Are E-bikes allowed at CicLAvia?

A general rule of thumb for any vehicle is that if it is primarily powered by a person, it's allowed at CicLAvia. If it is solely powered by a motor, it's not. For many people, CicLAvia provides an escape from motorized vehicles for the day - and an opportunity to use active mobility. We want to keep it safe for everyone who participates.

We also allow many e-bikes, but not all. In broad terms, e-bikes are bicycles with a battery-powered “assist” that comes when you pedal or, in some cases, use a throttle. We encourage people to pedal, and to keep street speeds safe for everyone. So if you use a “class 1” e-bike, which is a low-speed (usually maxes out at ~15mph) pedal-assisted bike, you are fine to use it on the route.

If you use “class 2”, which do not require the participant to pedal (they simply turn a throttle), or “class 3” e-bikes, which go faster than other e-bikes, you can only use these on the route if the power is switched off.

So these e-bike uses are allowed:

• Common pedal-assist e-bikes (top speeds: 15mph, Class 1)
• Any e-bikes that have throttles if the power is switched off and the user is pedaling (Class 2)
• Faster e-bikes whether they have throttles or not, if the power is switched off and the user is pedaling (Class 3)

The key point to keep in mind: if you’re primarily pedaling, and keeping with the flow of traffic, you’re fine.