jdogg111

I'm seeing a ton of e bikes on our local greenways lately, and it not just old geezers like me . Lots of folks that look to b in their 40s and even 30s. At a rest stop recently, I asked an older gent if I could lift his bike, I just wanted a sense of the weight. Goodness it had to be at least 40 lbs or more. Seems like a light 20 lb bike would be as easy to ride as that bad boy is, but what do I know, they pass me like I'm standing still. My question is , are they getting a good workout?

Fahrenheit531 

Not as good as I am.

m.c. 

The ones I've been seeing don't require pedaling. They are electric motorcycles that happen to have pedals on them.

Rolla

Depends on their typical level of activity. For the sedentary, an e-bike may well give them the best workout they've ever had.
A conditioned cyclist won't exert nearly as much on an e-bike as they would on an analog bike over the same distance.
Also, keep in mind that achieving a good workout isn't always the goal.

skidder

Those e-bikes have a range limit, too. Last time I looked at one it would go only 30 miles on a charge, so a rider on a normal bicycle fueled by junk food, sketchy burritos off a taco stand and water is going to go a lot farther on a ride.

CAT7RDR

There is a large segment of American society that likes the side benefits of exercise like a change of scenery and sunshine but do not want the exertion that goes with it.
I see e-bikes filling that need. There are a few exceptions like injured athletes that need an assist during recovery.

Bmach

If you have not tried a pedal assist ebike you really should before making negative posts about them. You can get as good as a workout as you can with a non ebike. Don’t use the assist for a good workout want less use more assist. My wife only uses the assist when she needs it to keep up and she gets a great workout. Also she can get 70 miles on her battery with her Raleigh. Some of the Cannondale bikes get around 130 mile per charge. Also not everyone riding a bike is looking for a workout some just need it for transportation.

rsbob 

Some do and some don’t. For some, its a way to get outside and cruise around with minimal exertion and enjoy the scenery. For others, like my wife and her girlfriend, both skilled former century riders, now both with RA, they can push themselves as much or as little as they want depending if they are having a flare-up. My wife still likes to push it.

Good question though.

I am in reasonable shape and have had my butt handed to me on 8%-10% climbs by people on e-bikes just merrily pedaling along while I am at 95%. I tend to resent them until I remind myself that I am the one who is probably in much better shape and will probably live longer.

tempocyclist

They are probably not getting as good a "workout" as you, but perhaps that's not their goal. Maybe they simply want some fresh air? Or to get from A-to-B without sweating?

The way I see it, every eBike out there is one less car on the roads.

wolfchild

Who cares if they're getting a good workout or not....not everybody rides for the purpose of getting a workout.

mschwett 

i started out on an ebike. still have two, although i really only use assist for utility riding now, like climbing very steep hills with my kid on the bike to get her to school, errands, etc.

with many types of ebikes, you can get just as much of a workout as a regular bike. you just go a little faster, so as long as you gauge your workout by time (not distance) it truly is just as much exercise. if it takes 100 watts to go 15 mph, it takes well over 200 to go 20 mph. you could pedal at 100w for an hour and go 15 miles, or pedal at 100w with the bike throwing in another 120 for an hour, and go 20 miles. exact same amount of exercise, just 1/3 more distance and speed. there are actually some interesting studies that show people with ebikes get just as much or more exercise with them on average, in part because it's fun to go fast, far, and for those who aren't super fit the idea of the assist is an enabler.

i do agree that the ones with throttles or very high powered motors with cadence sensors are basically mopeds and really shouldn't be allowed in bike lanes and on mixed use paths. but there's a huge range of bikes out there, and anything that gets people out of cars is at least partially good in my book.

ebikes range from 25 to close to 100 pounds. one of my bikes is a 28lb electric road bike and it's really a nice ride even with the motor turned completely off. no drag except for the additional 10lb, which you only would notice when climbing, really.

Rick

I don't live near any bicycle paths and would avoid them like the plague. I have seen some couples on ebikes in my neighborhood and they were not speedsters. I recently purchased Ebikes for me and the wife and they have no throttle. the motor cutout can be set between 8 and 28 mph. I have them set at 25 kph. This is 15.6 mph. the ebikes and the Carla cargo trailer that I am motorizing are for shopping and errands.

indyfabz

Jan Feetz

Yes you can get a good workout riding an ebike. It will probably take longer though, like running up a flite of escalaters.

indyfabz

All of them?

dedhed

My 1968 Raleigh probably weighs 40 pounds

Rick

[QUOTE][All of them?/QUOTE]

These are not the bike paths I refer to.

