because the Turbo doesn’t have a throttle control – if you don’t pedal, the bike doesn’t go – it’s considered an electric assist bicycle under federal law, which isn’t limited by the 20 m.p.h. speed cap.

The assist, which has a torque sensor that picks up on pedal output, will match pedal pushing with a selectable amount of power up to 28 m.p.h. Faster than that, you’re on your own. Pedaling for all I was worth around Central Park’s loop road, I was able to get it up to 32 m.p.h. descending some of the bigger hills, but you can easily go that fast on a light road bike, too. But because it doesn’t really look all that much like an electric bike, the other cyclists you whiz past at speeds of more than 20 m.p.h. without appearing physically strained look at you as if wondering what sort of performance enhancing supplements you’ve been guzzling.

32mph on a bike seems... Dangerous.