25 km/h is sometimes not enough for you? Then you may have already come across the topic of e-bike tuning. In fact, there are several ways to work around the speed limit of the e-bike motors. In this article, you will find out what these tricks are and why you should definitely keep your hands off them.
You are in a rush and your e-bike motor suddenly switches off because the maximum speed has been reached? Most riders of electric bicycles know this moment. The same goes for the desire to “get a little more out of the motor”. But is that possible at all? The answer is “yes and no”.
But the risks of bike tuning are much higher than many people realise.
How does the speed limit for electric bikes work?
Motors of electric bikes are only allowed to be active up to a speed of 25 km/h in many European countries – including Austria, Germany and the UK. Therefore, e-bike motors measure the speed and automatically switch off as soon as the maximum is reached.
How the measurement works differs depending on the drive unit.
With speed sensor: If your electric bike has a mid-drive motor, a sensor measures the speed. This is a simple component that works with a magnet. Such a sensor is a gateway for bike tuning.
Without speed sensor: Hub motors do not need a sensor. Here, the motor itself directly detects the speed. This makes tuning much more difficult or even impossible.
Pimping the e-bike a bit with tuning? That often seems tempting, but it involves many risks.
E-bike tuning – an overview of the possibilities
E-bike tuning works in different ways:
Chip tuning: You plug a tuning module onto the speed sensor. From a certain speed, it is specially designed to ensure that the speed sensor only transmits half or a third of the actual speed to the control unit. This means, of course, that the values displayed by your bike computer are no longer correct. In addition, the plug-in chip can be recognised by a trained eye at first glance. On the other hand, such a chip can be easily removed in order to ride your electric bicycle in its original condition.
Fixed tuning solutions: Fixed tuning solutions or tuning kits are available in different variants. These include the so-called “dongles”, which function similarly to chip tuning. The installation of permanently mounted solutions is usually invisible and partly depends on the wheel circumference. Complex variants have the additional advantage that they do not falsify displayed values such as the average speed.
Software tuning: Many chips or modules do not change the programming of the drive unit. Instead, they “fool” the control system into thinking that the speed is slower than it actually is. Tuning kits, on the other hand, can be used to increase or remove the speed cut. Theoretically, it is possible to reach higher speeds this way than with a plug-in solution. However, the intervention is deeper and is often difficult to reverse.
Tuning apps: Most tuning apps only work in combination with a tuning module. They are used to control the tuning and to view central values. However, there are also apps that allow you to change the region in which the e-bike motor locates you – to the USA. This gives you more room for manoeuvre, because in the USA, e-bike motors are allowed to support speeds of up to 32 km/h.
Why you should not tune an electric bike
As we already mentioned, we strongly advise against e-bike tuning.
There are several reasons for this:
Technical risks of e-bike tuning
Simply fit a chip and the bike goes faster. When you take the chip off again, everything is the same as before. Is that how easy you imagine bike tuning to be?
In reality, things are more complicated. The use of chip tuning, dongles and the like often leads to technical problems:
E-bike and e-bike motor manufacturers are generally against tuning. After all, it increases the risk of stricter legal regulations for e-bikes, which could have an impact on demand. In addition, companies have to deal with problematic warranty claims as a result of tuning.
That’s why Bosch, Shimano steps or Yamaha motors manufacturers are trying to put a stop to tuning. For example, drive units compare signals from the speed sensor with other measured values. If there are noticeable deviations, the motor reacts with an error code and heavily reduced support.
Unlike S-pedelecs, conventional electric bicycles are not designed for constant speeds of 30, 40 or even more km/h. That is why tuning leads to higher wear and tear on components such as the drive, gears and brakes, even on higher-quality e-bikes.
Illegal e-bike tuning can have dire financial and legal consequences.
Warranty claims expire
Regardless of which engine brands you choose, tuning voids warranty claims. However, you should not hope that your tuning will go unnoticed. After all, a lot of data is stored in the drive unit, which can be used to find out if the 25 km/h limit has been exceeded.
Higher accident risk
Driving pleasure or not, the own risk of accidents increases with higher speeds. This is especially true with vehicles that are not designed for this speed and/or on densely populated cycle paths.
