That might be good for under 20MPH. Have you thought about motorcycle gear?
this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2025
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I feel pretty safe with all this but it still honestly scares the crap out of me riding at 30+mph with cars.
30mph is pretty cooking. I only get up to those speeds when I'm riding downhill (thanks 18% grades). If you can, especially when not on the road with cars, try slowing down a bit. A 20mph collision (or allision) is much safer than at 30.
At 30mph speeds, definitely look at motorcycle gear. Illuminate your bike (good rear and front lights). Consider a mirror on your handle bars or helmet. Maybe take some online courses on how to ride a motorbike and translate it to your fat bike.
FortNine did a nice little short about this space, though mostly so folks stop pestering motorcyclists about the danger on the roads. The reality is the cars are the danger for both motorized bikes and pedal bikes. Defensive techniques are your only option.
Interesting video. You would need to do a proper motorcycle test in the UK to ride something like that, CBT at the bare minimum. Along with have it registered and insured as what ever type of motorcycle it fits into based on its power and top speed. To count as an ebike the motor must be pedal assist and can only assist up to about 25kph. Of course this only applies to public roads. On your own land you can buy a 5kW ebike and no one will stop you from using it uninsured. But I wonder how much this impacts the type of injuries seen if a lot of Americans are using ebikes that can go much faster? People here do sometimes illegally use ebikes that fit into motorcycle categories.
The gear generally looks ok though. Knee pads instead of proper motorcycle trousers might be ok if you are wearing them ontop of fairly sturdy trousers, given that biker trousers are often just sturdy material with built in knee pads. Look into kevlar jeans, they are generally alright for abrasion but lack any impact protection for your knees, combined with the knee pads that should be ok. Plus you can take the knee pads off when you get off.
I live in a very hilly city. The motor can easily do 20 up a steep hill and then gravity 30 down. Thats without my contribution. With my contribution it can go even faster.
A similar situation to me then. The speed really picks up when going downhill, especially on a heavier bike like an ebike! I've done 45 mph on my recumbent without any effort. At least I was keeping up with the cars!
I have one more recommendation then: stress test your brakes! I've burned up a few sets of pads, even bluing out a set of rotors. Breaking power drops as the rotor temperature gets higher ("fade") and I've nearly lost all my brake power before. You know, like at the end of a hill where there's a busy intersection controlled only by stop signs. Fun.
Make sure you can stop with plenty of brake power left at the bottom of your hills. If you find it lacking, then consider harder pads and the associated rotors that can handle the pads. Mountain bike pads, semi for full metallic, are a good place to look. Careful with the extra hard pads (full metal/ceramic) because they must be matched with a rotor that can handle such a hard compound.
What bike and what tires?
I'd go with full SNELL/DOT/ECE rated gear though, dress for the slide and all that.
Be careful of the sellers you go with too, Amazon sellers may or may not be reputable but some have been known to sell expired gear (helmets have a shelf life), used gear as new (never buy used safety gear), or outright counterfeit gear that will not keep you safe.
Quality safety gear has saved my life, it is not worth taking chances with.
Aventure 2, default tires.
Can I go somewhere and just get fit and buy a set of good gear? I may want a motorcycle anyway
Motorcycle shops will likely happily sell you gear, but be wary of Harley lol - they are like the Snap-On of motorcycles in terms of cost.
Micromobility includes motorcycles though they aren't as popular as ebikes lately. If I recall correctly, @dudeimmacguyver@kbin.earth is a moto nerd, so they have have some good suggestions.
Brands may also vary by market so if you mention if you're in UK, US, EU, CN or whatever, that might help in terms of vendor and brand suggestions.
Not familiar with the tires on that bike, but it might not be a bad idea to have some inserts in those tires to help prevent a catastrophic blowout at speed. I use Tannus Armour in my efatbike, it reduces the range but protects from flats and provides limited run-flat capability.
Maintain your bike meticulously, because an accident at that speed can be life altering or even fatal. Be safe!
lol maybe I’ll just ride slower
That is unquestionably safer, but PPE is still a great idea.
