One of the questions that we get asked about electric mountain bikes is “How fast are they?” It’s a simple enough question but the answer is a tricky one and all depends on where in the world you live. Let us explain.
Before we get into how fast an electric mountain bike is, we first need to look at what an e-Bike or e-MTB is and how they are defined by the law but don’t worry this is going to be interesting and useful not boring and legislative.
As a mountain bike company, we only manufacture electric bikes that are classed as Pedelecs. A Pedelec is a classification of motorised bicycle and is very different to a standard motorbike or moped.
In the U.S and most of Europe, a Pedelec is a bicycle that DOES NOT have a throttle, and CANNOT be ridden without reader input. A Pedelec, like our Patrol E-Zero and Patrol E-Six, use a motor that only assists the rider I.E if the rider stops pedalling then the motor also stops.
Another critical factor in what a Pedelec is is the top-speed allowed by this classification of electric bike, but this depends on the country and can also depend on the state that you’re in.
In most of Europe, an electric mountain bike can have a maximum speed of 25km/h and a maximum power of 250 watts. In the United States rules allow a maximum of 500 watts and a top assist speed of 32hm/h (20mph).
Even though electric mountain bikes have a limited assist top-speed this doesn’t prevent an e-Bike from exceeding that top-speed. What it does mean though is that once the legal speed limit of an electric bike is reached the motor will automatically switch off and you will be running purely on muscle power.
How fast is an electric mountain bike?
So, back to our original question “How fast is an electric mountain bike?” And the answer really comes down to how strong you are and how fast you can pedal. The assist motor will aid you to a maximum restricted speed for your geographical location, but beyond that, the power is in your legs.
