at the speed of a moped, there just has to be a point where the power assist is limited. If the power assist speed is to be increased from 15.5 mph there will immediately be more deaths and very considerably more serious life changing injuries requiring hospitalisation as a result of people having no protective gear and for many of them not even a driving licence or any form of driving instruction. A pedelec bike can legally be ridden on the road by anyone over the age of 14, with no licence and with no prior experience of being on the road whatsoever, would you wish a child in your family to have power assist to 20 mph under such circumstances, knowing that in all likelihood they will be cycling far in excess of that speed?

Exactly my experience. I feel much safer on roads when i'm going 20mph on my ebike. I guess I'm not fit because i can't get to 20mph when the pedal assist is set to 15.5mph and the road is level. Cars have no choice but to continually overtake me in that situation. But when i take the restrictions off and can finally get to 20mph then i hardly ever get overtaken in London. Feels much safer that way.

Just don’t. It will become a full on mc in the eyes of the law, would u get on a mc without insurance tax or mot what happens if u injure someone civil claim good buy house job etc bizzies switching on to this fast look at min 6 points and poss ban not to mention large fine worth it ?

@@TheYorkshireBikeMechanic do you think a 50% rise in vehicle emissions is a good idea

Cool 👍

Hi Jim, Thanks for your comment

Hi, thanks for watching and your comments

WOW, thats a bit strange, who would have thought, glad you found us. hope your well, please call into the shop any time, were in Sowerby Bridge.

Hi, Thanks for watching and your comment

Hi, Good comments

@@TheYorkshireBikeMechanic I have a class 3 here in NY for commuting and I would be terrified to ride under 28 miles an hour on the roads around here.

Same here, my speed on a run the other day averaged 17mph, it’s a typical farcical law and I will be purchasing myself one soon. There are no speed restrictions for cyclists on UK roads so why impose a 15.5 mph on a motor, most abled bodied cyclists can pedal faster than that.

How did you do this, this is exactly what I want

@@paulrounding5260 You still can pedal faster just without support of the motor (depending on the motor you have). E.g. a Bosch Performance CX 4 just cuts out support but doesn't hinder you in any way to pedal faster.

Hi, Thanks for watching and your comments

Hi Thank you for watching and your comments, unfortunately there is no way of fitting a throttle, sorry

A good way to get mugged!

Well said! Thanks for watching

Even 17.5 would be a game changer I think my hybrid cube stereo is really cumfy around that speed but obviously the motor is not engaged after 15.5 which is an absolute joke by the politicians since anyone using a racer can just glide right by and make you feel like you are standing still but lil clown on e scooters can do the same speed although highly unstable.

this is great that you have it working good for you, and using it sensibly

Great comment, thanks

Is it easy to fit on a cube bike ?

Hi, I personally thing 20mph would be better. Thanks for watching

It’s just because the law hasn’t been changed to account for ebikes, so the legislation is based on petrol mopeds. Anything high speed is requiring helmets and insurance etc.

It is only the motor power assist that is limited to 15 mph, not the speed of the bike, you can ride as fast as your (unassisted) peddling will take you.

No problem, thanks for watching

If it has the speedbox, and a warranty issue pops up, remove the speedbox before it goes to shop.

​@brad sanders I was going to say the same thing, who is stupid enough to turn up at the shop with the speedbox still fitted for a warranty issue 😂

I have a question if you de restrict a motor completely what is the maximum speed I know wattage and volts matter also

Thanks for watching and your comments

Hi, Thanks for your comments

UK that wpuld be 15.5mph your extra 4.5mph makes a real difference

@@phantombigballs8165 i understand that. all im saying for me and the trails I normally ride. even at 15mph would be good enough. I max out at around 30mph plus but thats doing downhill trails...I understand if your doing lots of flats, fire roads that extra 5mph definitely make a difference. for me and my trails it don't matter.

@@romeocollado6133 For trails, for most people, yes. It's the riding to and from the trails is the issue. In the UK we have no real cycling infrastucture and 15 mph encourages cars to overtake in a 30 mph zone.

