All electric bike riders have been told at some point that riding an ebike is cheating. Some people are proud to agree with this criticism, while others are justifiably defensive. We've been through this in a previous blogpost, so we'll drop that debate for now.
What remains true, however, is that some people will constantly be on your case, accusing you of cycling without any effort. Or maybe you’re the one who's being too harsh on yourself? Let's debunk some common myths below.
Pedelecs, the most prevalent type of ebike, require you to pedal for motor assistance to kick in. Once you cease pedaling, the motor will cease to provide power, and just like a regular bicycle, you can expect to lose momentum and slow to a halt eventually. Lots of ebikes are also heftier than regular bicycles thanks to the addition of various electric components. Remember, as a rider, you have to maintain your balance and steer the bike, which are athletic tasks that require effort, energy, and a good amount of coordination. Therefore, it's simply not true when people tell you that you won't burn any calories riding an ebike.
Going a step further, ebikes are known to provide the same advantages as traditional bikes, which include, but are not limited to, interval training provision, increase in heart rate, and even burning of hundreds of calories per hour. The number of calories that someone can burn while riding an ebike might surprise you. It is determined by various factors, such as how hard you’re pedaling, your speed, the terrain, and your pedal assistance level. Of course, your age, gender, weight, and body fat percentage will play a role in the eventual number of calories you burn. This should go without saying, but biking uphill at a fast and furious pace, on low assist levels should prove to be a pretty good workout for most people.
Did you know that you can regulate the amount of exercise you get from riding your ebike by adjusting your pedal assist levels? According to sports physicians, an hour of average effort on an ebike burns about 300 calories. This figure could increase or decrease depending on the factors mentioned in the previous paragraph, but 300 calories is still a pretty sweet number. According to MyFitnessPal, someone who rides an ebike for an hour will burn an equivalent amount of calories as someone who spends two hours vacuuming and mopping their house. Between the two, we both know where you'd rather be, and what you'd rather be doing. :)
Some traditionalists may insist that running burns about 2 or 3 times as many calories as riding an ebike would, assuming the same amount of time is spent on each activity. They tend to forget that not everyone is able bodied or in the pink of health- for those of you who have old injuries/chronic conditions, we'd like to highlight that ebiking is very temperate on your joints and is easy enough to integrate into your schedule. Go for a spin around the neighborhood, stop in at your favorite spots, and be back within the hour! If you've got the time and battery capacity for it, you could easily go for a longer ride and burn way more than 300 calories without compromising on the fun.
Fitness instructor Brooke Taylor of CNET recommends the typical individual to burn 400-500 calories per workout, five times a week. Because many electric bike riders ride for fun, they may be improving their general health and reducing their waist size without even knowing it! Of course, this still depends on your diet and caloric intake- it is widely known that a 500 calorie deficit per day will enable you to lose roughly 1 pound a week, which is a safe and recommended rate for long term weight loss.
Although there is considerable dispute among fitness enthusiasts regarding whether a workout’s intensity or duration is more helpful, experts agree that both activities burn calories and fats. Electric bikes offer a low-impact workout that allows riders to exercise for longer periods of time than they would on a regular bike. Indeed, a fixed gear bike can burn more calories in a shorter ride, but maintaining a high heart rate for an extended period of time can offer similar fitness advantages. Riders raised their daily mileage from 1.3 to 5.7 miles after switching to electric, according to Treehugger.com- the distance more than quadrupled, which goes to show that the convenience of an electric bike will encourage people to go further, and keep their workouts up in the long term.
Some ebike models even enable you to monitor the rate at which you burn calories as you ride. The two Bosch displays, Kiox and Nyon, and the FIT D1 Display show these statistics, which can be really helpful for people with a fitness goal in mind. Why not experiment with various riding factors to see how they affect the number calories you burn?
Ebikes are convenient to adopt into one’s lifestyle while providing a healthy option for commuting or completing weekly tasks. Realistically, riding an ebike won't cause you to get ripped or give you a six-pack, but it will help you to burn many calories while having a great time- not everyone's an athlete anyway, why not have at it and see how an ebike works out for you?