At the same time, accidents are often more serious at higher speeds.
Legal risks
Other decisive reasons for not tuning an electric bike are the legal consequences. Many e-bike riders underestimate these.
Consider the following:
The maximum limit of 25 km/h is a condition for not needing a licence plate, insurance and driving licence as an e-bike rider.
The situation is different for a tuned e-bike, which is automatically considered as a moped.
This is what it means for you: If you ride a tuned e-bike, you are riding a vehicle that needs a licence and insurance, but has neither.
The consequences can be serious:
In case of an inspection, you risk high fines or even imprisonment.
In case of accident damage, no insurance will pay. If you need a medical examination, you have to pay some or all of the costs yourself, depending on your health insurance.
If you injure people, you could be accused of negligent bodily harm.
If you have an accident with your tuned e-bike, you are liable with your private assets.
As you can see, the law does not treat e-bike tuning as a trivial offence.
The same applies here: The chances that tuning will remain invisible are vanishingly small. At the latest in the event of an accident, tampering usually comes to light.
Important note: You can ride a tuned e-bike in your own courtyard without any problems. Whether that would be a sufficient reason for you to use a tuning tool is another question.
If 25 km/h is too slow for you, it’s better to switch to S-pedelecs than to consider e-bike tuning.
S-pedelecs – the alternative to e-bike tuning
You want a motor that supports you even at speeds higher than 25 km/h, but you don’t want to take risks with a tuning solution?
Then the purchase of a speed pedelec (known as S-pedelec) is a good idea. These e-bikes have a drive unit that legally supports them up to a maximum speed of 45 km/h.
But remember: an S-pedelec needs a licence plate and insurance. A helmet is also compulsory. And cycle paths are taboo for S-pedelecs.
Harmless: visual e-bike tuning
You can use visual e-bike tuning without any concerns. If you want to “pimp up” your electric bike, you can choose from colourful foils for the frame, components with an eye-catching design and other accessories. As long as they do not affect the functionality of your e-bike, you can use them without any worries.
The same applies to functional accessories such as powerful lighting or high-quality pedals.
Important note: E-bikes and their high-quality components are desired by thieves. Visually tuned e-bikes are even more eye-catching. That’s why a good bike lock is not enough. With the BikeTrax GPS tracker and the PowUnity app, you can effectively prevent theft and even get your bike back in case it gets stolen by professional bike thieves. And if you secure your new saddle with Hexlox component lock, it will be additionally protected from thieves.
Conclusion: Ebike tuning does not pay off for anyone
Admittedly, e-bike tuning is tempting. Who wouldn’t like to increase the power with a few simple steps and complete the next tour at high speed?
But the fun is not worth the risk. Because with e-bike tuning you risk damage to the hardware and technology of your e-bike, serious accidents and high fines, and even a prison sentence. In addition, many tuning products only work to a limited extent.
Therefore, we strongly advise you to avoid all tuning measures – unless they are just visual. Instead, enjoy the many possibilities that a normal e-bike offers. If 25 km/h is not enough for you in the long run, an S-pedelec is a good choice. You can ride it legally and safely at high speeds. But please, always drive carefully!
Hier erklären wir dir, wie du erkennst, welche Bosch-Version des Motors in deinem E-Bike verbaut ist.
If you have a Bosch "Active Line" motor, then it is a Bosch Generation 2 or 3 motor.
Hast du dein E-Bike in den Jahren 2020 - 2021 neu gekauft und hat dieses einen „Performance Line CX“ oder „Bosch Cargo Line“ Motor, dann ist es ein Bosch-Motor Generation 4 - nicht smart.
Wenn du dein E-Bike 2022 neu gekauft hast, dann ist darin ein Bosch-Motor Generation 4 - smart verbaut. Dies erkennst du auch, wenn am E-Bike eine „LED Remote“ Steuerzentrale angebracht ist.
Sollte diese Information nicht aus der Beschreibung deines Bikes mit Bosch-Motor hervorgehen, dann bekommst du diese Information bei Deinem E-Bike Händler.