70sSanO

I plan to get an assist road bike one of these days. So far I’m okay with my gearing, but I know it is coming down the road, Lord willing I’m still able to ride down that road.

As they get closer to 20lbs and are a good riding non-assist bikes, I wouldn’t mind flattening the hills a bit. Nothing is flat where I live and I went to a triple about 5 years ago to help with steeper stuff.

John

AlgarveCycling

E-bikes have become extremely popular here in Europe. My wife has one, a Dutch-commuter type from KTM. It gets her around our hilly area for leisurely riding and basic shopping and she is very happy with it.

Then you get those who race E-MTB's and who take it very seriously; very fit cyclists on e-bikes. Watts are watts - if you push out 200w on an unassisted bike and 200w on an assisted one, you are getting the same workout only with the e-bike, you go faster because of the additional free watts. So, yes, you can get a very good workout on one. Furthermore, here the bikes are limited to 15mph on electronic-assist, this is because of the density of cycle traffic in many European cities and so a speed limit is imposed to ensure e-bikers do not become motor-bikers in cycle lanes. But what this means for the cyclist seeking a workout is their assist runs out pretty quickly and so at above 15mph, they are doing all the work.

As mentioned by others, e-bikes have varying levels of assist and so workout intensity for those seeking more intensive training can get that too. But even for those who do keep a high-assist level, studies have shown that now they ride more, for longer. This equates to a fitter individual overall compared to when they rode unassisted bikes.

The lightest road e-bikes are coming in at under 23lbs now; Wilier's Filante being one.

indyfabz

[QUOTE=Rick;22563920]Coaxing some specificity worked.

308jerry

Later summer maybe early fall my wife and I are planning on taking a trip up in the mountains. We'll load our two ebikes up into the rack in the back of our diesel burning, coal rolling dodge pickup.... Hey it's a good way to start conversations on how to save the environment. Right?

Nachoman

In theory I like them. (One less car on the road, etc.).
But in practicality they're pretty annoying.

unterhausen

My spouse and I went on a 2 hour bike ride yesterday. She never would have done that ride with her acoustic bike, but with an ebike she knows she can put it in power mode if she has to. It has shimano steps, so pedal assist only. If she doesn't pedal, no assist. Afterwards, she told me her fitbit recorded well over an hour of cardio. So yes, people are getting a workout.

There is essentially only one ride in this area where it is flat enough that she was willing to ride her old bike. We used to have to pack up her bike in the car and then I would ride over to that road and we would ride together for a few miles, pack up her bike and then I would ride back. Yesterday, she rode over there with me, no car. Well, she did drop me a batch of times, but she waited for me (most of the time).

Chuckles1

I like to ride the ebike in July when it's often hot, humid, and the horseflies and deerflies are at their worst. They can drive you crazy if you get caught in the woods grinding up a hill in my my locality. They are only bad in July, so this month I either take my road bike out for a quick ride in the morning and stay out of deep woods, or stick to paved roads in the afternoon and outrace the pests on the ebike.

Generally, the ebike is just a different experience; more of a pleasure cruise vs a workout. But it's still a good workout. I spend about the same time on a typical ride, an hour and a half is good for me; I just go a lot further on the ebike vs my road bike or gravel bike.

I tend to ride the gravel bike in Autumn when the shadows make road cycling more dangerous on paved roads with lots of traffic. Road biking is reserved for those times of day when traffic is sparse. The ebike with a rack and pack is also great for trips to the farmstand in late summer and early Autumn.

My cycling is down this year as golf is becoming more frequent (I always walk nine holes, which is all I'm good for at 66), but having a variety of bikes, including an ebike, is a blessing. And variety in type of cycle, matched with route choice, is key to staying safe and enjoying the ride.

I'd have loved to have an ebike when I was younger to commute to work on, though you really need a shower at workplace to make that ideal if you're white collar and need to look your best. I managed it on my Raleigh back then, but the time involved in packing clothes, riding, and showering before work meant being up with the sun.

fooferdoggie 

exactly thats why I can ride 230 miles a week I ride every day. I could not do that on a regular bike. 18 miles commuting then hop on the e tandem and do another 10 to 15 miles on weekdays and 30+ miles each day on the weekends. since my bike shows how many watts I put out it helps to see how much I am actually doing. it just makes it more fun and I ride far more then when I was younger and felt better. with the e tandem we can get out father then we could without since we dont have a car it makes a big difference. going grocery shopping does not slow me down like it used to so I can do more of it on the bike.
lathe weight sucks 56 pounds for my commuter and 65 for the tandem.