BEIJING (Reuters Life!) - China's vast population of battery-powered bikes is the focus of uproar after new rules ignited public fears, and hopes among some, that these pack mules of the nation's economic boom could be run off the road.
China's image as the land of the bicycle has been fading as its rising wealth has boosted ownership of cars and, for the less well-heeled, "e-bikes": bicycles with battery-powered motors as well as small pedals to distinguish them from motorbikes.
But the spread of the e-bike has struck a policy pothole after the national standards agency issued rules threatening to rein in the bigger models, favored by traders and couriers hauling loads.