I recently received an e-bike to review as a sort of tangential topic to my regular automotive content, which has been heavily EV-focused of late. When my 13-year-old son found out, he practically bounced off the ceiling with excitement. I promptly brought him back to earth with my “stern face” and a reading of the riot act around what would be happening when this e-bike arrived. “It’s a work project, it’s not for goofing around on, there are going to be strict ground rules in place, and no, for the 40th time, it will not be YOUR e-bike. “
Then the box showed up on our doorstep.
The young lad helped me move it to the garage, where we opened it up and put it together. At which point, he looked at me, I looked at him, we both grinned, and headed into the neighborhood to go for a spin.
Turns out, I’m full of hot air when it comes to acting as though a shiny new e-bike won’t have me bouncing off the walls with the same level of excitement as a teenager. I say this as a word of warning to any parent out there thinking they’ll be able to resist the charms of these gizmos, which are both incredibly fun and wickedly dangerous at the same time.
Out of the box, this particular e-bike goes 20 mph, but is advertised as being capable of 28 mph.
I was confused, but my son wasn’t. “Dad, you just need to download the app so you can unlock the max speed,” he explained as part of a quick rundown on the world of teenaged e-biking.
Along with learning about how easy it is to go crazy fast, I was informed that there is a crew of children prowling the mean streets of Dover, New Hampshire who go by the name, “Bike Life.” These middle school ruffians are loose on e-bikes that go way faster than 28 mph. Wheelies down the middle of the road are apparently common, and just last night I heard from a friend that one of these wannabe Hells Angels crashed into a car … on purpose.
Now, teenage boy levels of intelligence aside, this brings up a genuinely challenging trend for parents. Kids getting cut loose on bicycles they have no business operating. Really, it’s just the next “thing” that parents need to figure out in the chaotic world of raising kids. Before this, there was the advent of smartphones that, I’d argue, are just as dangerous to youngsters as e-bikes. Whether mentally, or physically. Who hasn’t seen kids stumbling around city streets with their heads buried in a phone?
So, what’s a parent to do when it comes to e-bikes and their kids?
I can only tell you what I did. First, I saddled up and went for a test ride. The appeal is immediately obvious. These things are stupid fun, and I was hitting the speed limiter almost instantly. After gathering myself, I let my son get on. We had a serious talk about the dangers involved. Helmets are a given. Requests not to unlock top speed are delivered. And then I let him go.
Like navigating the dangers of a smartphone, teaching them to drive, and having open talks about all the usual risk-related topics of drugs, sex, and alcohol, I’d rather my kids learn about these real-world scenarios from me — mistakes included — than fumble through it on their own. So far, it seems to be working.
