Do you get more exercise riding an electric bike?

[harryS]

I come back from a bike ride sweaty and needing a shower, be it my regular bike or an ebike. I know it's more work to ride the regular bike, but I might ride it twice a week, whereas I'm always up to grab one of the ebikes. S0 more work is done that wouldn't get done w/o the motors helping.

I also will do half of my usual one hour ride with pedal assist off, and a 55 pound bike pedals harder than my 35 pound regular bike.

 

[Antia]

Regardless of sweat levels (seriously, who cares?). I wear a heart rate monitor for my commute, which is sometimes done in the ebike and sometimes on a regular non-assisted bike. I find my level of effort to be similar but of a much shorter duration in the ebike because I am going faster and thus arrive earlier. The other effect is that the effort is evened out with a significant reduction in the heart rate spikes from hills. All in all I consume about half the calories for the same commute when I ride the ebike compared to a non-assisted bike. I find that as a cardio exercise, the ebike is better in some sense, as I can choose the heart rate zone I want to work in and keep it there more or less independently of external factors. If I commute in the conventional bike, I get a more varied (and longer!) workout where the heart rate varies lot. In any case, it always beats sitting in my car, even if I am using a high level of assist. For really unfit individuals it probably is a benefit from just the fact that you have to keep your balance and thus it helps your core.

 

[Dunbar]

How about this little experiment for everyone other than Duncan? Go ride your e-bike. You'll probably need the lowest pedal assist setting to make this work without going too fast. Get your cadence up to 70-90. This should provide fairly easy, low resistance pedaling. Get your heart rate up to 70% of your maximum sustained rate and hold it there for 15 minutes. Are you sweating? Bring plenty of water and enjoy the endorphins.

I have plenty of experience riding my road bikes in cool winter conditions (such as they are in California) and warm summer months. I sweat far less in the cool winter months than I do in the warm summer months even despite the fact that I wear more clothing in the winter. As you might expect, I also drink much less water on the same length rides in the winter. Here's the kicker, I ride with power meters so I can dial in exactly the same power (say 200 watts) and tell you with absolute certainty that I'll sweat more when it's 85 degrees out than when it's 55 degrees out. I don't even know why you are arguing this basic fact at this point.

 

[Barbara]

I live on a hill and wouldn't bicycle at all if I didn't have an e-bike. So definitely more exercise!

 

[McApple]

There are too many hills in our area for me to enjoy riding my regular bike as I get older. I've had my ebike for almost a year and look for excuses to get it out and go riding.

 

[Steve Barsby]

I've been riding a DIY ebike for 3 months now. It has a 48V, 17.5Ah, battery paired with a 250W front motor. My average riding speed (riding alone) is now 21mph regardless of distance (up to 75 mi), as I consume about 10.5Wh/mile. My longest rides were 83 and 82 miles without plug-in "boosts". Those two days had a combined 8,000 feet of climbing. Obviously, I cut off power on any noticeable downhill of almost any length. Longest ride so far is 113 miles. My bike is PAS only, so there's no throttle. I'm riding about 500mi/week.

I wear a Garmin FitbitHR, so I know my heart rate throughout my rides. At age 76, I can maintain 120bpm over hours.

So do I get good exercise with an ebike? You bet!

I feel so good on the bike, that I've a 2nd battery en route so I can do centuries without waiting around for that plug-in boost.

 

[mrgold35]

I had a hybrid commuter 700c bike for 3 years and put around 750 miles on her. I've had my two his/her Radrovers since September of 2016 and put a little over 2600 miles between them. The wife put around 300 miles on the ebikes and the rest is all me (I switch off bikes to work commute to keep the wear/tear/mileage the same). Depending on the weather conditions, I now ebike to work 3-4 times a week compared to 100% driving before the Radrovers. The elevation change on my work commute of 4900 ft to 5400 ft, 20s/30s lows in winter, +95 degrees in the summer, and always windy in the afternoon made it very difficult to ride a regular bike for fun/commute.

 

[mattinutah]

For me the ebike isn't so much about exercise as it is walking past my car and saying, sorry mate - not driving you today. The 2 people who convinced me to buy my wife a stromer were both retired professional athletes, one a cyclist the other a triathathelete. It is about putting fun into bike commuting. I will still hammer on my road bike and mtb for exercise but for commuting - ebikes rule.

 

[Cnugget]

I don't ride a regular bike so I am about 3500 km's ahead of myself in comparison.