@@darthkek1953 In cities it is pedelecs that are reaching their destination much faster than cars, a pedelec will usually cut journey time in half. It's really annoying for pedelec riders to have to tolerate the slow pace of car traffic in cities, they are forced to overtake (or undertake) lines of slower moving cars. Fit and younger pedelec riders don't restrict their speed to the limit of the motor power assist at 15.5 mph, most are cycling between 20 to 25 mph and 30 mph is possible (where permitted locally).

Hi, Thank you for watching and your comments.

Hi, thanks for watching and your comments

Hi, Thanks for watching, I agree with you.

Agree.

My 250w does 21mph and it's far far better than legal ones.

I feel far safer at 25mph on the road than 10-12mph

@@ToThePointCTwhat power level do you use?

Con - legality. If you get into a serious accident and kill a pedestrian, you have your bike derestricted you can potentially face very serious criminal consequences.

@@darthkek1953 same as a motorbike or a car then. So just turn it off in public areas and turn it back on on the road.

@@niblet112 providing it is legal to have it chipped but non-functional on the road, certainly. But do we have confirmation of that?

@@darthkek1953 I don’t know tbh. But as I am passed by the Lycra brigade quite often sometimes they pass me doing 25-30 mph I think the 15.5mph cut off is ridiculous. The great think about this gadget is you can set it to cut off at 20mph you don’t have to completely de restrict you’re ebike.

Hi Josh, Thanks for your comments

Thanks for watching and your comments

Very knowledgeable video 🤙🤙

Thanks for watching and your great comment

Hi Mike, yes I do agree. Im interested in your bafang experience, which motors/kits do you use?

@@TheYorkshireBikeMechanic I mostly use the 750w bbs02 motors, paired with the C500 display unit and 17ah or 20ah batteries These generally get used for trail riding , there’s a lot of nice dirt to where I live (fife ,Scotland) I find the 750 motor to have adequate power with a decent range the bigger motors are a bit of a handful on the tight woodsy local stuff The other thing with bafang motors is the ability to change the various parameters within the bms , free Luna cycle software,a cable and a laptop and you can then really screw up how the bike rides , or make it a lot sweeter

@@mikejefferson1284 Hi Mike, thanks for the info, I have an old carrera in the workshop that im going to convert, where is the best place to buy the kits from?

@@mikejefferson1284 Hi Mike, I’m interested in trying the Bafang set up, where do you get yours from?

I just hate the 18.5 mph bog on my new Canyon Spectral, as a lifetime dirtbiker, 18.5 mph is just getting rolling. I may not go 40 mph all the time but I dont like the way it bogs me down going so slow. Its not natural, to me its a nanny state thing.

30 mph no worries no problems

Thanks for watching and your comment

​@@TheYorkshireBikeMechanic any chance you can tell me what b tuning is?

Hi, Thanks for watching, thats sounds like an interesting bike you have, can you send me some photos please.

@@TheYorkshireBikeMechanic I sent you an email with photos.

Hi, Thanks for watching and your comments

Only 30% assist is basically like riding a normal bike because the e bikes are usually at least 30% heavier.. even mine turned down to 50% is almost as hard to climb as my normal MTB

Eco on mine feels easier than normal bike because there is more torque. It is comparable to climbing a normal bike with a tail wind and strava times show this

@@grannyjone always going to be easier with the helping hand , but as long as you record and save the rides on the e-bike leader board with Strava it's all fair:)

@@djm8027 I save ebike rides in ebike but there are definitely people who dont. Many of those top times on climbs for analogue bikes theres no way they were not done on ebikes

thanks for watching and your comments

Hi, Thanks for watching and your comments. watch out for our appearance on ITV tonight talking about the same subject, soon

Same torque tho

Hi, Thanks for watching and your comment

Thanks!

Good choice!, Thanks for watching

Hi Mark, Thanks for watching. When working on speedbox enabled ebikes I always give them back with the speedbox deactivated, customer always signs a disclaimer to the effect that they received the bike with standard uk limits. I have never had a stolen bike in the workshop that I know of.

