Biking is painful: e-biking is NOT

[indianajo]

I'm age 69 , an Army veteran, and getting out of bed in the morning involves pain. Walking causes pain in my knees. If I bike a lot, the knee pain is less, and I can actually walk looking like a normal person. The electric addition to the bike allows me to control how much exercise I get on it, reguardless of what global warming is doing to the wind in my area (all bad recently). I want 3.5 hours of pulse 120, twice a week, plus 20 to 90 minute supply runs on the bike nearly daily.
I don't smile a lot when biking, but I don't do it to tell macho stories about how tough I was to the bike club. Tried a club ride twice, heard enough of that. Those guys have no idea what even a lowly service support person in the Army has done. I ride comfortably, have a comfy seat and the nicest handlebar I can buy. My hands go to sleep these days on a long trip in my car.
I had a smiley moment Friday you can't buy with a ticket to a theme park. I stopped by the side of the road to blow my nose. @ somebody's driveway in exurbia. Their beautiful golden miniature horse trotted over from the other end of the pasture to be with me. Just horses grazing together amiably. You can't do that even in a jeep. I think the horses out there have a thing about bicyclers, think we're centaurs or something. Another grey one waves it's hoof at me frequently when I go by. At least I'm not being mistaken for a wolf (or barking dog).

 

[Toomanycats]

Went for a ride in the AM with my wife. Pulled weeds in the garden after lunch. Snuck out for another ride while my wife was napping. Then went to the driving range to hit some golf balls. Woke up at 2AM with leg cramps. Pain. Pain.

I ride every day, and I try to push hard. I just like to. There are a lot of hills where I live, and my ebike makes what would be unbearable into just uncomfortable. And for every uphill there’s a downhill.
There are mornings when I wake up feeling kind of “beat up”, and I take a break, or a shorter ride.
But honestly, I think I’m becoming addicted to the endorphins. First 8 miles was enough. Then it was 10 miles, now it’s 14, or 15, or 20....
And there are those days, when like the Star Wars character in Rogue One, I think “I am one with The Bike, and The Bike is one with me”. Those are the best, and I wouldn’t trade them.

 

[indianajo]

wait are you guys talking about "runner's high" ?

does it happen on ebikes? I guess in theory, it does?

Yeah, read Dr. Ken Cooper. Pedal bike 3 hours at 8 mph, ebike 3 hours at 13 mph. With electricity I've lengthened my summer route 30% to get off the 55 mph highway, which greatly increased the number of steep hills. Still 3.5 hours at 120+ pulse, same endomorphine benefits as before.

 

[DDBB]

Some people's motto is "no pain no gain".. My motto is "no pain, no pain" Sorry I'm with Mike on this one and get the humor

 

[ebikemom]

I love ebiking. It has transformed my commuting and recreation.

I have a different perspective on conventional cycling.

I was never a road biker. During many periods of my life, cycling was both transportation and fun.

I grew up in a valley area, where, my bike was both transportation and fun from elementary school on up. We hopped on our bikes and had a great time. College... no cycling. First job: I lived in a foreign country at the top of a small, um, mountain. I cycled every day to work down that glorious hill, along a beautiful river, and into the flat city. I loved it. Going home, I walked that bike up the mountain, as teenage boys passed me, standing on their pedals. It was a good workout. Back in the US ... cycling on weekends... never a road bike, always an upright "hybrid" ride. Around parks, here and there, never more than a few miles ... fast-forward to the Pacific Northwest and major hilliness ... this continued, but we got a rack. I rode my bike to and from the gym and local fun outings. Got a new hybrid when our son started riding his bike, rode with the kids while they were little, but then started struggling with the hills ... couldn't get the kids back home ... used the rack more ... and then cycling petered out of our lives.

Ebiking has been a great return to cycling, with marvelous range, and the stamina/hills problem completely solved. I LOVE IT! Ebiking fills in all of the functions that regular cycling had for me, but there is just MORE, MORE, MORE of it.

But, regular cycling? I loved that, too. Would I go back to it? No reason to. But it wasn't painful. Yes, I avoided "too hilly" routes, and rode less than I do my ebike. But... it was great.

