Pedaling for exercise.

[squatty roder]

I am thinking about buying an XP. I am intrigued by the price point for what seems like a well equipped ebike. My concern is what is it like pedaling one of these bikes when the motor is off or out of charge?
I can ride up to 50 miles on my none electric Masi road bike and want to keep my exercise / fitness level up, so not pedaling is not an option.
Please share your experiences. Thanks

 

[PatriciaK]

Most ebikes are heavier than regular bikes, so may take more work to pedal. Also, I understand from reading here that some types of motors "drag" when not engaged, but since my bike has a mid drive have never experienced anything like that. I'm sure someone with more knowledge will chime in about that .

 

[Rob2000]

Many ebike users, myself included, ride for exercise/fitness. Keeping your fitness level up is not a problem as you will contribute as much effort as you want, you will just go farther and perhaps faster. I also ride a carbon road bike and although my ebike is considerably heavier, I can dial up just enough assist that the weight difference is minimized. You can go up hills with more assist or just grind away as you would on your road bike. The whole experience is just more fun, so you will typically ride more.

Experienced cyclists seem to like the mid-drives more, but the best advice is to find a quality dealer and test ride various models. There is really no substitute for trying out various ebike models since there is a range of models for various use cases. That is the advice given to most new members of this forum.

Best of luck with your selection.

 

[dchenus]

I wanted to let you know my thoughts so you know the resistance without battery power. Yesterday, I took the XP on a 15 mile ride. I stopped into a store and came out and forgot to turn the bike back on. I went 1 mile on an even road without even realizing I was on pedal only mode until I started up an incline. I had the same reservation you did when buying the bike that if the battery gave out, would I be pushing this bike home. Don't worry about it at all unless you go on an incline. Then you still should have enough power to walk the bike while you put the bike in "walk" mode which assists you on pushing the bike while walking.