@@TheYorkshireBikeMechanic the fact that the bike has the device fitted in the eyes of the law makes it a mc, not withstanding it’s not activated be careful if god forbid one of your bikes ends up in a fatality a civil claim may well come your way. It’s a risk. All of these bikes will end up on the road public highway at some point

Thank you for watching and your comments

Thank you for watching and your great comments

Hi Steven, you might be able to do this on some lower spec models with cheaper hub motors and lower spec controllers, some specalized can be done through a phone app, bosch and shimano have their wheel circumferences programmed in at the factory before fitting and can not be changed only by shimano or bosch technicians, as a dealer we don't have the correct permissions in the diagnostic software, Thanks for watching and your comments.

@@TheYorkshireBikeMechanic well, I’m talking about a diy Bafang Kit where you have to input tire size. I use a cloth tape and measure the actual circumference. All I really need is a cheap standalone bike computer to check what ever I do to check against.

Hi Tony, Answer is no not really you wouldn't be able to tell.

Bosch can see that it's been tampered with if it goes for warranty work

@@phantombigballs8165 They must have a black box chip inside it then which they read...

Hi, commuter/gravel,road ebikes are great at providing assistance up steep hills or when tired. Speeds of over 16mph the bike turns into a heavy one due to the battery and motor weight. unfortunately any more speed than the 15.5 means that it's not compliant with uk law making road ebikes a bit pointless unless they are super light

Hi, if you are asking my own personal opinion then the answer would be no

What about when you take your bike for a service and Bosch software update? are you to skip the update?

Thankd for watching and your coimment

Hi, Thanks for your comments

It would as lots of drivers want to pass a bike by default soon as they see it. No matter what speed you are doing.

@@jamescorrigan2777 EVERY driver tries to pass a 15 mph bike ONLY NUTTERS rage past a 25 mph bike.

@@darthkek1953 No shortage of nutters.

@@jamescorrigan2777 they're still the exception not the norm.

Hi, Thanks for watching, In all honesty I don't know. Bosch are able to see more in depth info than we are though.

I was faster on my mtbike, but got my Kenovo ebike and derestricted it and so much better.

If it was me investing thousands into one of these bikes, I would feel cheated, knowing that, the bike is capable of so much more, derestricting is what I would do, although I have built a few DIY bikes, which are really good fun, and piss the lycra brigade off when I press them on the road😂

Fully agree, I can manage 15 while falling asleep, when you spend a lot of money you expect a lot of performance. I'd just take it on the chin too if the cut off point was even 20mph but 15mph is laughable.

@Joe try one lol Mine has 85nm of torque, there's nothing weak about it

It's 100% government sticking it's dick into every facet of our fucking lives. Here in the US we have a 28mph limit and it's still ridiculous.

Good comment, thanks for watching

What the top speed with pedalling?

@@mikepagani6996 hi, it’s unlimited depending on hearing.

@@mikepagani6996 what's the quickest you can pedal? ;-)

Hi, Thanks for watching and your comments

Hi, thanks for watching and your comments, if you live in hilly areas it can be an issue

Does it burn out other components because the factory tailored it all to 15?

@@peaceformula5830 These motors are generally capable of so much more than the restricted speed. Most motors are rated 500-750W. As long you're not thrashing the motor, they will happily propel you with assistance to around 25-30mph. A friend tuned his Bosch powered eMtb What a lovely bike it was to ride, smooth as silk upto 28mph.

Good comment Todd

ebikes are heavier and dont brake better, they brake worse for the same exact bike. with that said i do think EU ebikes speed limit is too low. the US speed limitnis much more sensible. you dont need to go 50mph, but up to 25 f.e. makes a lot of sense.

Thank you for watching and your kind comments

Thanks for watching

Hi Alex, Thanks for watching and your comments

Hi, Thanks for watching and your comments.

