Brunswick encouraging safe and legal use of e-bikes through public presentation

BRUNSWICK — Brunswick is seeking to educate its residents about the different types of e-bikes to encourage child safety. Bob Soroky from Eddy's Bike Shop gave a presentation on what an e-bike is, their different classes and the laws related to them on Wednesday in front of the Brunswick Recreation Center. An e-bike is a bicycle that has a motor system to help propel it, which can be done through a pedal-assist system or a throttle, Soroky said. To be classified as a bicycle, it must have a pedal-assist system. "The way the pedal-assist system works is that the motor is waiting for your input as a rider," he said. "In other words, you have to pedal in order for the motor to do anything. If you're not pedaling, it's not working." A throttle overrides the system temporarily by interrupting the pedal-assist system to do all of the work, Soroky said. "You are just along for the ride at that point," he said. "As soon as you let go of that throttle, whether it's the lever or the twist, the bike now goes back to pedal-assist mode, so it's waiting for you to pedal again." The following are the classes of e-bikes: Class one has a pedal-assist system but not a throttle and will go up to 20 mph. Class two has a pedal-assist system and a throttle, which also caps out at 20 mph. Class three has a pedal-assist system that goes up to 28 mph and may or may not have a throttle. Riders must be at least 16 years old to operate a class three e-bike. Bikes that go faster than 28 mph are not considered e-bikes and are entering e-motorcycle or moped territory, which requires a license and registration, Soroky said. "If your kids come up and say, 'I want to get this e-bike that goes 40 miles an hour,' that ain't no e-bike," he said. "There is no class four. Class three is where it ends." The class of e-bike determines where they can be used, Soroky said. In Ohio, only class one and class two e-bikes are permitted on multi-use trails because of the speed. "The state of Ohio has said that if you are going to ride an e-bike on public sidewalks, you must do so without power, so everything had to be shut off," he said. Every municipality also has its own set of rules for e-bikes. Brunswick police Sgt. Jeff Holub said Brunswick currently reflects state law regarding e-bikes. "It's really important that if you don't live here in Brunswick or are coming from different communities that you take the time to do the research to find out what does my local community say about that specifically?" Soroky said. Holub said to identify the type of bike someone is riding, officers look to see if there are operating pedals or solid foot pegs, since bicycles need to have pedals. Another way to tell is the wattage, since e-bikes should never have more than 750 watts. "We see a lot of parents buying them for their kids, and somewhere along the way, they've been ill-informed," he said. "We're just trying to educate the public on what we see parents do wrong or the kids fool their parents and get them something they're not supposed to." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.