 

[Deleted member 4210]

Now that everyone has had their turn to p*ss on this post, what few of you realize is that more than 50% of my customers come in to buy an ebike are doing so to address some sort of physical pain that regular bikes either make worse, or make biking for them next to impossible. This ranges from back pain, that affects their leg strength, to MS, to neuropathy, to rehabbing from heart attacks (some experience pain in large muscles) to certain conditions that cause hamstring pain (condition undisclosed to me but none of my business), to Mast Cell disease, to knee replacement (too much pain riding regular bike), to dozens of others I've forgotten.

They all cite incredible improvement, feel happier in their lives now, and write me follow up thank you notes expressing genuine gratitude and thanking me for my empathy and help, that no other shop was willing to take the time to help them find the right fit, or even customize the ebike to meet their needs.

Many of you chose to think myopically, and express disdain for an observation that you refuse to open your eyes and believe exists. Many of your perceptions and misunderstanding of the message were already tilted by negative biases. Doesn't bother me. You've shown the world your true colors. If you can't find any humor or wit in anything to help lighten a topic or have some fun with it, that's not my problem. My son for example has aspergers and they have challenges with dry humor and sarc. Not my problem and not about to change for him. He needs to learn how to adapt to the world around him. I'm teaching him how to by not walking on eggs for him. Nobody is going to coddle him in the real world. The offended are 'offended' by their own interpretations. Or terrible mis-interpretations.

I'm kind and respectful to everyone I meet. Even often when they're rude to me. On line however, if someone dishes it out to me, I have no problem returning the favor when they are a repeat offender, or simply bullies. Most of the usual offenders hide behind aliases. I don't. They are trolls. Easily ignored.

Anyway, If you have no pain while riding a bike ever - well then good for you. You are blessed. It could change in a NY minute. Keep that perspective in mind. Pride goeth before the fall.

I applaud the people who have the courage to not give up on biking and applaud those even more who opened themselves up to ebiking as a possible reprieve from pain, a real solution to pain, or even physical and mental therapy.

Biking is painful. Ebiking is not. It's going to catch on in ways you will never imagine.

 

[ebikemom]

Hey, Mike, I just read the whole thread, and everyone is sharing their own perspective, just like you did. I do appreciate your perspective. And I have my own perspective.

Your thread has started an interesting discussion.

Ebiking is amazing. I would never trade back to conventional cycling. Having loved regular cycling at other phases of my life doesn't mean I can't love ebiking too. My ebiking motivations relate to being able to have the family together cycling, to increase mobility of non-venturesome teen, to leave the car in the garage, to go where I could not go before.

I dream that ebiking will catch on in ways we can't imagine! Folks who head to ebiking do so for many reasons, and the main one is to outstretch the limits of conventional cycling. For some, those limits relate to pain. For others they relate to distance. For others they relate to the environment. For others they relate to speed, and the desire to keep up with family members.... so many people, so many perspectives, so many paths to ebiking.

Peace to everyone! I am glad to embrace each person's unique path to ebiking.

 

[J.R.]

I think people took exception to the idea we need to step on someone else to lift ourselves up. Ebiking is better for some, cycling is better for others. I met a new ebiker last weekend, she was so excited and never going back to acoustics. I also saw a lot of families out laughing and having a ball. This one little guy (5 y/o) out of the training wheels and free as a bird. Gettin' it done. That gave me a smile. And I took a lunch break with a guy that looked to be chiseled out of granite, dressed in lycra. I just met him on a park bench, and it was a true pleasure talking to him. He asked about my bike and I was happy to tell him about ebiking. Great ride!

