Kids Cannot Ride Special Bike On The Road In Utah

A few years back I started to ride a bike to work which was great in the morning. Even though it was uphill the coolness of the morning made it so I could ride and arrive looking pretty fresh. The ride home to lunch was downhill so that worked, but coming back after lunch was uphill and I struggled to not resemble a melted ice cream cone in August when I made it back to work.

Then I discovered a simple add-on gyro motor that converted my bike to an e-bike.

The e-bike craze has only increased. It is a nice way to get from A to B, especially among the younger set who don't have a driver's license yet, but do have the desire for some mobile freedom.

The growing popularity has created a growing debate over safety and laws concerning e-bikes.

Obviously, kids cannot ride a Harley down the Boulevard without a license, but they can ride a traditional bike on public roads and bike trails. So where is the dividing line in Utah?

Speed!

Here are the moving parts of the law. An e-bike equipped with pedals, similar to a regular bicycle, which is powered primarily by human effort is considered a bike. If the e-bike is self-propelled, whether through electricity or gas AND (pay attention to the "and") has the capability to exceed 30 miles per hour, it's officially categorized as a motorcycle in the State of Utah.

Of course, if the bike is not able to be propelled by human power it is not considered a bike. I don't think they test the human to see how capable they are to move the bike.

So make that clear in your mind before sending your little ones off to ride their "bikes" down to get a treat.