Actually, ebikes will get you much LESS exercise

[Timpo]

Just when I thought ebikes will get you as much exercise as normal bike (like ebike industry has been talking about), Shimano has been advertising how much easier and takes less physical effort to ride ebikes.

3x less sweat, 63bpm less heart rate, also due to less exercise, the core body temperature will be lowered by 0.9ºC

I know it's good for some people if you don't want to be exercising and sweating, but I kind of find it a bit disappointing..
Still doesn't change the fact that it is much healthier alternative compare to cars though. And for me, much cheaper than driving a car, paying for insurance, gas, maintenance, etc.

https://road.cc/content/news/247777...-less-regular-bike-riders-finds-shimano-study

 

[Nova Haibike]

They did not specify the parameters of the test.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

For a lot of us, it's ebike or no bike. So it's more exercise for us, no matter how you measure it. Comparing a healthy young person on an ebike to a healthy young person on a pedal bike isn't a very useful comparison.

 

[ebikemom]

I get a lot more exercise now that I ebike than I did before.

 

[PDoz]

I guess if you want to use the ebike sitting still in a test lab, that might be true.....but in the real world where you're using the rest of the body against more wind , controlling avheavier bike at higher speed, and especially if you're riding on mtb trails at higher speeds - that advertising video has to be wrong!

I know an hour on my emtb hurts a lot more than an hour on my oldbike - whole body exercise vs mostly legs

 

[tompat]

I did not measure my heart rate before and after, but swapping 41 daily commuter miles from car to e-bike has made me a bit more sweaty for sure.

 

[christob]

So weird then, to have lost 48 pounds since starting my ebiking (and no other form of exercise) in March...

 

[pnop]

I didn't build mine for the exercise so if I get any (I do) it's simply a bonus. I built it as a cheap, quiet mode of local transportation, so either way, I'm good.

 

[Trail Cruiser]

Just when I thought ebikes will get you as much exercise as normal bike (like ebike industry has been talking about), Shimano has been advertising how much easier and takes less physical effort to ride ebikes.

3x less sweat, 63bpm less heart rate, also due to less exercise, the core body temperature will be lowered by 0.9ºC

I know it's good for some people if you don't want to be exercising and sweating, but I kind of find it a bit disappointing..
Still doesn't change the fact that it is much healthier alternative compare to cars though. And for me, much cheaper than driving a car, paying for insurance, gas, maintenance, etc.

https://road.cc/content/news/247777...-less-regular-bike-riders-finds-shimano-study

This is definitely a flawed study and does not relate to the real world ebike riders.

This is only true to avid road cyclists (purists) who are happy with with their fancy pedal bikes.

I have two words to respond to that: Ride time.

For many of us (regular aging people with handicaps here and there), riding a non-electric bike is not that fun esp when hitting the hills and headwind, to the point that we don't ride that much anymore or even stop riding altogether.

Now comes the ebike and we find all kinds of excuses just to go out for a ride and having fun.

How's that for extended exercise, plus being happy like a kid at the same time?

 

[AHicks]

<<<"For many of us (regular aging people with handicaps here and there), riding a non-electric bike is not that fun esp when hitting the hills and headwind, to the point that we don't ride that much anymore or even stop riding altogether.

Now comes the ebike and we find all kinds of excuses just to go out for a ride and having fun. ">>>

Exactly.

 

[indianajo]

A+ on the ride time. I intend to use electricity to stretch distance over same ride time, or make difficult conditions even doable.
I fought a 9 mph headwind coming home 30 miles 2 weeks ago, stretching my commute time from 3.5 hour to 5.5. Pulse was over 132 five of the hours, and 30 minutes was spent sitting on a bench in the hot sun trying to get my pulse to slow down. I was worn out, didn't feel like doing any chores until the next afternoon. Normally pulse averages 100-108, with occasional peaks to 132, rarely 156.
Rather than buying a car, I'm buying electricity for the bike. When conditions are good, I'll ride 3.5 hour with it turned off. Into a 9 mph headwind, or worse in the fall, I'll ride anyway with electric assist. And some weekends I'll ride 4 hours and make 50 miles to a festival or concert with PAS 2, instead of 30 miles to my summer camp PAS 0.

 

[Joe EE]

+1 Mark. No way I’d be doing anything close to the distances and durations that I do on my Ebikes on anything else. Hence more overall exercise. Duh?

 

[6zfshdb]

It all depends on how long you're out there and how you ride. I usually turn off, or use a low level of assist for the first few miles of a ride to get my heart rate up. I'll let the ebike do more of the work toward the end. I'm usually out there twice as long and go twice as far as I did on my MTB. I burn the same or even a few more calories.

 

[chriskmee]

The way I see it, ebikes let us choose how much exercise we get. I have a 10 mile commute, and in the mornings I use more assist and take it easy, getting me to work fast with only a little sweat. Going home i'll usually use the lowest assist level, or sometimes run with the assist completely off, and actively try to push myself and get a workout. I am pretty sure my 55lbs ebike with panniers and the assist off gets me more of a workout than if I was on a lightweight carbon bike.

