Bob Mittelstaedt is a retired lawyer, avid e-biker, and co-founder of E-Bike Access which is dedicated to expanding access for legal e-bikes and combatting illegal e-motos. He consults with state and local governments, school officials and law enforcement on how to address e-bikes and e-motos. He was featured in the NYT Magazine article on Marin County’s experience.
E-motos are back in the news with the publication of the Mineta Transportation Institute’s 210-page study commissioned by the State Legislature. As the accompanying press release states: MTI Electric Bicycle Safety Study Identifies Illegal, Over-Powered Devices as Key Problem. We hope that the study will cause others to rethink their positions.
The e-moto opinion piece (“Too-Fast Riders Could Be The Downfall of E-Bike Culture,” Felix Mariano, August 19, 2025) is a case in point. Mariano blames the riders for “tinkering” with their e-bikes to go faster. A previous blogpost (“Four Ways To Spot A Bad E-Bike Article,” Kea Wilson, August 9, 2023) also referred to riders “modifying” and “altering” e-bikes…