Wenn du einen BikeTrax GPS-Tracker für E-Bikes bestellst, bekommt du eine Schritt-für-Schritt-Montageanleitung mitgeliefert. Darin wird Dir im Detail erklärt, wie du deinen BikeTrax GPS-Tracker einbaust, wo du diesen platzierst und auf welche Details du achten sollest.
Wenn deine Motorhaube die Tretkurbel wie auf der Abbildung umschließt, machen wir es dir leicht: Den Kurbelabzieher kannst du im nächsten Schritt schnell und einfach mit einem Klick bestellen und er wird dir zusammen mit dem GPS-Tracker geliefert.
Nähere Informationen dazu:
Bei einigen Elektrofahrradmodellen kann die Motorabdeckung (1) erst entfernt werden, nachdem die Tretkurbel (2) mit Hilfe eines Kurbelabziehers (3) abmontiert wurde. Erst dann kannst du BikeTrax in den Motorraum einbauen.
Kann der GPS-Tracker für E-Bikes mit
-Motor auch für andere E-Bike Motormodelle verwendet werden?
Im Großteil der Fälle benötigst du nur ein anderes Anschlusskabel. Dieses kannst du im Nachhinein bei PowUnity erwerben. Lediglich in Ausnahmefällen muss der komplette GPS-Tracker bei einem Motorwechsel ausgetauscht werden.
In diesem Fall brauchst du den Kurbelabzieher für Fahrräder:
Bei einigen Elektrofahrradmodellen kann die Motorabdeckung (1) erst entfernt werden, nachdem die Tretkurbel (2) mit Hilfe eines Kurbelabziehers (3) abmontiert wurde. Erst dann kannst du BikeTrax in den Motorraum einbauen.
Wenn deine Motorhaube die Tretkurbel wie auf der Abbildung umschließt, machen wir es dir leicht: Den Kurbelabzieher kannst du schnell und einfach mit einem Klick bestellen und er wird dir zusammen mit dem GPS-Tracker geliefert.
In diesem Fall empfehlen wir dir die HexLox Sicherungsschraube:
Musst du deine Tretkurbel abziehen, bevor du den GPS-Tracker im Motorraum verbauen kannst, dann kannst du nach der Montage von BikeTrax die Inbusschraube (1) deiner Tretkurbel zusätzlich mit der HexLox Security Schraube 8 mm (2) sichern.
Ist dieser sogenannte HexLox Inlay in die Inbusschraube eingesetzt, kann niemand mit einem herkömmlichen Werkzeug deinen Motorraum öffnen und schon garnicht erst auf den Gedanken kommen, den GPS-Tracker zu entfernen.
Für Specialized E-Bikes mit Brose Motor gibt es einen speziellen Brose-Anschluss. Wähle den „Brose für Specialized E-Bikes“ Anschluss aus, falls Du ein Specialized E-Bike fährst. Für alle anderen E-Bike Hersteller, welche einen Brose Motor verbaut haben, gibt es einen einheitlichen „Universal“ BikeTrax-Anschluss.
In diesen Fällen empfehlen wir dir die Akku-Erweiterung für BikeTrax
Wir liefern dir BikeTrax immer mit einem Zusatz-Akku, um einen sicheren und stabilen GPS-Empfang zu gewährleisten, sollte das E-Bike mal ausgeschalten und der Akku entfernt sein. Er hält im Stand bis zu 3 Wochen.
Wir empfehlen aber unseren Kunden, die ihr E-Bike längere Zeit nicht nutzen, wie z. B. in den Wintermonaten oder während eines längeren Urlaubs, für den GPS-Tracker die Akku-Erweiterung zu bestellen. Diese beinhaltet einen weiteren Zusatz-Akku und ein Y-Kabel, an das beide Akkus angeschlossen werden.
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If you are under 16 and wish to give consent to optional services, you must ask your legal guardians for permission.We use cookies and other technologies on our website. Some of them are essential, while others help us to improve this website and your experience.Personal data may be processed (e.g. IP addresses), for example for personalized ads and content or ad and content measurement.You can find more information about the use of your data in our privacy policy.Here you will find an overview of all cookies used. You can give your consent to entire categories or have more information displayed and only select certain cookies.