 

[DaveMatthews]

All I know is, that after only a month of ebike use (cut some time out for smoke issues) I already feel the benefits.
In this world of sadly increasing fake news, nothing beats proof. My right calf over the last few years has been a little larger than the left, seemingly from poorer circulation.
This morning I've noticed that it's completely normal again.
Thank you ebike!

 

[mrgold35]

I think this study falls in the "No Duh?" category for results. They should have done the test on an actual road coarse, then have the participants work 8 hours, and then ride the same course home on both bikes for several weeks. You don't have push yourself to the limits of exhaustion everytime to get benefits from daily exercising.

I see my ebike like an escalator or airport moving sidewalk. You can put as little or much into it; but, the main factor is saving effort and/or time to be used later. I think the study views (e)bikes only as exercise machines "only"; compared to primary/back-up transportation, physical limitation equalizers, and just for fun riding. That is why I don't jog/run because of zero fun factor and knee/back pain. I would look like those sweaty and exhausted study participates after a run with my knees/back aching for days afterwards.

I also found ebike give me a larger performance operational window compared to my pedal bike:
- I can still ride +100 degrees because I have more cooling effect at 20 mph compared to 6-12 mph on my pedal bike
- less time and exertion on hills to translate to longer riding times and distance
- headwinds have less effect on an ebike for longer ride times and distance
- can park my car and I'm able to ride in extreme weather like cold, wind, rain, or heat compared to my pedal bike
- able to carry 2X-3X more all weather gear and "on the spot" repair tools and have almost zero effect on ride range/quality compared to pedal bike
- can get to work at 6am with minimal sweating and push myself on the way home to get a good workout.

I see zero folks out with me like other bike commuters, "tour de France" bike workouts folks, or fun riders when weather gets extreme on my daily ebike rides between work and home.

 

[Ken M]

I agree with 90% of the comments in this forum string - eBikes allow you to get the amount of exercise you want while being a more effective form of transportation (assuming you are using an ebike for urban mobility and not just recreational riding). When I commute on my ebike I tend to push myself just as I did on my traditional bike. The difference being that I can cut my 15 mile commute time by over 15 minutes because I can sustain a higher average speed. So the ebike saves me 30 minutes but I still get a good cardio workout.

My desire is to soon build a 35mph throttle assist ebike with gearing that allows a reasonable cadence up to that speed. The tech is not that shocking as I believe a 52V / 40A drive system using a rear gearless hub motor will be more than adequate. Most of the time I will not be riding at that top assist speed but when on a road side bike lane the extra speed will cut commute times and actually be safer because I'll be reducing the differential of my speed and the cars that will still be going faster.

I simply don't think top assist speeds of 20mph is going to be compelling to get a larger share of commuters out of their cars because time has significant value and that is just too slow (in my opinion as I know there are a lot of eBikers that feel that is more than fast enough).

 

[Nova Haibike]

I understand the intent of the test. It is to convince people to buy the product that will make their life easier. You certainly can sweat less with an e-bike if you choose to ride it that way. I don't ride that way. I rode an hour yesterday evening, hard and fast. After I finished, my shirt was soaking wet from sweat.

 

[Ken M]

I think this study falls in the "No Duh?" category for results. They should have done the test on an actual road coarse, then have the participants work 8 hours, and then ride the same course home on both bikes for several weeks. You don't have push yourself to the limits of exhaustion everytime to get benefits from daily exercising.

I see my ebike like an escalator or airport moving sidewalk. You can put as little or much into it; but, the main factor is saving effort and/or time to be used later. I think the study views (e)bikes only as exercise machines "only"; compared to primary/back-up transportation, physical limitation equalizers, and just for fun riding. That is why I don't jog/run because of zero fun factor and knee/back pain. I would look like those sweaty and exhausted study participates after a run with my knees/back aching for days afterwards.

I also found ebike give me a larger performance operational window compared to my pedal bike:
- I can still ride +100 degrees because I have more cooling effect at 20 mph compared to 6-12 mph on my pedal bike
- less time and exertion on hills to translate to longer riding times and distance
- headwinds have less effect on an ebike for longer ride times and distance
- can park my car and I'm able to ride in extreme weather like cold, wind, rain, or heat compared to my pedal bike
- able to carry 2X-3X more all weather gear and "on the spot" repair tools and have almost zero effect on ride range/quality compared to pedal bike
- can get to work at 6am with minimal sweating and push myself on the way home to get a good workout.

I see zero folks out with me like other bike commuters, "tour de France" bike workouts folks, or fun riders when weather gets extreme on my daily ebike rides between work and home.

Spandexters are rarely real world urban commuters. They are usually serious traditional bike riders focused or being aerodynamic and uncomfortable. I would rather ride a mountain style commuter ebike with wide street tires (like the Schwalbe Moto Xs) for ride comfort and superb street handling with a more upright riding position so I truly have better forward visibility without straining my neck/back.

Without an ebike I would not be riding 90% of the time on my 15 mile commute to work so I'm getting great health benefits even though I'm not riding a traditional bike.

 

[Riversurf]

I don't get this, well, obsession with how much exercise you get or don't get with an ebike. Who cares? If you're concerned about not getting enough exercise, turn off the motor and you can sweat as much as you want. Problem solved.