I'm not an athlete in training trying to get my burn on so the bike gives me exercise just like walking or jogging depending on how I feel.
~5-6 x's a week of 1.5hrs at least. (30 - 70km each day). Ya multiple charges on days.
It makes my muscles sore and my shape is toning.
I've gone 45 x's to work via ebike since August 2016 last year which beats the exercise I get when I'm in my car... It's usually the most enjoyable part of my day.
I get a lot of hi intensity interval training in by accident when I'm going downhill.
I spend more time on the bike because if I need to phone it in I can. Sometimes getting out is half the battle.
It's a pretty cheap date if you have two! The destination no longer matters.
I have an ongoing competition to see if I can keep ahead of the boyfriend in miles on the odo.
So I go out for fun, errands, work or just because. It has amplified my exercise to a great degree how much is hard to say.

I'd say it is going to be a contributing factor to my overall health and well being for years to come if we stay on the current path. (Injuries and crashes not included)

 

[Trail Cruiser]

Not only do I get more exercise, I just found out that I increased my stamina and leg strength. I ride for exercise and I don't intend to be competitive. I also ride for fun since I used to ride a bike to school when I was in high school. With my aging body on a non -electric bike , I can only muster a boring 11-15 mph versus 20+ mph when I was in high school. So having electric assist brought the joy of cycling from more than 30 years back. It makes me feel young again and I enjoy every minute of it.

 

[Katman4532]

Well, let's do a little CPR and see if we can bring this thread back to life. Thanks to Carpal tunnel problems,
I had all but given up cycling. My exercise consisted of going to the gym six days a week. Great exercise but
very boring. The only way I could cycle was to sit upright "cruiser style." Easy on the wrists and hands, but
bucking 20 to 30 mile an hour headwinds was awful. Now I have an Ebike and laugh at the wind. I still get a
workout by leaving the assist off when I have a tailwind and flying along in sixth gear at 20 to 25 mph. By the way,
you can get cardiovascular benefits by exercising for at least 20 minutes with your heart rate in your target range
(Depends on age). Just to be clear, the heart rate needs to be in this zone at least 20 minutes.

 

[Trail Cruiser]

Well, let's do a little CPR and see if we can bring this thread back to life. Thanks to Carpal tunnel problems,
I had all but given up cycling. My exercise consisted of going to the gym six days a week. Great exercise but
very boring. The only way I could cycle was to sit upright "cruiser style." Easy on the wrists and hands, but
bucking 20 to 30 mile an hour headwinds was awful. Now I have an Ebike and laugh at the wind. I still get a
workout by leaving the assist off when I have a tailwind and flying along in sixth gear at 20 to 25 mph. By the way,
you can get cardiovascular benefits by exercising for at least 20 minutes with your heart rate in your target range
(Depends on age). Just to be clear, the heart rate needs to be in this zone at least 20 minutes.

Yes, the heart rate monitor is very helpful to make sure you are not fooling yourself. I wear my monitor whether I am on my stationary bike, row machine, or enjoying my electric bike outside.

 

[Katman4532]

Not only do I get more exercise, I just found out that I increased my stamina and leg strength. I ride for exercise and I don't intend to be competitive. I also ride for fun since I used to ride a bike to school when I was in high school. With my aging body on a non -electric bike , I can only muster a boring 11-15 mph versus 20+ mph when I was in high school. So having electric assist brought the joy of cycling from more than 30 years back. It makes me feel young again and I enjoy every minute of it.

You certainly nailed it. I can no longer ride leaning forward without my hands going numb and my wrists hurting. An
Ebike allows a much more comfortable "cruiser style" position. Many people my age (sixties) have had to give up
cycling because of carpal tunnel problems. I've actually found that on the circular rides I do, I can turn the assist off
once I have a tailwind. Now I just need to convince my wife she needs one!

 

[Katman4532]

I don't ride a regular bike so I am about 3500 km's ahead of myself in comparison.

I'm not an athlete in training trying to get my burn on so the bike gives me exercise just like walking or jogging depending on how I feel.
~5-6 x's a week of 1.5hrs at least. (30 - 70km each day). Ya multiple charges on days.
It makes my muscles sore and my shape is toning.
I've gone 45 x's to work via ebike since August 2016 last year which beats the exercise I get when I'm in my car... It's usually the most enjoyable part of my day.
I get a lot of hi intensity interval training in by accident when I'm going downhill.
I spend more time on the bike because if I need to phone it in I can. Sometimes getting out is half the battle.
It's a pretty cheap date if you have two! The destination no longer matters.
I have an ongoing competition to see if I can keep ahead of the boyfriend in miles on the odo.
So I go out for fun, errands, work or just because. It has amplified my exercise to a great degree how much is hard to say.

