Biclou, episode 28 - "If you are in a hurry or have a long straight line in front of you, you can drive at 45 km / h all the time, without forcing", explains Pierre Pouillaute, director of the concept store Stromer, showing its gleaming speedelecs.
Neither quite bikes, nor really electric mopeds, speedelecs - also called speed bikes - are equipped with an electric assistance which allows their users to pedal up to 45 km / h, against 25 km / h for classic electric bikes.
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Helmet and registration required
But this high speed has for consequence, according to Pierre Pouillaute, "a little more severe legislation" than the bicycles.
Unlike conventional VAE (electrically assisted bicycles), these fall into the category of "mopeds", like scooters and 50cc motorcycles.
No more cycle paths, two-way cycling and other facilities specific to bicycles: it is compulsory to ride on the road.
And to use a speedelec it is also necessary to obtain a registration certificate, you must have insurance, wear an approved helmet and reinforced gloves.
As for the machine, a brake indicator light and a rear-view mirror are compulsory ... Finally, budget question, count between 4,000 and 10,000 €.
Today anecdotal in France, around 1,000 are sold per year, speedelecs could become problematic if they were to develop in our streets.
Even if they are prohibited from riding on bicycle facilities, it is more and more frequent to see some of them flirt with the law.
"I sometimes take the cycle paths"
This is the case of Yvan, a bicycle delivery man for more than 5 years, who bought a speed bike a few years ago: “I avoid using cycle paths”, explains t -he very seriously, "but I'm not going to lie to you: I sometimes take them, especially on the Grands Boulevards".
According to him, there is no risk of coming into conflict with other users of the public highway if you are careful and respect the elementary rules of decorum on the road: “It is an attitude to adopt.
Whether you are on an electric bicycle, on a scooter, in a Ferrari, in any motorized vehicle or not, for that matter.
"
Yvan drives many hours a day on his speedelec to make his deliveries, especially to La Défense.
For him, speedelec means a huge saving of time and above all a gain in safety: “A lot of motorists don't even want to try to overtake me because they see that I am going very fast.
It's really a plus: one of the biggest risks when you're a cyclist is getting overtaken extremely quickly by someone who scrapes you and knocks you down.
"
"It's as if you put a Formula 1 with bikes"
Speedelecs are a good way to further decarbonize our city centers, according to Stein Van Oosteren, spokesperson for the “Vélo Île-de-France” collective, but he believes that they have absolutely nothing to do with cycle paths: “It's as if you put a Formula 1 with bicycles: you immediately understand that with these different speeds, there will be accidents.
"
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Even if he is opposed to their presence on cycle lanes, Stein Van Oosteren still hopes for a development of these machines in order to convert motorists to more sustainable means of transport.
And to drastically limit the risk of accidents between speedelecs and cars on the roads, he recommends lowering the maximum speed in the city center to 30 km / h for everyone.
Stricter regulations in France
A true niche market, the market and the use of speedelecs are only documented in France by a single long survey, published in 2019. Hadrien Bajolle, researcher at the 6-t study office, co-wrote this survey.
For this 30-year-old, nothing indicates that speedelecs are more dangerous than conventional electric-assisted bikes: "Either they roll at roughly the same speed, which is possible in the city with the many traffic jams, or we have too little data on these gears.
"
For his part, he believes that the best way to develop this market is to create limited-speed cycle lanes, where everyone could go, if this limitation is respected.
Unlike its European neighbors, France is lagging behind in the number of speedelecs in circulation.
Around 20,000 speed bikes are sold each year in Switzerland and 10,000 in Belgium.
Blame it on stricter regulations which should perhaps be harmonized in a few months: the European Commission is considering imposing a more flexible framework for the use of these powerful electric devices.
