DENVER — Denver residents say they're growing frustrated with an ongoing pattern of risky e-bike and e-motorcycle behavior, as groups of riders — many of them kids — repeatedly take over city streets.
A video taken Saturday afternoon and posted to social media shows an officer tackling someone off a bike after a group of dozens of riders blocked the intersection of 17th Street and Chestnut Place near Union Station. Neither Regional Transportation District police nor Denver police would confirm whether the rider is facing any charges.
That same day, a viewer sent Denver7 video of a group of riders traveling down South Broadway, some popping wheelies in traffic. The viewer estimated the group had more than 200 riders. A spokesperson for Denver police said officers received three separate calls about reckless drivers on e-bikes along South Broadway, but no one was contacted or arrested.
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"I saw one kid on Speer one day, no helmet, weaving in and out of traffic, going faster than the cars. It was dangerous — dangerous. He must have been 13 or 14," Denver resident Roger Daviston said.
He said he has noticed the problem with unsafe e-bike riders emerging over the past eight months, with the groups typically gathering on weekends.
"Usually on the weekends, they show up. And yesterday, it was really bad," he said. "I don't know how many kids, maybe it was probably 50 of them, and they do wheelies back and forth. It's a problem for the traffic. It's dangerous, and it's really just disturbs our peace."
Gabrielle Powell said she has seen the groups take over Little Raven Street near the Denver Skate Park multiple times.
"Like upwards of sometimes 100 people just gathered, and then they kind of just roll out into the street, and usually they'll come down here and just really, they're just taking up the whole width of the street," she said. "I've seen some that are definitely young, like preteens maybe, and then as old as, you know, younger adults."
Children's Hospital Colorado said traumatic e-bike injuries jumped 184% at its Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora from 2024 to 2025. Colorado State Patrol said some kids should not be riding these devices at all because what looks like an e-bike may actually be an e-motorcycle.
CSP Trooper Sherri Mendez said state law classifies a motorcycle as a device with a motor exceeding 750 watts and speeds going over 28 miles per hour. She said if you're riding an e-motorcycle, you need a driver's license, registration, insurance and you have to be at least 16 years old.
"You do not want a 10-year-old getting on a device that's meant for somebody 16 and older," Mendez said. "It's going at a faster pace, higher stopping distance and kids are more prone to get injured."
CSP said some retailers have blurred the lines between e-bikes and e-motorcycles and Mendez urged parents to check the specifications of any device before buying.
"Christmas is coming and you will see even at Costco that they say 'follow local or state ordinances.' So, if that doesn't raise a red flag in your mind as a parent on the device that you're purchasing for your child, I don't know what to tell you," Mendez said.
While these bikes are making plenty of noise, residents said they want enforcement to be just as noticeable.
"I'd like for them to put up some boundaries and enforce them. It's really that simple. You can't do this. It's not allowed. And here's the consequences when we catch you," Daviston said.
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