E-bike expert warns of dangers from certain models

The San Mateo County Office of Education hosted a webinar Wednesday when Mittelstaedt went through the many factors parents should consider when purchasing an e-bike. 

While Mittelstaedt, 77, is a major proponent for e-bikes — he has two, and credits them for expanding his world at his age — his first advice to parents is to think long and hard about just getting a manual bike instead. 

Parents may hear from their children that all their friends have an e-bike, and so they need one too. However, when Mittelstaedt visited various campuses throughout Marin and San Mateo counties, there was still a much larger proportion of students who rode regular, manual bikes. 

“It’s just not true that you need an e-bike to have friends,” Mittelstaedt said. 

Beyond the social dynamic woes of a middle-schooler, undeniably a factor in students’ lives, there is, more importantly, damning information regarding the actual safety of e-bikes — or electric vehicles that market themselves as e-bikes, he said. 

There are three classifications of two-wheelers with electric motors that can be treated as bicycles, meaning no license required, in California. 

Class 1 is a pedal assist vehicle with no throttle and a maximum assisted speed of 20 mph. These are what Mittelstaedt and many districts are favoring as a safe option for students regardless of age. 

This classification is currently the only electric device allowed within the Menlo Park City School District after its Board of Trustees recently prohibited any other options at its board meeting Nov. 13. The district was the first to pass such a policy in the county. 

Class 2 is a pedal assist vehicle with a throttle and is marketed to reach a maximum speed of 20 mph — however, many of these vehicles are able to be “unlocked” to access higher speeds. 

This ability to augment the maximum speed is where the concern truly lies, Mittelstaedt said. While there are Class 2 e-bikes with throttles that are actually restricted to reaching 20 mph, many on the market can be adapted with the help of an app or code to increase the maximum speed. 

“It’s very blatant and it’s very hard for parents to tell the difference between the very few that are really limited to 20, and the vast majority that are very easy to unlock,” Mittelstaedt said. 

For those with a throttle, the electric vehicle is considered an e-bike if it’s less than 750 watts and not capable of going more than 20 mph. Anything above 750 watts or faster is technically considered an e-moto. 

Avoiding electric vehicles with throttles is the safest bet, Mittelstaedt said. Though, these are the most popular among students, research has found. 

A bike count at several schools in San Mateo County shows that the majority of e-devices students are riding are not street legal, Theresa Vallez-Kelley, coordinator of the Safe Routes to School program, said. 

“We have an e-moto problem, not an e-bike problem,” Vallez-Kelley said. 

Data found by the Safe Routes to Schools program in Marin County showed that kids riding e-bikes or e-motos have a disproportionately high injury rate. Accidents occur for 10- to 16-year-olds at five times the rate of other age groups, according to 911 call data. 

Class 3 e-bikes do not have a throttle, but are able to reach 28 mph, but riders must be 16 years or older. 

Unfortunately, Mittelstaedt said, it’s not easy to visually detect the differences between the various classifications which makes it difficult to police, placing a level of responsibility on whoever is buying them.

“If the life of your kid isn’t enough, the criminal and civil liability isn’t enough, more and more schools are banning them so it’s not a good investment, financially,” Mittelstaedt said. “If this holiday season you buy a throttle bike, chances are it won’t be allowed sometime soon in the future.”

While Mittelstaedt and Vallez-Kelley, among others, are working to keep students safe and inform the community about what electric modes of transportation are ideal, regulation of motor vehicles of all sorts is typically a state’s authority. 

Raising awareness is the first priority, but getting local legislators, and even the district attorney, to look at how electric devices are marketed and promoted toward children, and defy regulatory restrictions, is the long-term game, Mittelstaedt said. 

“I started off being upset at the kids, and then I realized that was fruitless, so I got upset at parents, but then I realized they were misled by the manufacturer,” Mittelstaedt said. “And I’m still upset by elected officials that are supposed to keep us safe.” 

“I want nothing more than to have this problem solved so I can go back to working on my golf game,” Mittelstaedt said. 

Information regarding what e-bikes are legal, and exactly what brands to avoid, is all included in Mittlestaedt's website for his company E-Bike Access. Visit www.ebikeaccess.org for more information.