Here is an interesting study that was recently done that I thought would be of general interest to readers of this EBR forum. These were non throttle ebikes used in the comparison. It is a fairly long study so I will attach the link below. The study notes that these were experienced mt bikers that were in the study but ebikes can bring health benefits to other riders as well. My friend in his 60s that has been riding a Honda Goldwing motorcycle for years purchased Bulls ebikes for he and is wife a couple years ago and made this statement to me regarding his thoughts about ebikes. I thought it was a great comment. He said, "Even 80% of a workout is better than a 0% workout."
Here are some quotes from the article as well as the link.
Objective
This study aimed to compare conventional mountain bike and eMTB use. This was done by investigating 2 questions: (1) What proportion of exercise response is retained for an experienced mountain biker while using an eMTB when compared with a conventional mountain bike? and (2) What are the perceptions and beliefs of experienced mountain bikers toward eMTBs both before and after riding an eMTB?
Average heart rate during eMTB use was 93.6% of average heart rate during conventional mountain bike use. Riding both types of bikes on the study loop caused the participants to exceed at least heart-rate levels for moderate-intensity fitness activities and placed the average heart rate for a majority of participants in the vigorous-intensity zone [16]. Therefore, eMTB use in this study retained the bulk of the exercise response and exceeded established biometric thresholds for cardiovascular fitness. These findings of eMTB use on soft-surface trails are comparable to recent findings using e-bikes on city bike paths in which it was estimated that 95.5% of the cardiovascular benefit of conventional bike use was retained [18]. Although findings from the extant literature indicate that e-bikes can generally satisfy requirements for moderate-intensity physical activity [7-11,13,19], this study is the first to explore the exercise response of eMTB use on soft-surface trails and the first to associate pedal-assist bikes with vigorous exercise.
Pedal-Assist Mountain Bikes: A Pilot Study Comparison of the Exercise Response, Perceptions, and Beliefs of Experienced Mountain Bikers
Here are some quotes from the article as well as the link.
Objective
This study aimed to compare conventional mountain bike and eMTB use. This was done by investigating 2 questions: (1) What proportion of exercise response is retained for an experienced mountain biker while using an eMTB when compared with a conventional mountain bike? and (2) What are the perceptions and beliefs of experienced mountain bikers toward eMTBs both before and after riding an eMTB?
Average heart rate during eMTB use was 93.6% of average heart rate during conventional mountain bike use. Riding both types of bikes on the study loop caused the participants to exceed at least heart-rate levels for moderate-intensity fitness activities and placed the average heart rate for a majority of participants in the vigorous-intensity zone [16]. Therefore, eMTB use in this study retained the bulk of the exercise response and exceeded established biometric thresholds for cardiovascular fitness. These findings of eMTB use on soft-surface trails are comparable to recent findings using e-bikes on city bike paths in which it was estimated that 95.5% of the cardiovascular benefit of conventional bike use was retained [18]. Although findings from the extant literature indicate that e-bikes can generally satisfy requirements for moderate-intensity physical activity [7-11,13,19], this study is the first to explore the exercise response of eMTB use on soft-surface trails and the first to associate pedal-assist bikes with vigorous exercise.
Pedal-Assist Mountain Bikes: A Pilot Study Comparison of the Exercise Response, Perceptions, and Beliefs of Experienced Mountain Bikers
