this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2025
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Fuck Cars

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Today is a big day for the future of e-bikes in New York City. A hearing starts at 10 a.m. You can file a written comment until 5 p.m. You can also send an email to rules@dot.nyc.gov until 5 p.m

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[–] grue@lemmy.world 31 points 1 day ago (16 children)

This feels like it's purposefully designed to kneecap the adoption of e-bikes by rendering all class 1 and 2 e-bikes illegal and making it harder/more expensive to buy new ones because they have to have bespoke detuning for the NYC market.

[–] frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zone 21 points 22 hours ago (8 children)

IMO, it should be 20mph, but it's a software limit. It's nothing to "tune" it.

If you want to go faster, get a motorcycle license. The higher end ebikes are getting ridiculous. Their frames, tires, and brakes are not designed for the power and speed they can put down.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 8 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

IMO, it should be 20mph, but it’s a software limit. It’s nothing to “tune” it.

You're talking about vehicles that typically aren't open source and don't have a firmware update mechanism. There is no reason to expect they're even possible to change without swapping out the entire controller.

[–] azertyfun@sh.itjust.works 1 points 31 minutes ago

That's just factually incorrect. This 25 km/h limit has been law for years in (most of?) Europe. And it is totally possible to "jailbreak" virtually any common platform.

The real problem is that if you get into an accident you might get sued and dropped by your insurance company, and be held liable for all damages. No thanks.

[–] frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

People really need to stop buying those. The companies are parasites for reasons that go far beyond this.

[–] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 2 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

The people who ride these ebikes are usually immigrant delivery guys who have little to no cash and not many alternatives.

[–] frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

And they'll be fucked when the company involved stops updating their app. It will happen sooner or later.

[–] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 3 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (1 children)

I don't think most delivery guy ebikes have an app... They're a battery-powered motor with a throttle, that's about it. There are low-cost mechanics who specifically service the delivery guys, a lot of the motorized parts are custom rebuilds that those dudes do.

[–] frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Like a Bafang? Because those controllers are completely customizable with open source tools. That's how I built my ebike, and it can set custom assist limits.

[–] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 1 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

Oh I dunno. But yes I imagine they're decently customizable since they're so simple. If a mechanic wanted to limit the throttle at the hardware level they probably could.

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