Thanks for watching and your comments

Hi, Thanks for watching and your comments

Raise the speed limit? Motorways are for high speeds residential areas are for snails

Hi Michael, thank you for watching and your comments. I could have gone on for ages listing the cons, it did dent seem fair to put everyone off, it’s up to the owner to decide which is best, I always go through the potential issues when I’m asked for more info. Bosch and other try hard to keep there motors running within the Uk limits when in the uk

@@TheYorkshireBikeMechanic Thanks for your reply. From your answer - or lack of mentioning - I gather that the rumors of Bosch Gen 4 motors "self destructing" after 3 dealer reset, is greatly exaggerated?! It may be annoying if faults start to appear, but not the end of the world (motor). Thanks fore some good videos :-)

@@michaelwenckens6549 Unless if I have this VERY wrong, you can reset your bike 3 times at home after that you need to see a dealer. They can reset it and "reset the reset" with their Bosch diagnostic software.

Hi, Thanks for watching, great comment

Thank you

Hi, thanks for watching and your comment.

Just don’t. It will become a full on mc in the eyes of the law, would u get on a mc without insurance tax or mot what happens if u injure someone civil claim good buy house job etc bizzies switching on to this fast look at min 6 points and poss ban not to mention large fine worth it ? Btw your now riding a mc with no in’s no mot no licence and no number plate I wish u luck !

​@@alexthomas9918 Thats a lot of what ifs bearing in mind I dont ride on the roads and even most of my off road riding is bike park. I like a spliff now and again and am not adverse to driving over the ton on quiet motorways. Ill chance my arm but thanks for worrying about me and my self employed job working from the house that is entirely owned by my wife.

finally after reading all the comments you mention how hard it is to pedal above the limit... Treacle!! Derestricted doesnt accelerate any faster just gets to a happy speed of 24mph on my 10 speed 37mph (downhill) on my 12 speed. Sillyness!!!! (203mm brakes) I cruise at 21mph drinking a coffee :)

@@ryan6764 I never mentioned acceleration. I did mention being unhealthy though. 60 years old. Severe COPD (ex coal miner, ex welder, ex smoker), arthritic ankle joints and a wrecked knee. I could probs also drink a coffee at 21mph (derestricted obvs) . Put a swimmers nose clip on, fill your mouth almost to capacity with a bread roll or similar and then try riding above the limiter for more than a couple of mins, thats what COPD feels like when you are doing pretty much anything except sat on your arse.

Thank You

Hi Thanks for watching, Fair enough

You would not believe the amount of people I've passed at that speed. Some seriously slow riders out there

Hi, no, the new or old sensor just needs plugging back in

Hi, Thanks for watching and your comments, It is not possible sorry

Hi Darren, thank you for your comments

35 Kilos? Is it armour plated? 25kg would be an upper weight limit for most.

@@Gent100 It's 35kg. What would you like me to tell you? That it's 25kg?

@@darrenprior6339 No Darren, course not, just surprised.

Hi, great comments, Thank you

A lot of good info thanks for writing

Hi, Thanks for watching and your comments, bikes that are built with a throttle come under a slightly different law, Im not sure what they are without looking it up.

Hi, thanks for watching, sorry but I only know how they are installed

Hi, Thanks for watching and your comments

Yep 100% it’s not fun at 15.5 mph

@@niblet112my limiters gone now. So much better. I’m doing normal bike speeds now like 18mph I’m going up hill at 16 like a normal e-bike still I can do 30 if I really try which is the same as me riding a normal mtb but only with skinny tyres The limiter makes you a sitting duck for muggers

Bought a brand new 1 the other day after owning "unlocked" one for the last 4 years, can confirm 15.5mph absolutely sucks, speedbox ordered 😂

The biggest con is going to be the liability for at least 6 points on your driving licence if used on a public road. You will (at a minimum) be face being charged with having an unregistered motorcycle, which does not comply with construction regulations and riding whilst uninsured. If people want a de-restricted bike, then buy an electric moped.

Exactly I know quite a few people who sold there ebikes because of the 15.5mph.

Hi, thanks for watching, sorry I have no experience of Mahle.