Get a more high visibility jacket.
I used to love riding my bike in traffic, until I started taking driving lessons.
I was looking for the bikers and missed them pretty often.
Good point
Be safe
I don't ride that fast, but if I did, I would not be getting PPE off Amazon. Get DOT/SNELL rated full gear, full face protection, same as you would wear riding a motorcycle because those are motorcycle speeds but on a fatbike that isn't designed to stably go those speeds.
Ok, where do you go for that? Do you get fit?
The bike is going it’s designed specs. It’s an Aventon Adventure 2. I haven’t modified it. I can just pedal it up from motor 20 to man power 30.
Oh, when you said 30+ I assumed you were still using the motor. You might not need to go all out if you're riding your ebike like a bicycle, but motorcycle stores can get you kitted out if you're going to be riding fast a lot in traffic.
Get spoke reflectors. Super cheap, super easy to install, and your wheel lights up in the dark.
Context: riding s-Pedelec through a European city for 25km each way on commute several times a week over three seasons at any weather. Been doing since 3 years now. Majority of the path is cycle paths, lots of crossings and entrances that have cars coming out on the way.
Helmet:
- NTA8667 certified
- with MIPS
- integrated lighting
- windshield
(e. G. Lumos ultra ebike smart helmet). Mine is a bit older, that's the one I'd get now.
Vest: high vis with reflectors and good air circulation. Small rain jacket in the bike bag.
Trousers: reflectors there as well, always carry rain-proof trousers in your bike bag. 30mph make you freeze to your bones even in summer if you get wet and have wind running through your cloths
Gloves: depending on the season, high summer none, when temps are below 18degC light mountain bike gloves, when temps are below 12 thicker gloves. Beginning and end of the biking season skiing gloves.
Bike:
- spoke reflectors
- really loud horn. You want a car driver to jump when you press the horn not to be annoyed by you
- additional lights for driving in the rain
I never had an accident in three years but lots of close calls and I really try to save time on my commute, so I don't go slow. However, that being said I think similarly important to the right equipment is the mindset.
- Plan your route so that you avoid any tricky spots. E. G. My old route went on a stretch of road through the woods. I hated it bc the road turns meant car drivers could potentially not see me in time.
- be paranoid about car drivers
- be double paranoid about trucks. There's no do over after a truck accident, no matter what you wore.
- be paranoid about pedestrians. They'll randomly veer off path.
- never believe that a car driver will not just cut right across your way only bc they looked at you 1 second before. They do not understand how fast you are.
- I'd rather get sued than killed. There are spots where it is illegal to drive my bike on a cycling path (stupid laws). Same spot has a really tricky and dangerous stretch of road. I'm happy to pay the fee for having taken the bike path illegally, a lot cheaper than an accident.
- take care of others, be prepared to break. Normal cyclists are like turtles when you're riding an s-Pedelec. Keep proper distance and just factor in the few minutes extra for staying in line behind them for a mile each way
- Train braking from full speed in emergency mode. It's not that easy with such a heavy bike. Keep your emergency brake path also in mind when choosing your speed.
- assume they don't know you're there until you honked them.
That last one combines great with the paranoid rules above, don't honk in anger, honk to make others aware you're there. Also when driving in the rain in the dark you unlock a new mode! You're completely invisible, no matter how much lights you carry. That assumption saved my ass twice last season.
You have a good start.
Steel toe boots and motorcycle pants. Dress for a motorcycle.
I got these boots
ILM Motorcycle Leather Shoes for... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWXMX2GW
I wasn’t told steel toe was necessary
Those shoes have front protection. Strong anti-crush and road rash protection is what one needs.
You are at a weird intersection in experience. I would treat a 30 mph device as a motorcycle.
I'm lucky enough to not have to ride with cars. That being said, I don't ride at that velocity either
Maybe some padded pants?
Pants are kinda hard to get on and off and I might not want to wear them all day. Do they have like “overpants”?