While familiarity with electric bicycles may vary, many individuals are likely aware of the popular e-bike brand SUPER73. The corporation’s motorcycle-inspired electric bicycles have proven extremely popular among teenagers and young adults, but the heyday of fast and questionable (or blatantly) illegal e-bike modes seems to be drawing to a close for the brand.
Although SUPER73 didn’t pioneer the moped-style electric bike, they’re often credited with catalyzing its popularity. As the term “Super73” has become increasingly ubiquitous, it’s not uncommon for various manufacturers of motorcycle-inspired electric bicycles to be mistakenly associated with this brand, leading to a blurring of lines between actual Super73 products and those from other companies.
Initially designed to be fully street-legal electric bicycles, SUPER73 models were always intended for on-road use and consistently arrived in their standard “Class 2 Mode” configuration. The e-bikes were designed to reach speeds of up to 20 mph (32 km/h), placing them within compliance with prevailing US regulations governing electric bicycles for several years prior.
Despite this, SUPER73 e-bikes can be easily unlocked through the company’s dedicated smartphone app, granting riders access to Class 3 mode, which enables pedal assist up to 28 mph (45 km/h), as well as an Off-Road Mode that largely eliminates restrictions and permits faster throttle-only driving. Off-street mode transformed the bike into a de facto mini-motorcycle, perfect for cruising down avenues with ease.
Nowadays, the era of effortless efficiency gains has come to a close, as SUPER73 adapts to California’s newly enacted regulations imposing more stringent e-bike categorization standards. The new regulations, effective as of January 1, 2025, mandated that all e-bikes featuring intentional throttles limit their motor assistance to a maximum speed of 20 miles per hour. In California, if an e-bike is designed to be altered for enhanced speed or power, comparable to a mode adjustment through its display screen or mobile app, it would no longer be considered a street-legal electric bicycle.
Super73, often at the center of controversy surrounding high-performance e-bikes, responded swiftly. The switch to a new mode in the SUPER73 app now seamlessly transitions users into a heightened state of performance, effortlessly unlocking increased efficiency settings. According to a recent discovery on the company’s website, “As of January 1, 2025, customers who download and pair the SUPER73 app will only be able to access modes that are commensurate with the class of the product they have purchased, specifically Class 2 mode.”
While SUPER73’s new model retains the mechanical capability for increased speed, it essentially eliminates the ability to access this improved performance by capping its e-bikes at a maximum 20mph speed with both throttle and pedal assistance.
Is there a workaround?
SUPER73 has developed a foolproof solution to prevent their e-bikes from being used for illegal purposes.
Simply kidding. While not ideal, this response is likely due to other factors rather than any error on the part of Super73. There exist several readily available apps that offer alternatives to the corporation’s app, enabling passengers to reclaim enhanced efficiency. It’s not excessively challenging for anyone with an e-bike and internet access to figure it out.
While it’s unlikely that every SUPER73 e-bike will revert back to its original 30 mph form, many riders will still find themselves impacted by the introduction of 20 mph speed limits for various types of e-bikes. However, we mustn’t pretend that such a system can never be breached. As long as e-bikes are designed with internal capabilities for increased performance – such as a powerful 2,000W motor limited by software to 750W and 20 mph – there remains a strong possibility that users will find ways to unlock that performance.
It is well-established that attempting such unlocking would unequivocally violate California’s regulations governing electric bikes, but at the time, the penalty would likely be imposed on the riders themselves rather than the e-bike manufacturer, provided the latter takes concrete steps to prevent performance unlocking through its native app?
Electrek’s Take
As many predicted, the widespread adoption of electric bicycles by major corporations seems increasingly inevitable, with even faster-than-expected rollouts across national markets rather than just being confined to California.
I concur that this swift initiative may yield a positive effect on the handful of troublesome individuals who consistently disrupt the norm – primarily the marauding groups of teenagers operating illegally fast electric bicycles. Individuals who recklessly operate e-bikes around other cyclists and pedestrians pose a significant danger to everyone on the road, leaving a trail of frustration and concern in their wake.
In the long term, however, I don’t think that’s the correct approach to take. It seems counterintuitive to invest in a high-performance vehicle capable of speeds over 125 mph and then deliberately constrain its usage, only allowing for half that speed. Meanwhile, reducing bicycle velocities from 28 mph to 20 mph may seem like an equally futile endeavor. Isn’t that a rather misguided allocation of resources when there are far more pressing threats to public safety that demand our attention?
While I acknowledge a need for synergy between education and deterrence, It’s merely not that tough. Are reckless drivers of bicycles, including children, posing hazards to pedestrians and other road users in your community? If so, consider implementing stricter regulations and penalties for such behavior, rather than targeting parents with fines or confiscating their child’s property without due process. While it’s understandable to be concerned about the safety implications of increased e-bike speeds, labeling someone who simply wants to commute efficiently a “menace to society” seems an unnecessarily dramatic and inaccurate characterization.