 

[DDBB]

I met that same chiseled guy in lycra and he's the same guy posting hate about ebikes in all the forums after his rides

 

[ez3putt]

Wow, I guess I bought my ebike for all the wrong reasons. I haven't ridden a pedal bike in about sixty years and I certainly didn't buy it to get back into biking. I am 72 years old and have no chronic pain or debilitating injuries. I realize that can change almost overnight, but that is one of the reasons I bought a step-through. I got my bike to help get me and my gear in and out of the woods in the hills of NW Ga. In that regard, it has exceeded my expectations. Other than the fact that it is just plain fun to ride, I am finding lots of other reasons/excuses to use the bike. I am an active old man that plays golf three or four times a week when I am at my primary residence and spend time fishing/boating and riding my bike when I am at the fish camp. I have met or passed exactly one other ebike as opposed to a few hundred traditional cyclist on bike trails and bike lanes at the fish camp. Most of the cyclist are my age or older and I have never once observed a look of anguish or pain on any of their faces. Almost everyone smiles, waves, and exchanges greetings when we meet. I think it is misleading to imply that traditional bikes cause pain and ebikes do not for main stream cyclists. Pedal it home with a dead battery some time.

I got my grandson an mtb for his sixth birthday next month. Should I tell him how much pain he will go through the first time he rides it?

BTW, how do you think you would fare on your Class I or II ebike in the Tour de France?

 

[DDBB]

I want to see the smile on your face when you "Pedal it home with a dead battery some time"

 

[Toomanycats]

Hey, Mike, I just read the whole thread, and everyone is sharing their own perspective, just like you did. I do appreciate your perspective. And I have my own perspective.

Your thread has started an interesting discussion.

Ebiking is amazing. I would never trade back to conventional cycling. Having loved regular cycling at other phases of my life doesn't mean I can't love ebiking too. My ebiking motivations relate to being able to have the family together cycling, to increase mobility of non-venturesome teen, to leave the car in the garage, to go where I could not go before.

I dream that ebiking will catch on in ways we can't imagine! Folks who head to ebiking do so for many reasons, and the main one is to outstretch the limits of conventional cycling. For some, those limits relate to pain. For others they relate to distance. For others they relate to the environment. For others they relate to speed, and the desire to keep up with family members.... so many people, so many perspectives, so many paths to ebiking.

Peace to everyone! I am glad to embrace each person's unique path to ebiking.

I don't think anyone here on EBR would deny the fact that ebikes have benefit if someone is injured, in physical pain, physical disability, etc.

The impression that I got from your first post was that how you're almost criticizing Tour de France athletes are not "having fun" because they're pushing to the limit, just like any other athletes do.
That's like saying Olympic marathon runners are not having fun because they're in pain and pushing to the limit, maybe time for them to get a Segway.

If you're talking about some elderly people in physical pain trying to climb up hill (and you can tell by their facial expression that they're in pain) yeah sure, we will agree 100% that ebikes are definitely beneficial. And I do agree that this kind of scenario is the reason why Americans do not cycle and prefer to drive cars.

People ride bikes for so many different reasons- transportation, fun, adventure, athletic competition, fitness, all of the above at once.
If you’ve ever dedicated yourself to getting competitive at a sport, it’s tedious, painful, frustrating (there’s always someone better than you who makes it look effortless- chances are they worked just as hard, or harder). It also takes courage. Racing can be dangerous. I know people who’ve gotten badly injured in crashes. Ultimately it can be deeply rewarding to get the sense of mastery, at least.
But there are athletes or former athletes ( some of them are readers because we’ve heard from them) who’ve worked their asses off for years and never made it past a certain level because of money, time commitment, other obligations, aging out, injuries, etc. It takes a special kind of person, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for the people who are willing to dedicate themselves to becoming elite athletes, even if it wasn’t for me.

 

[Deleted member 4210]

It's just a great phrase, and very persuasive. 5 of my customers have said the same thing this season if not the exact same words. Have been in commercial and industrial sales for more than 30 years you learn to listen and uncover pain points. In this industry it can be real physical pain which makes it ironic if not fascinating. Bike shop owners selling regular bikes likely aren't even thinking of anyone potentially being in pain. To them bikes are sports equipment or an appliance. It's a product to be moved and they think inventory turns and making payroll. Not that there is anything wrong with that, as everyone needs to make a living somehow (unless you won the lottery or inherited wealth)

Motivations for buying are different for everyone. I see it every time a new customer walks in the door . Thank you to everyone who posted, as each perspective is valuable and doesn't preclude another. I do continue to be amazed by the variety of interpretations - and grateful my job isn't one of interviewing witnesses of crime scenes.