Colorado E-Bike Injuries Surge 184% Amid Labeling Confusion

Aspen —A child in the valley just got hurt. That is the headline, not the bike. Not the trail. The injury.

Children’s Hospital Colorado reported an 184% increase in traumatic e-bike injuries from 2024 to 2025. That is a massive jump in a single year.

Pete Piccolo, executive director of Bicycle Colorado, points to that statistic when he talks about the danger. He asks a simple question: what happens when a kid gets their hands on something that can hit 60 miles per hour?

"You just see e-bikes, and they’re not e-bikes," Piccolo told the Vail Daily. "So when the marketing is, at best, confusing and sometimes it’s outright fraudulent, consumers, parents need to do their due diligence."

The confusion comes from a specific type of vehicle. These are called e-motos. They look like bikes. They ride on trails. But they break the speed rules.

On Oct. 12, Attorney General Phil Weiser issued a public advisory. It reminds everyone of the rules set by HB25-1197. That bill classifies e-bikes into three categories based on controls and speeds. The advisory also targets consumer fraud.

Here is the catch: certain bikes are being falsely marked as e-bikes when they are actually e-motos. These machines easily exceed 30 miles per hour. If an online retailer sells you a product that doesn’t match the class requirements, they violate the Colorado Consumer Protection Act.

Piccolo is not done pushing Weiser’s office. He wants point-of-sale disclosure and labeling requirements mandated statewide. Bicycle Colorado is already looking at 2027 legislation to define e-motos in statute.

He also wants the state to examine online retailers. He points to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is currently working with Amazon to clamp down on violators.

In Eagle County, local officials are waking up to the issue. The Eagle County Sheriff’s Office sent a comment via email. They said law enforcement will continue identifying consumer fraud and educating parents on the differences between e-bikes and e-motos.

"Regardless of labels," the office wrote, "and the potential for fraud."

Read that again. Regardless of labels. The label on the box doesn’t matter if the motor is too big for the trail.

The Vail Daily reported that state and local groups are pushing for more attention to this new law. They want education on safe use. They want enforcement.

The short version: the law exists, but the market is chaotic. You buy a bike online. It arrives in a box that says "Class 1." You take it to the trailhead. It goes faster than your car on a straightaway. That is not a Class 1 bike.

Piccolo urges parents to look past the marketing. Check the specs. Know what you are buying before your kid puts a foot on it.

The sheriff’s office is stepping in to help with that education. They are working to identify violations. But enforcement across the state remains uneven.

Weiser’s advisory is a start. It puts the issue on the record. But until retailers are held accountable and riders understand what they are riding, the injury numbers will climb.

The 184% increase is not a trend. It is a warning.