E-Bike Speed Limits: How Fast Is Too Fast?

E-bikes are brilliant. More laps, bigger rides, less time wheezing on climbs.

But there’s a question popping up more and more around the trails: How fast is too fast? And how powerful is too powerful?

Recently, our owner Mat conducted some very thorough field research on the topic.

A Brief Case Study Conducted By Mat

“Just riding home,” Mat says. He turned off Coronet Peak Road onto Morning Glory at, in his words, “completely flat out” at 45 km/h. 

He messed up (he has an excuse, but we’re not buying it) the very first jump and ended up jumping straight into Hospital. Thanks to Regan and Bryn for scraping him up.

Now, to be fair:

• Mat’s an experienced rider. (Old)
  

• He rides motorbikes a lot. (Badly)
  

• He knows speed. (Mmmmmhmmmm)
  

• He doesn’t fall off very often. (Actually true)
  
  

The result? A broken collarbone, three cracked ribs, four spinal process fractures, and a fairly grumpy wife.

He also learned that speed on an e-bike has a funny way of sneaking up on you. A “gentle” Grade 3 descent can turn into a mini rocket run, a flat gravel stretch suddenly feels like a sprint, and even a grunty uphill can leave you wondering what just happened. Also, it doesn’t just mess with the rider - it catches:

• motorists who definitely weren’t expecting a cyclist to hit warp speed

• wee white dogs on the Frankton Track, who have better things to do

• innocent picnic-goers enjoying a quiet afternoon

• and, in Mat’s case, his own sense of invincibility

The Bigger Picture

Mat’s Morning Glory “research project” might get a laugh at the shop (though probably still a touch too fresh), but the wider conversation about e-bike speed and power is very real here in New Zealand.

Across the cycling world there’s growing discussion about where e-bikes fit - and how powerful they should be before they stop feeling like bicycles. MTB legend Hans Rey recently warned the industry is “at a crossroads.” The term e-bike now covers everything from lightweight pedal-assist bikes to machines much closer to electric mopeds and even electric motorcycles. If those lines blur too much, it becomes harder to argue they should all be treated the same.

Here in New Zealand, the rules are fairly simple. An e-bike is legally considered a bicycle if it:

“has an auxiliary electric motor with a maximum power not exceeding 300W and is designed to be primarily propelled by the muscular energy of the rider.”
- NZ Transport Agency (NZTA)

There’s a power limit, but no legal speed limit. That’s right, unlike most places such as Australia or the UK, where e-bikes are capped at 25 km/h, here in NZ you can legally hit whatever speed the trail (and your legs/motor combo) allows. Mat, of course, could never be confined by those kinds of speed limits - though as his experiment proved, sometimes a little pause for thought isn't the worst idea.

Trail access has largely been built around moderate-power, pedal-assist bikes that still behave like bicycles. They help riders climb, go further, and flatten headwinds, but they still ride like bikes.

Where things get tricky is when power, torque, and acceleration keep increasing. The closer an e-bike feels to a motorcycle, the harder it becomes to argue it belongs in the same spaces as regular bikes.

That’s the bigger point: as power creeps up, access and regulations usually follow.

Which, judging by Mat’s recent research project, might be a pretty relevant lesson for riders in Queenstown. 🚵

How fast is too fast? And how powerful is too powerful? Modern e-bikes like the Levo R and AmFlow are absurdly capable - which is brilliant, as long as riders (ahem, Mat) match that capability with a bit of thought. Just because your bike can hit serious speeds straight into the first jump of Morning Glory doesn’t mean it should. Power and speed aren’t just fun numbers to chase, they affect trail safety, catch other riders (and wee white dogs) off guard, and can quickly turn a “good ride” into a trip to the hospital.

The lesson is simple: respect your limits, respect the trail, and respect the community. Modern e-bikes can take you further, faster, and higher than ever before, but the smartest riders know that knowing when to hold back is just as important as knowing how to push hard. In short, enjoy the power, savour the speed and ride to your ability and the trail conditions.