Love them or hate them, e-bikes have probably done more to push cycling into the national consciousness than Bradley Wiggins and Tom Pidcock combined, and that’s both a blessing and a curse for mountain biking.

The good part is that more people than ever are riding mountain bikes, partly because a few hundred extra watts of power enables and encourages more people to ride more miles. More riders means more trails, better access to the countryside, and extra money for the sport we love… so the thinking goes anyway.

The bad part though is it also draws more attention from regular people, non-mountain bikers, or ‘civvies’ as some riders I know have come to call them. You don’t have to scroll far on your news feed to see how dangerous mountain bikes have become in the eyes of the national press thanks to their fire risk or high speed potential, particularly when illegally chipped. That despite the fact that accredited e-bikes are very safe, and that most riders are decent, law abiding and respectful.

Damage to Bolehills BMX track in Sheffield by electric Surron motorbikes is horrifying for mountain bikers, but it isn’t top of the agenda for most people

And yes, delivery drivers on illegal eebs, gangs on throttle-controlled bikes nicking your iPhone and yobs on surrons tearing up our trails aren’t mountain bikers like you and me; but the press has a hard time separating out the two. That means their actions are still going to change the bikes we ride – legislation is coming for your e-bikes, and it’s not going to go well for some of us.

What’s happening with legislation?

Earlier this year the German cycling industry association Zweirad Industrie Verband (ZIV) recommended e-bikes, or Electrically Powered Assisted Cycles (EPACs) as they’re technically known, be capped at 750W of power.

The Amflow is the DJI-powered bike that started the latest high power revolution, but will it prove too much for the latest legislation?

That would mean bikes like Amflow PL Carbon or indeed anything using DJI’s Avinox motor – the Teewing, Forbidden Druid CorE or Unno Myth for starters – would technically have to be classed as a moped or pedelec rather than a bicycle.

As such riders in the UK would be required to register their e-bikes with the DVLA, pay vehicle tax, obtain the appropriate licence and wear a motorbike helmet when out riding. Not so appealing.

We asked DJI about the potential legislation changes and a spokesperson told us, “we’re closely monitoring the EU regulations and are committed to adhere to established guidelines. We are also committed to providing our users with support in light of any regulatory changes that may impact our products. Should such circumstances arise, we will ensure that our users have access to the necessary resources and guidance for adapting their purchased products.”

The new Unno Mith also gets a DJI Avinox motor, which could potentially have it fall foul of new EU laws

It’s not just DJI that would be at risk either, to class as an EPAC, motors can only offer a support ratio of up to 1:4 on bikes that can hit 25kph. That means if you’re only able to pump out 100 watts from your legs, the maximum the bike could contribute would be 400 watts. That could mean e-bikes as we’ve come to know them will require more pedal input from you to reach the highest 750W peak power output.

We’re not there yet of course, because while the ZIV is very influential its target is EU legislation in this instance, something the UK is not bound by. However, most e-bikes we ride here in the UK are designed to comply with EU legislation anyway, meaning we’re talking about the same bikes in effect.

The much-rumoured Bosch power update coming this summer can be taken as a sign that regulation truly is coming though. We hope the rumours really are true, and that riders with a Bosch CX Gen 5 motor will be able to uprate their bike’s power to around 100Nm of torque and 750W of peak power. If that’s the case, ask yourself, why has Bosch stopped exactly at 750W? Is it a lucky coincidence or does it know something about future legislation that the rest of us aren’t privy to?

Bosch’s long awaited power boost to the CX gen 5 is capped at 750W peak power, just on the proposed new power threshold

So is this the end of big power e-bike motors like the Avinox? Not exactly, I’m sure the brand will adapt and work around any new legislation, and it might be that DJI-users in the UK will actually be the only Europeans riding around on the full 1,000W of peak power, because the legislation will only affect new products being developed. What the legislation might well do though is stifle innovation and prevent motor brands competing on power alone.

There’s also an argument to say that, in the cold light of day, we should probably see the ZIV’s influence as a good, or at least benign for mountain biking. Its mission here is to make sure e-bikes keep their equal legal status with regular bikes. That means they can use the same infrastructure, and don’t require insurance or tax. In ZIVs eyes that means preemptively regulating the industry to prevent more draconian laws that might result in much harsher e-bike registration.

Back in the UK we’ve seen e-bike legislation hanging in the balance, after the government’s consultation ended on changes to e-bike power. It wanted to know if upping e-bike power to 500W from 250W, and allowing throttle activated motors motors was a good thing or not, so it asked the general public and bodies directly influenced by the decision including the bike industry.

A whale only gets shot when it spouts – lets hope new e-bike legislation doesn’t spoil the party

The decision was pretty evenly split, with 47.62% of respondents in favour of increasing the power and 51.34% opposed to it. The throttle control question was more divisive, with 43.75% supporting the proposal and 52.95% opposing it. As a result the proposed changes have been dropped.

Maggie Thatcher’s husband Dennis is attributed with a great quote, ‘a whale only gets shot when it spouts’. Who knows whether he really said it or not, but it’s as true today for e-bikers as it was for spouses back in the 80s. And we have been spouting collectively a great deal recently… let’s just hope any new legislation doesn’t spoil the party.