Hi, Thanks for watching and your comments, sorry no I dont

Hi John, Thanks for your comments

Exactly it should be 20

It’s an EU imposed directive

Hi Daniel, good question, The motors are designed for all countries and their respective regulations, Each manufacturer will program the motor for their bikes and their countries ebike laws, if a motor is pushed past it's designed limits then additional wear will certainly happen on motor moving parts and bearings, also on drivetrains and tyres.

thanks for watching and your comments

Thanks for your comments Curtis

oh dear, sorry about that, welcome the feedback though.

😂

You do on the giant bike you switch it from the mode button on. The giant

Thanks Bradley

That bike shop is balancing a fine-line between riders choice and potentially being an accomplice to a criminal act.

Hi YJ and thanks for watching, an interesting comment.

Didn't realise that it was illegal to exceed 15.5 mph on an ebike .. or do the cops have follow you and track your speed, then confiscate your bike and test it to see if it exceeds 15.5 mph or place it on a dyno to see if it exceeds 250w ? I'm confused 😕

@@yj8471 you can go over 15mph on an e-bike but after 15.5 mph you're doing it with pedals/gravity no assist, to the limit of the road of course.

@@yj8471 one push of a button you can turn you’re ebike back to its original setting. My average speed on a 40 mile journey is about 16-17 mph. So I’m never really using the motor only on hills so 15.5mph makes absolutely no sense, 20mph is where it’s at.

Hi, Thanks for watching and your comments, thank you

Well said

Is the LAW the issue? Or do you have your own opinion?

It’s not well said. The Lycra brigade have 40+ gears, and cruse around at 20-25 mph. I’ve hit 30mph on my ebike downhill and a Lycra guy passed me like I was standing still. So should analog bikes have less gears or buy a motorbike?

I'm in the market for a first e-bike. Yes, it is frustrating that I'm going to be limited to 25kmh assisted. Of course, if I have an e-bike with a good selection of derailleur gears for example like a Cube Kathmandu which has 12, on the flat or on the declines I can just do as I currently do on my pretty basic hybrid bike and just pedal harder under my own steam. The e-bike will be easier for me on the hills and into those headwinds and when I'm loaded down or pulling trailers. I test rode a different e-bike recently and it was feeling so relatively effortless even in the lowest assist. I was pedaling along gaining speed and suddenly something happened. I crossed 25kmh and I was back to reality, I would have to just pedal harder as I do already on my own bike. And 250mh motors are really underpowered too. As soon as I sit on an e-bike that's 120kg before I add any luggage of which I usually carry quite a lot. That's the load bearing limit of most e-bikes exceeded already. But not too long ago this very evening I was watching a video from Canada demonstrating the difference between a mid drive and a hub drive e-bike for commuting. Nobody mentioned restrictions or legalities but the hub drive was doing about 40kmh and the mid drive hit 60kmh. The hub had a throttle, the mid didn't. I was feeling oh so jealous and not a little frustrated. They didn't mention what brands the bikes or motors were or power output. It was just the differences between the two types of drives for commuting. The main reason why I can't have an e-bike that will do 40+ kmh on the flat is because we all know that there will be the normal percentage of idiots who will be riding them with due recklessness on the pavements and shared paths and running normal cyclists off the bike lanes. I'd love to be able to do 40+ kmh on my 20km commute each way to work. It would really shorten the time each way. And I would absolutely never go over 25 in a bike lane. But you just goddamned know that all the yahoos out there are just gonna go mad with the extra speed. There's plenty of them out there already on illegal and derestricted bikes and scooters regularly causing mayhem and damage with impunity. Am I right or am I right? I am actually now beginning to seriously consider the option of buying something that will be faster and stronger for those longer commutes even though it will need to be taxed, insured and the correct license. Which is making me feel sad because I really had my heart set on an all round e-bike workhorse. I don't know yet but I'm looking into it.

Hi, chipping it wouldn't make any difference as you already have no restriction

Hi, thanks for watching and your comments, the motor can be rendered useless but it is nearly always rectifiable

Hi, thanks for watching, the effect you are feeling is simply having to pedal a heavy bike with no assistance. We all get used to the assistance it gives us and it's great, the feeling of it not being there is not, if you know what I mean.