Electric bike gift in Brussels? The best things to know

Updated January 5, 2023 by pierre

To whom can we offer an electric bike?

Electric-assisted bicycles have been very popular with children and adults for several years. It is used as much for walks as for the home-to-work journey. It is therefore a good gift idea to please your relatives or friends on a special occasion. To be sure that this is the ideal present, you need to know who can be offered an electric bicycle.

Before going any further, these articles should interest you:

An electric bike for children

We will develop here the criteria to be taken into account before offering a used electric bike or nine to a child.

age and mastery

In France, there are strict regulations concerning the use of electrically assisted bicycles by children. The law imposes a minimum age of 14 years for a child to ride an electric bike.

In addition, the child must master at least one bicycle. Indeed, apart from the fact that they have a battery and electronic assistance, the characteristics of an electric bike are not so different from those of a bicycle. Therefore, a person who can ride a conventional bicycle must be able to ride an electric bicycle.

The skills and notions of the Highway Code to master

If the legislator sets 14 years as the minimum age to be able to drive an electric bicycle, it is good for the skills that it requires. Indeed, the child must be able to understand the Highway Code. Other concepts such as signage and driver responsibilities are also covered. The same is true of the notion of cycle paths where to cycle.

Exception for children under 14

It is quite possible to offer an electric bike to a child under 14 years old. However, the latter must only drive the two-wheeler on private land. These trails are not subject to the presentation of an authorization to ride an electric bike. So, if the child has a lot big enough to ride a bike, you can offer it to him. As a result, he will be able to learn to drive a VAE before he is of legal age to ride on cycle paths.

An electric bike for adults

It is about responsibility and control of the two-wheeler.

The responsibility

If it is possible to offer an electric bike to a child of 14 years old, what about an adult? An adult is above all a responsible person. An electric bicycle should only be used by a responsible adult. The notion of responsibility here is not philosophical but legal.

A responsible adult is an adult who is neither under guardianship nor under curatorship, even less under legal protection. A responsible adult does not need someone to perform an act in relation to himself. He is able to decide on his own.

He must not have diseases, for example, dementia and personality disorders. Likewise, if he has heart problems, he should not receive an electric bicycle as a gift. This is also valid for adults with serious vision problems such as cataracts or glaucoma.

Mastery

Finally, the adult who wants to receive an electric bicycle must master the electronic gadgets of our time. This is related to the characteristics of the bike in question. There are gadgets that are not known to the general public, but that technophiles have mastered perfectly. So they will have to learn them and know how to use them.

An electric bike for seniors

One could naturally think that the people of the third age do not use this type of device. However, we notice more and more that the bicycle serves them in daily life much more than children and adults. Older people need to keep in good shape and in good health. That's why they often use electric bikes. The electric bike remains a good way to do fitness. Such a gift could therefore make them very happy.

Nevertheless, inform yourself in advance about the state of health of the recipient. If the person has major vision problems, it is quite inadvisable. In addition, cycling is a means of preventing cardiovascular disease. If the recipient has joint problems or other such concerns, they should not be offered an electric bicycle.