jzr756

So I'm wondering about the barrage of online articles and claims an E-bike actually provides a better work out than conventional bikes in general ?? I've been making considerable gains riding hills and flats. E-bikes are blasting by me but no ones pedaling. how's that claim coming about? One claim is their riding longer distances??

Update/edit.

Maelochs

Because people won't ride regular bikes because it is too hard ... so an e-bike is better than nothing

PeteHski

There are different types of e-bike. The ones ridden for exercise have to be pedalled just like a normal bike. They can be useful for training if you live in a hilly or windy location. For example you want to do a long Z2 ride, but your route has loads of steep climbs that would make it unfeasible on a normal bike. An e-road bike with proportional pedal assistance would allow you to ride the steep climbs in Z2. If you do want to ride harder, you can simply reduce the assist level.

I have a friend who uses an e-road bike for a 50 mile hilly commute to rack up his Z2 miles. He finds it very effective.

DonkeyShow

To sell bikes. It's not that hard, just be less ********.

staehpj1

It depends on the bike and how it is used. If the e part is used as an assist and the bike is pedaled it might be used to allow more difficult conditions, longer rides, steeper climbs, or heavier loads than the rider would otherwise manage. The one person I know who bought one used it to haul two kind to daycare on their a morning commute. They probably would not have done that without an ebike.

Others may allow folks to ride who otherwise wouldn't at all or mismatched couples to ride together. I guess the key is using it as an assist to pedaling rather than just using the throttle. I see both types of ebike riders around town here in Tallahassee.

One guy I see somewhat regularly on the trails when I am riding my MTB is always spinning like mad and obviously getting a good workout.

Edit to add that the "everything you read claims.." stuff in the original post is just garbage.

indyfabz

Here we go again.

Trakhak

"Everything you read claims ebikes give a better workout?"

Really? Never read that anywhere. Please give at least a couple of links to pages where that claim is made.

Paul Barnard

There they go again. I won't be joining them.

shelbyfv

Weird, seems it would take some mental gymnastics to support. .Anyway, not good BF etiquette to bait the e-motor folks from their lair.

bruce19

I'd have to know what "better" means in this context. But, I have never heard anyone say that. Not even my friends who have them.

Pop N Wood

I don't know about better but they all allow the assist level to be turned up or down, or even off. Like said above the boost gives you route options, both hills and traffic, that you may not make on a human powered bike. You can definitely get a work out on them.

Lombard

If it's on the internet, it must be true.

PeteHski

I Googled it and came up with this:-

https://storybicycles.com/blogs/ebik...20participants.

mschwett 

if you pedal with a certain amount of force and at a certain speed, it requires a specific amount of power. that’s how much work you’re doing. it doesn’t matter if the bike also has a motor, is made of carbon fiber, or bamboo, or painted red or black.

the situation in which an e-bike is a better work out is when it adds enough power to that amount of power you’re generating to make it possible or fun to do something that otherwise you couldn’t or wouldn’t do.

for example, a relatively unfit or weak person lives in a very hilly area. it’s impractical for them to go on a two hour ride up and down steep hills. their level of fitness would hardly get them up one hill, even with granny gearing, so they do zero cycling, or only for whatever very short distances have no hills. on an e-bike, they can pedal with a sustainable amount of effort for them and ride for hours.

however, the more likely case is that someone wants to ride at around 15-20mph for a couple hours. in that case, the e-bike (as long as the motor is on) requires less power from the human rider, and the total “workout” will be significantly less than a regular bike.

wheelreason

I saw a guy get a really good workout getting his and his significant other's bikes out of the back of their pickup...

genejockey 

Quick scan tells me their argument is "it's easier so you'll actually ride/ride more", which doesn't apply to most of us.

Lombard

The way I look at it, by the time I'm old enough to need an ebike, I won't be able to lift one!

Jughed

People are also selling the trend that fat is actually fit/better health.


Easy to sell products that offer lazy/easy fitness solutions…

Polaris OBark

But you could with an e-posting wrist implant.

zandoval 

I am trying so hard to be "NOT anti e-bike". Is there a word for that? Maybe if they just went ahead and called them Motorcycles I would be more comfortable with them...

I have a lot of time one both Motorcycles and Bicycles and it's really hard to decide which one I have had more fun with.

I do know on which type I have had the best workouts with though!

Polaris OBark

Unless someone is forcing me off the trail or something, why should I care what people ride?

If it keeps people out of cars, and there are fewer cars on the road, that is a Good Thing, ipso facto.

My wife got a class 1 e-roadbike a couple of years ago, due to hip and knee issues. It helps her a lot, and inspired her to get a nice non-assist titanium road bike.

I recently built up an e-bike conversion. I haven't really used it yet, apart from test rides, but I set it up in such a way (30T front sprocket) that I doubt I am going to be blasting past anyone.

There's a big difference between the above examples and Sur Rons ripping up the trails, complete with their vestigial pedals.

A little bit of nuance here could help.

genejockey 

One problem is "e-bike" refers to everything from a regular bike with light pedal assistance to essentially an electric motorcycle. The former I can definitely see for folks who can no longer put out the effort they used to but still want to ride - more power to 'em, you might say. But the latter? I feel like they're taking advantage of bicycle infrastructure. And the people on them are not getting any exercise at all.

Jklotz

I realize I'm in the minority here, but I recently bought a Trek Domane+. It is a pedal assist ebike. There is no throttle to turn. There are 3 power modes, selectable with little buttons near the shifters. Without peddling, it gives you nothing. To reach it's 28 mph assist cap, you've still got to be putting out roughly 250 watts on a flat. On the climbs, it'll reduce your HR by 10 beats or so when pushing it. I get great workouts. On my recovery rides, I can do 15mph while staying in zone 1 and 2, makes them a lot more fun and I don't have to have a flat course to do it.

A little background: I raced in my 20's and 30's. Got burned out and shelved the bike after crashes, team politics, etc. 20 years later, I decided to get back in shape. Back in the day, I'd have used group rides to do that, but I'm heavier and older now, so that really wasn't an option for me. At least not without a good 5 or 6 month solo training program and crash diet to prepare. So I got the ebike. I was able to do some B and C level group rides immediately, although I had to push pretty hard to keep up. That was about 3 months ago. Now, with the help of the ebike, I'm able to keep up with the A group. I have to really push hard though, often spending over an hour in zone 4 or 5 to keep up every ride. And even then I get dropped every now and then. I burn 1200 - 1400 calories each ride according to my Garmin. In that 3 months, I've lost 11 lbs and my resting heart rate has dropped almost 20 BPM. And I'm having a blast doing it. I'd still like to drop another 10 LBS and raise my FTP and V02 max. On my current trajectory, that should not be a problem.

So say what you will about ebikes, but for me, they have been a game changer. And yes, I'm getting a better workout because if I didn't have one, there is no way I'd be able to be out there.

mschwett 

agreed. of course people will call things whatever they want, but legally, a throttled vehicle with >750w and/or >20mph is not an e-bike under either state or federal definition. enforcing the existing laws keeping these things off trails and paths and bike lanes would go a long way.

Iride01 

Some people wear themselves out pedaling and tire so quickly they don't get much cardiovascular/aerobic benefit from cycling because they only do short rides or don't ride at all. E-bikes help those people some to let them ride longer and get more benefit.

It's not muscling yourself over the hills or at high speed that makes for better aerobic exercise, it's how long you can move your legs up and down.