Proposed California law seeks to create new Sur Ron style e-bike category for legal status
Proposed California law seeks to create new Sur Ron style e-bike category for legal status
California is set to shake up how out-of-class electric two-wheelers are regulated, as a newly proposed bill, SB 586, aims...
California is set to shake up how out-of-class electric two-wheelers are regulated, as a newly proposed bill, SB 586, aims...
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California's Ebike rules are kind of dumb.
I assumed since these had no pedals they were already considered Off-Road vehicles. As they did not fit ANY E-Bike classification.
This proposal doesn't do much to address anything beyond "Lets get these Surrons out of our neighborhoods"
In my neighborhood these things are quite popular but I am usually happy to see that most teens on them rock full face helmets. (The scooters and cheaper E-Bike riders seem much less likely to wear any helmet)
Where I'm at, Surron riders are actually safer and more respectful when riding. I've had so many close calls with people on ebikes and escooters without helmets. I've never seen a Surron rider weave through pedestrian traffic without going really slowly or fully dismounting. I'd get one myself if they weren't so expensive. They look so fun
Thats been mine too. I ride fixie every day here. Surron riders typically got their shit on point.
I ride fixie because I couldn't spend $4k on a surron lol (I think starting with dirt bike money has a lot to do with why I typically find these kids better equipped)
I've had similar experiences with high powered esk8, scooters, EUCs, etc. having been on several group rides with them. Nearly all owners of more capable devices will invest in safety gear and learn to ride responsibly because there's more to lose. Meanwhile there are basic ebike and scooter riders all over the place with no gear, doubling up, using phones...
It's frustrating because local legislation is rightly responding to these rider issues, but when they do a crackdown operation they target the geared up riders who appear to be fast and scary.
The scooters FREAK ME OUT. AS a person that skateboarded in his past...
I don't think these E-Scooter guys realize how easily they would loose their face going 20+mph while looking at their phone and not wearing a helmet....
NO FUCKING THANKS!
The people who are on them where I live are a bunch of young teenagers, look like they are around the 12 to 14 year-old range. There's a bunch of these kids who buzz through our neighborhood on them. I have yet to see one of them wearing a helmet.
Perhaps a month ago, I ended up following one, I was driving in this case, not biking. No helmet, T-shirt and shorts, flip-flops, in the 25 to 30 mph range. When we got to the exit from our subdivision, he cut left onto the main road (45mph) into the bike lane facing traffic, fortunately, nobody was turning right into the subdivision at the time... but at some point, somebody will be.
I don't really blame the kids, they are just doing what young boys do, being stupid. I would've done the exact same thing if I'd had the opportunity. I do, however, blame their parents – at some point one of these kids is gonna eat the front of somebody's SUV and then their parents are going to lose their shit over their poor little Johnny and isn't it so horrible and we should have laws against these things! and if/when they crack down that WILL affect me and that pisses me off.
Edit to add: I should also mention that almost nobody around here wears a helmet, regardless of age, riding on the street. I've got kids in high school and when I've been over at the school, none of those kids do either. I do, 100% of the time, but I also started mountain biking before I started riding on the street, and that environment is completely different at least here. it's a completely different group of people, and everybody wears a helmet mountain biking.
I am curious as to what "around here means" I notice some countries I travel to helmets for even motorcycles is almost sacrilege.
And I am not saying that EVERYONE ALWAYS... certainly not.
But the $300 Ebike from Costco 9 times out of 10 that little fucker has his helmet on the handlebars IF he has one.
Big BMX... HA forget it
(no BMX here really... we lack skate parks)
Scooters "How fast can a scooter REALLY go man?"
Roadies (old guys like me... but always helmeted... and them shorts <3... I mean)
Surrons (or eletric dirtbikes / dirtbkes) almost always have helmets that fit the bikes ON.
We had a group of kids a few years back that would blast around on quads and GoKarts with no helmets. Saw them picking themselves up off the concrete a few times though.
I am in a US Suburban Area Upper middle class.
Around here is suburban Phoenix, AZ. Nice area, pretty conservative.
I will say, when I'm out biking outside the neighborhood, I see a higher percentage of surron type riders wearing helmets than most other groups. Roadies, MTBers almost always do too. The guy biking to work, or the old people on the canal path on their dtc e-bikes, and the kids at the local schools, never.