Breaking the law! Why can’t British kids ride eMTBs?

The children are the future! Especially if you’re an ebike brand it seems, as kids are the latest market to be offered electric assistance. For parents wanting to make cycling easier, get junior off the sofa or increase the speed and distance of their family bike ride, children’s eMTBs would seem like a perfect solution and may not realise that they were breaking the law.

eMTBs are fun for all the family but is it worth breaking the law?

The law of the land

UK law states that you don’t need a licence to ride ‘Electrically assisted pedal cycles’ (EAPCs), nor do you need to be registered, taxed or insured but, you can only ride an electric bike in England, Scotland and Wales if you’re 14 or over. This puts parents and their prodigies in a perilous position: how do you weigh up the pros of buying your sprog an eMTB against the cons of knowing that you could get collared by the Boys in Blue?

Of course, the chances of getting arrested for someone riding an ebike under the age of 14 are very slim but there is always the risk of liability in the event of an accident where another person is injured, as blame usually lies with the unlawful party.

You can only wheelie an eMTB in England, Scotland and Wales if you’re 14 or over

The line up

The three bikes which are most suitable for mini-eMTBers are all equipped with 24” wheels.

The Bergamont E-Revox Junior 24 uses the compact Bosch ActiveLine motor with 40 Nm, which is limited to 20 km/h. It is spec’d with a Shimano drivetrain and Syncros contact points and weighs in 19.8 kgs. The Bergamont has the smallest frame size out of the three contenders at a tiny 32 cm.

KTM Macina Mini Me is available in a 34 cm/13.5” frame with a restricted Bosch Activeline 400wh battery motor with Intuvia display. With a Suntour XRC air fork and Shimano disk brakes its relatively lightweight at 18.7 KG.

Haibike have been making the 34 cm framed Hardfour for a number of years now. The 2.0 has a Yamaha PW motor limited to 20 KPH, a 63 mm travel SR Suntour fork, Schwalbe Table Top tyres and weighs 19.9 kg.

With the UK an increasingly sedentary and obese nation, is it time to change the law?

Rage against the machine

Which begs the question, why do we have this law? Should it be amended in light of this new technology? In other parts of the world there is no restriction on the age of the rider and there doesn’t appear to be an increase in eMTB related incidents. With the UK an increasingly sedentary and obese nation, surely, anything that encourages healthy living and exercise should be made as accessible as possible?

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Words: Thomas Corfield Photos: Valentin Rühl