50cc moped vs ebike?
Posted by Familiar9709@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 27 comments
What do you think will be better? Consider how useful it'll be, cost, maintenance, safety, etc?
Use: I'm thinking it for weekend rides, e.g. in quiet country roads, to see places.
A good brand new moped is around £2000, which is similar amount to a good ebike (you can get some ebikes for £1000 too though). Insurance for a new driver on a moped is around £200 (at least someone older), so very cheap. So in terms of cost for me it's same "order of magnitude"
Moped is restricted to 28mph (in the UK), ebike to 15.5mph (I know you can pedal faster but very hard to do for longer distance).
Ebike has the big advantage that it can run on cyclepaths, but then on the road I think you're more exposed than even in a moped. You can also take ebike on trains. You can keep ebike indoors.
Range of moped is basically infinite, you just add more fuel, whereas ebike maybe 30-50 miles max?
Very unlikely to get a fine on an ebike, whereas of course a moped is similar to a car, you can get fined for speeding, traffic lights, etc.
Thoughts?
SnuffyMcfluff@reddit
Why did Gen Z start calling scooters mopeds?
Mopeds have pedals (mo-ped get it?) and were typically tiny two stroke motors that assisted the rider who pedaled. They fell out of fashion in the 80's and very few are made now. The vast majority would not comply with modern emissions requirements. And they were slow as hell.
Why are you all re-titling the scooter with a name that describes a completely different vehicle?
E-bikes are better than SCOOTERS because bike paths and you can carry them into your home without worrying about oil drips and exhaust stink.
unseenmover@reddit
I had a puch moped and later in life a couple of class 1 ebikes. The ebike is so much more sustainable in terms of cost, mobilization, efficiency and emissions even with less range. I never hoisted my puch on a bike or took it on a train but i can do easily with the ebike. Charge it almost anywhere theres an outlet and being dependent on petrol..
I just use good cycling safety equipment.
Just-Smart-Enough@reddit
L1e-B does not have the same speed restrictions.
https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-transport/publications/l1e-b-e-mopeds/
Prestigious-Growth-5@reddit
i will never understand why a vehicle class needs a license but still cant have throttle. Eu fucked up
Just-Smart-Enough@reddit
L1e-b can have a throttle, though.
From the linked document:
Prestigious-Growth-5@reddit
Okay that sounds great but completely uninterested until they let these on cycle paths EU wide.
Also preferably waive the license requirment and only have mandatory insurance and plates.
Also need to be able to build my own vehicle in this category easily instead of buying from shitty overpriced rich people brands
BoringBob84@reddit
You want 4,000 Watts and 28 MPH on non-motorized paths?! Do you care at all about the safety of other people?
Prestigious-Growth-5@reddit
This is a thing some countries do already
Duct_TapeOrWD40@reddit
Our rules makes sense. As long as you reach city boder mopeds an use cycle paths at 20 km/h.
Obviously there are no speed traps, so in the middle of the rural nowhere nobody cares, this 20 km/h practically aplies to blind turns and head-on encounters.
BoringBob84@reddit
Allowing S-pedelecs on bicycle highways in rural stretches outside of dense cities is far different than allowing it "EU-wide."
Prestigious-Growth-5@reddit
in dense cities too. also 45 kmh isnt something any sane person will go in a city anyway. I know because I can
BoringBob84@reddit
Ok - I cannot argue because I don't know EU law that well, especially at the local level.
Just-Smart-Enough@reddit
LOL, good luck.
Familiar9709@reddit (OP)
That requires a licence, basically it's like an e-moped
Just-Smart-Enough@reddit
Right, so gas vs electric moped is a more valid comparison.
Legitimate-Lab9077@reddit
You can get an analog bike for much less money than either of those options and go faster than the E bike is legally allowed to go in the UK after just a couple of weeks of riding
markloch@reddit
As long it’s flat or no headwind …
Tweed_Beetle@reddit
"To see places" is what stood out from your post. A moped lets you cover more ground per day, but you also ride past more things. On a bike you stop at a viewpoint, lock to a fence, and walk a mile up the path to the actual spot. With a moped that's harder. You've got a number plate and helmet and you're more reluctant to leave it.
Peak District specifically is a weird case for UK-legal ebikes. The grades are no joke. Winnats, Snake Pass, the climb out of Edale all sit around 12-15%. With a fully loaded rider the 250W motor is doing its bit and you're doing the rest, which on a heavy ebike is a lot. Range gets roughly halved on a hilly day vs flat roads, so a 40-mile spec battery is more like 25 in practice. Charging mid-route is doable if pubs are friendly but not a plan you can rely on.
Honestly for weekend country rides where stopping is half the point I'd lean ebike, but for pure mileage on quiet roads the moped wins.
KostyaFedot@reddit
I have both in Belgium. Plus regular bicycles.
Majority of retirement age are riding midmotor ebikes for leasure and else.
In Belgium we have great accommodations for ebikes on trains. I could reach completely different part of Belgium, cycle 60km and get back.
60 km is my e-bike max range. Due to my gabarites and weight.
If no insane climbing involved I prefer old road bicycle. Converted for all weather, all terrain touring, I could make on it 150km per day. No big difference from e-bike, but much more lighter.
50cc is great for no effort, country side, towns riding. Did my baguette and raw milk route this May 1st. Took slight detour for fun on empty streets.
On rainy weekend I prefer bicycle.
Overall touring bicycle is most healthier way. Especially if you could be on the road all day. In this case century could be done on low effort and with plenty of breaks.
LimpPisskit@reddit
Just get a 750-1500w ebike not one of the gravel ones you’re more likely to get chased on them
Duct_TapeOrWD40@reddit
Due to legal teasons I have both. A 50cc motorbike, and a pedelec compliant Ebike. The motorbike is bacically superior every road enviroment.
Pedelec mountain bikes can cross most resticted road, and legal off roadet too.
Odd-Lime-2738@reddit
Dead-whale-fueled moped for practicality, reliability and virtually everything useful.
Legal E-bike wins on price and environment but can’t compete on range, power etc. Different use-case anyway. I see them as a more convenient acoustic bicycle, rather than a moped replacement. Laws need to shake down a bit first before they are.
Street legal e-mopeds aren’t, IMO quite there yet. Very nearly though. There’s some high-end exotic e-motorbikes that are awesome, some solid mid level bikes but the lower end of the market is probably only a year or two off having some really good choices.
steellz@reddit
What ignorant comment, wow
criggie_@reddit
It might depend on your local laws and your insurance.
For me, an ebike is a bicycle and therefore covered by household contents insurance. No true bicycle needs a drivers license here. I know some countries require specific bike insurance, your location may affect that.
The range of an ebike is limited by your legs - if you just sit there like a lump, its all down to the battery. But if you pedal, your range can double easily.
A moped or scooter or step-through are all motorcycles which requires registration, WOF, and needs its own insurance, and you need some kind of driver's licence classification depending on the engine size. Age is a factor too for future readers, because a moped may have a minimum-age limit where bikes don't.
An e-moto is kinda grey area - I think that if you can't pedal it all the way with no engine assist, then its a motorbike. For me a motorbike can't use bicycle lanes.
Aside - another option may be an e-scooter but once they're discharged, you're scootering with a foot on the ground. And that's no fun.
eluuu@reddit
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eluuu@reddit
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wendyd4rl1ng@reddit
For just cruising and touring for fun on weekends I would say an e-bike is more flexible and better overall. It has the bonus of being a bit of exercise too. It's hard to say for sure without knowing more about your local infrastructure though. It's possible that in some places because of the roads situation a moped might be better.