Tampered electric bicycles clock triple the legal speed, police warn

Electric bicycles modified to exceed the legal speed limit are increasingly being detected on the roads, according to police reports on Monday.

Concerns have been raised over electric bicycles that appear compliant at the point of sale but are later altered to travel at speeds far beyond the 25km/hr limit set by law.

Vehicles exceeding those limits are not permitted to circulate as bicycles.

Importers have said many of the bicycles are legally imported and sold with speed restrictions locked into their systems.

“They leave the shop fully compliant at 25km/h,” one company said, but users “easily unlock the settings and reach speeds up to three times the legal limit”.

According to complaints submitted to the police and the transport ministry, some two-wheelers sold as electric bicycles are, in practice, high-powered electric motorcycles, with outputs of 800 to 2,000 watts and top speeds of 45 to 60km/hr.

These vehicles lack certification, registration, insurance and technical inspection, creating “a direct risk for drivers, pedestrians and third parties”, importers warned.

They also said the practice distorts competition, disadvantaging businesses that comply with the law and may raise issues of unfair trade linked to EU anti-dumping rules on Chinese electric bicycles.

Police confirmed they are aware of the problem and have stepped up inspections.

“We have observed vehicles circulating on the road network whose use is not permitted under the legislation,” a police spokesman said.

“Beyond illegality, their presence significantly increases the risk of road traffic collisions and serious injuries.”

Last December, police checks in Nicosia examined 29 electric bicycles, seizing 21 for further technical examination.

Officers are instructed to determine whether bicycles have been modified after sale and whether their speed or power exceeds legal thresholds.

Police said vehicles found to exceed 25km/hr are detained under vehicle insurance legislation.

“Where an unregistered and uninsured vehicle is identified, it is seized in accordance with the law,” the spokesman said.

Authorities acknowledged that uncertainty over how modified vehicles should be classified, whether as bicycles, scooters or mopeds, complicates enforcement, but said checks will continue “to effectively address the problem”.