I'd say it is going to be a contributing factor to my overall health and well being for years to come if we stay on the current path. (Injuries and crashes not included)

Don't forget the number one exercise motivator: FUN!!! Working out at the gym has become pure drudgery. My Ebike
has been more fun than any exercise routine I've done.

 

[rich c]

You certainly nailed it. I can no longer ride leaning forward without my hands going numb and my wrists hurting. An
Ebike allows a much more comfortable "cruiser style" position. Many people my age (sixties) have had to give up
cycling because of carpal tunnel problems. I've actually found that on the circular rides I do, I can turn the assist off
once I have a tailwind. Now I just need to convince my wife she needs one!

A good bike shop can help if you have wrist trouble. A ton of options like aero bars, ergo grips, bar end grips, etc....

 

[Trail Cruiser]

A good bike shop can help if you have wrist trouble. A ton of options like aero bars, ergo grips, bar end grips, etc....

My old ebike had an upright riding position and I never had wrist and hand numbness. All my new ebikes originally had more aggressive forward position (putting more weight to the handle bar) and all also gave me wrist numbness. I changed the handle bars, put stem risers and shorter stems to all my new ebikes for a more upright riding position and that solved the problem.

 

[Katman4532]

For me the ebike isn't so much about exercise as it is walking past my car and saying, sorry mate - not driving you today. The 2 people who convinced me to buy my wife a stromer were both retired professional athletes, one a cyclist the other a triathathelete. It is about putting fun into bike commuting. I will still hammer on my road bike and mtb for exercise but for commuting - ebikes rule.

 

[Cnugget]

@Mark Peralta I have to agree. After having a mull over on the amount of exercise I'm getting, I have upped my game by syncing to a heart rate monitor. It has since help me realize that I can indeed phone it in. Mostly just aiming to for some intervals where I get the heart going and then easing off for enjoyment factor.

Wondering if others have done the same?

 

[Roxlimn]

I'm actually the reverse. It probably depends on individual physical advantages or disadvantages, proclivities, preferences, and such. I am still relatively young. 42. I got the ebike not because I can no longer pedal well, but because I was starting to find commuting 16 miles to work a little challenging and annoying. The ebike has changed all that.

Even on an ebike, my heart rate spikes a lot. We're talking higher than 120, where my resting heart rate is in the 50s and 60s. I think it's because my endorphin effects are powerful? I don't have to be hopped up on adrenaline, either. I can go have a ride and pains just melt away. I don't feel anything at 120 HR, even at almost 140 HR. I feel a little warm throughout my body, but not uncomfortably so. I don't pant. In fact, I'm usually enjoying myself immensely. I love pushing on the pedals to go faster, especially on an ebike.

In the 10 months I've gotten the ebike, I've gotten quite a bit stronger. I'm now getting 60 km (little less than 40 miles) on half a tank of a 400 Wh battery. Much of that is because I not only reduce the assist to Eco, but also because on the flats, I just plainly overpower the motor and comfortably cruise above the cutoff. And that's loaded with panniers, too. This is so much more exercise than I would have gotten with my road bike because I simply don't want to commute on it anymore, and I don't otherwise have the time to pedal. Three hours of pedaling a day, regardless of perceived effort, apparently makes you very strong. Whodathunk?

 

[E-Wheels]

I'm actually the reverse. It probably depends on individual physical advantages or disadvantages, proclivities, preferences, and such. I am still relatively young. 42. I got the ebike not because I can no longer pedal well, but because I was starting to find commuting 16 miles to work a little challenging and annoying. The ebike has changed all that.

Even on an ebike, my heart rate spikes a lot. We're talking higher than 120, where my resting heart rate is in the 50s and 60s. I think it's because my endorphin effects are powerful? I don't have to be hopped up on adrenaline, either. I can go have a ride and pains just melt away. I don't feel anything at 120 HR, even at almost 140 HR. I feel a little warm throughout my body, but not uncomfortably so. I don't pant. In fact, I'm usually enjoying myself immensely. I love pushing on the pedals to go faster, especially on an ebike.

In the 10 months I've gotten the ebike, I've gotten quite a bit stronger. I'm now getting 60 km (little less than 40 miles) on half a tank of a 400 Wh battery. Much of that is because I not only reduce the assist to Eco, but also because on the flats, I just plainly overpower the motor and comfortably cruise above the cutoff. And that's loaded with panniers, too. This is so much more exercise than I would have gotten with my road bike because I simply don't want to commute on it anymore, and I don't otherwise have the time to pedal. Three hours of pedaling a day, regardless of perceived effort, apparently makes you very strong. Whodathunk?

What ebike and motor do you have