E-Biking

E-bikes or electric bicycles are trendy. Sales figures have increased by around 25% annually since the mid-2010s and currently account for almost half of all bicycles sold. Although I don’t own an e-bike myself, I’ve developed a taste for it in recent years – on bike tours lasting several days. Below you will find tips and route descriptions for beautiful bike and e-bike tours (both for day trips and multi-day tours).

But what is actually the advantage of e-bikes?

With an e-bike, thanks to pedal support, you can travel significantly faster with the same amount of effort than with a conventional bike. A distinction must be made between two categories of e-bikes:

“Slow e-bikes” (light motorized bicycles in accordance with the Ordinance on the Technical Requirements for Road Vehicles (VTS)) with a maximum of 500 watts of engine power, a design-related maximum speed of 20 km/h and possible pedal assistance up to 25 km/h. On slow e-bikes, the support stops when you are traveling faster than 25 km/h and at the same time, with these bikes you have the option of manually regulating the level of support (from no support to “eco” to maximum). The advantage of cycling tours with slow e-bikes is that, even as an average sporty person, you can cover greater distances and significantly more altitude in one day and any luggage (saddlebags) does not have a major impact on your progress.

“Fast e-bikes” (other motorized bicycles according to VTS) offer pedal assistance up to 45 km/h. With these bikes I see a great opportunity in the area of commuter transport (getting from A to B as quickly as possible) and less in leisure transport.

You should know these rules for e-bikes:

Depending on whether you are traveling with a slow or fast e-bike, different legal principles apply. It is important to know that the minimum age for driving an e-bike is 14 years, but you can only drive light motorbikes without a driving license from your 16th birthday (the “motorcycle test” is required beforehand). In order to drive the fast e-bikes, at least a category M driving license is required!

The same regulations apply to e-bikes as to cyclists. Cycle lanes and signalized cycle paths must be used. Where there is a ban on motorized bicycles, fast e-bikes are only allowed to drive through with the engine switched off.

For safety reasons, it is always advisable to wear a bicycle helmet. If you are traveling with a fast e-bike, you are legally required to wear a helmet anyway.

A good overview of the applicable legal basis for slow and fast e-bikes can be found on the link below ASTRA page downloadable information sheet: “Regulations on the registration and operation of motorized bicycles and e-bikes”

Being safe on the e-bike – tips & tricks

The fact that you can travel significantly faster with an e-bike with the same pedal support as with a conventional bike means that you have a correspondingly longer braking distance and the time to react adequately to unexpected situations is correspondingly shorter. It is important that you are aware of this and drive with foresight and adapt your speed to the situation on confusing stretches of road.

You should also be aware that other road users will not notice whether you are on a normal bike or perhaps even a fast e-bike and may completely misjudge your speed. In general, the speed of e-bikes is underestimated. It is all the more important that you dress in a clearly visible manner and ride with lights on (modern e-bikes usually switch the lights on automatically as soon as you start the support).