12 MPH vs 28 MPH — a real comparison
Standard bike
12 MPH
- • Weight: ~25 lbs
- • Ground per second: ~18 ft
- • Braking distance (dry): ~10 ft
- • Rider can typically stop for a surprise pedestrian
Class 3 E-Bike
28 MPH
- • Weight: 50–75 lbs (2–3× a normal bike)
- • Ground per second: 41 ft
- • Braking distance (dry): ~50 ft
- • That's the length of 3 parked cars before you stop
SECTION 01
E-bikes are HEAVY
An e-bike carries a motor, a lithium battery, and a reinforced frame. Most weigh 50 to 75 pounds — sometimes more than 3× a typical youth bike.
- Harder to maneuver: swerving around a pothole or an opening car door takes real strength.
- Harder to lift: when you fall, the bike falls on you.
- Harder to stop: more mass means more energy to bleed off through the brakes.
SECTION 02
Doubling speed quadruples braking
Kinetic energy grows with the square of your speed. Go twice as fast and you have 4× the energy to stop. Add extra weight from the e-bike and the number climbs again.
Real-world impact: a rider that could stop in 10 feet on a normal bike may need 5× that distance on a fully-loaded e-bike at top speed. If a pedestrian steps out 20 feet ahead — you will hit them.