Those unfamiliar with electric bikes won't see the incredible benefits they can get from riding one. The fact that they assist your peddling may lead someone to believe that riding an electric bike is cheating. With this in mind, the perception of riding an electric is that they are not suitable for improving or maintaining fitness.
However, this couldn't be further from the truth. In this article, we will talk about how Electric bikes compare to traditional bikes in terms of fitness, fun, and the riding experience. We will also highlight different ways electric bikes can be used, some of which may surprise you.
Riding An Electric Bike, Gives You An Excellent Cardio Workout
Even though electric bikes have motors that assist your peddling, you still have to put effort into the pedals. As you pedal, the motor engages and amplifies your efforts. You can change how much assistance you get by selecting different assistance levels.
So if you fancy an easy commute or a leisurely ride, you can simply select a high assistance level. On the other hand, if you want to work on your fitness, you can choose a lower assistance level or switch off the assistance altogether. Lower assistance levels require you to put more effort into the pedals, creating an excellent cardio workout.
You are still physically working even when you ride with a high assistance level; therefore, your heart rate increases. This means that no matter what assistance level you are in, you will improve your cardiovascular health if you ride your electric bike enough.
This Has Been Proven By Science
Brigham Young University in Utah conducted a study that monitored some experienced mountain bikers. To test a theory, the riders rode a 7-mile route on regular mountain bikes and then did the same route on electric mountain bikes.
When their stats were analyzed, the loop on the electric mountain bikes caused their heart rate to reach 94% of the average heart rate of when they rode their regular mountain bikes. Therefore the study confirmed that riding an electric bike will give you a great cardiovascular workout even when using an electric motor. On top of this, they could complete the loop much faster.
But Are Electric Bikes Fun To Ride?
Electric bikes are lots of fun to ride, and this comes in many forms. Let's take a look at the electric bike riding experience in detail.
The Torque Is Addictive
When you first ride an electric bike, you'll be surprised how quickly it will accelerate. This is why it is best to start with a low assistance level and work up to the higher levels as you get used to it. But when you get more familiar with how an electric bike performs, you will find the wave of talk produced by the motor incredibly addictive.
You'll start looking for steeper hills to climb to test out your electric bike, especially if you ride off-road. The combination of selecting the perfect gear and going up an assistance level at the right time makes these bikes climb like a 4x4, which never gets boring.
Fast Is Fun
Following on from the acceleration of an electric bike, the effortless speeds you can reach on an electric bike create an entertaining riding experience. This is made even better when you pass traditional bikes and cars stuck in traffic. You get an incredibly smug feeling.
But you don't have to ride at the bike's top speed all the time. You can cruise around with the wind in your helmet without a care in the world until you feed the need for speed.
They Improve Your Social Life
Part of the fun of an electric bike is the freedom that it gives you, no matter what your age. It makes traveling to see your friends and family much easier without having to drive or getting too sweaty on a traditional bike.
Another good thing about electric bikes is that they fill the gaps in people's fitness levels. For example, an older person can enjoy rides with their younger family members and not get left behind. This means the family shares quality time together, and no one feels left out.
Get To New Places
The way electric bikes work unlocks a lot of potential for the places you can go. When you compare an electric bike to a regular bike, you will soon see that you can ride much further and on more challenging terrain with an ebike.
If you live in a hilly area and ride a regular bike, you will get tired very quickly, and your progress will be slow. This means you may feel restricted in where you can go.
But if you were to ride an electric bike, you would find climbing hills more manageable and cover more ground much more quickly. This is why electric mountain bikes are becoming more popular; they allow people to get to terrain they would not usually get to.
This isn't just because of extra distance; it is also due to the extra torque the motor gives you. It allows you to scramble up challenging climbs on loose surfaces that would be impossible on a regular mountain bike.
How Electric Bikes Suit Different People
Electric bikes are incredibly versatile. There is a different electric bike for every person, with more being invented all the time. So with this in mind, we will look at a few different scenarios that make electric bikes appealing to many people.
Electric Bikes Can Kick Start A Fitness Regime
Depending on your circumstances, riding a regular bike may be a little too much for you to start your fitness regime. However, an electric bike could be precisely what you need to ease you into a more active lifestyle. As your fitness improves, you can take on longer and more challenging rides and reduce the assistance level to increase the intensity as you wish.
On top of improving your cardiovascular health, riding an electric bike will also make your muscles stronger. As you can ride for longer, your legs remain active for more extended periods, making them stronger. During these long rides, your stamina also improves, which will carry on to other aspects of your life.
It's not just your legs that get a workout while riding an electric bike; you also make improvements to your core strength. This is because you hold yourself in a certain position as you pedal, which will strengthen your supporting muscles. You will find riding your bike even easier when your core becomes stronger. Your peddling will become more efficient as you're pushing from a more powerful platform, your newly strengthened core.
Electric Bikes Are Excellent For Rehabilitation
The low-impact nature of riding an electric bike makes a big difference to a person's rehabilitation following an injury. For example, if you have a knee injury, you can ride your electric bike at a higher assistan level to get stronger without over-stressing the injury.
You can use the various assistance levels to suit how the injury is feeling and what you need to do to make it better. Also, if you choose an electric bike with a throttle mode, you can still keep moving while resting your legs or even use it to get home if you feel you have done too much.
Electric Bikes Are Perfect For Commuting
With the ever-increasing costs of driving into cities, electric bikes are perfect for commuting. They are much cheaper to buy and run than a car while being better for the environment and your health.
Of course, an electric bike is not that useful if you need to take major highways to get to and from work. However, many people use their electric bikes for last-mile commutes. This is when they will drive or use public transportation to get close to work and then use a folding electric bike to finish their journey. This means you can park much more easily and take shortcuts through busy urban areas while reducing fuel costs and avoiding congestion charges.
You will see other benefits if you can use an electric bike for your whole commute. For example, the compact nature of a folding ebike means it is much easier to find a safe place to store it. They are also great for starting your day with a good mindset after exercising while proving to be great stress busters at the end of the day.
So Are Electric Bikes Cheating?
We have established that electric bikes help your peddling; that is the whole point, but you still need to put in effort when you ride. How you ride an electric bike is up to you. If you want to take it easy, you can; if you want to work up a sweat, that is also possible.
Electric bikes will take you places regular bikes can't. Therefore, they encourage you to ride more and for longer, meaning they have incredible physical and mental health benefits.
