Can riding an e-bike actually make you healthier?

Common sense suggests battery powered cycling makes things easier, but science says you can easily get fitter on an e-bike

are electric bikes healthy?
Jack Rear is an e-bike convert Credit: Heathcliff O'Malley

Plenty of people have taken up cycling over the course of lockdown, but the government wants the trend to go even further as part of its anti-obesity drive. According to reports, the Prime Minister is to announce plans to subsidise electric bicycle purchases, possibly by up to a third. 

The question which is often levelled at electric bikes is whether or not they are somehow ‘cheating’ – like doping for amateurs. After all, if your bicycle has a motor, doesn’t that take some of the effort out of going for a bike ride?

Common sense would say yes, but a lot of the science says no.

Prior to this summer I hadn’t ridden a bicycle in ten years and had no inclination to either. Then I got my hands on an electric bike, and now I’m out pedaling almost every day (and you do have to pedal, the motor in an e-bike only works when you pedal, otherwise it’s a moped) usually for several hours at a time. 

What changed? I stopped dreading going for bike rides. Knowing that a motor can help me back up the hill means I can actually enjoy zooming down it. Knowing that I can push the boost button if I get tired means I’m less worried about going further. 

You don’t have to take my word for it either because I’m not alone in finding this. A 2019 study from The Institute of Transport Economics in Norway compared bicycle use among electric and traditional cyclists. And guess what? Those with electric bikes travelled further, more often, and made more journeys on their bikes. 

The traditional cyclists made roughly a quarter of their journeys on their bike and 0.9 journeys per day on average, while e-bikers made almost half of their total journeys and an average of 1.4 journeys by bike per day. Ordinary bicycle trips were an average of 4.8km, electric bicycle trips were over double that length at an average of 10.3km. 

And it’s not as though these e-bike users are simply getting further and moving faster on motor-power alone. A 2018 study from the University of Kansas found that the amount of calories burnt on an e-bike journey versus a standard bike was exactly the same. Meanwhile, a study from Brigham Young University in Utah, which tested the energy expenditure of electric bike users compared to traditional bikers, found the average heart rate of a test subject riding an e-bike was 93.6 percent of those riding conventional bikes. 

Looking at my Fitbit data, I can tell you that prior to getting my electric bike I was burning roughly 2,000kcal per day just pottering around the house and walking to the shops. Now it’s more like 3,800kcal. That’s entirely because of the electric bike motivating me to actually go out and exercise. 

Perhaps what's most interesting here is that when people are riding electric bicycles, they tend to feel like they’re putting in less effort. According to the aforementioned Brigham Young University study, even when putting in almost the same amount of effort as those on traditional bikes, the e-bike riders were less likely to feel as though they were getting a work-out. This is important because numerous studies have proved that we tend to exercise harder and more efficiently when our perceived exertion is lower. 

Giving people an excuse to get outside that feels easy and low effort is good for them in other ways too. “Resistance activity, such as cycling, is an excellent way of boosting bone density and building strength,” says Stian Lavik, chief business officer and director at senior-focused cycling firm Motitech. “These physical health benefits are in addition to an improved quality of life, boosted confidence, faster rehabilitation, and improved mental wellbeing and social connectedness. This is not surprising, numerous studies report that exercise can combat depression and result in a more positive mental outlook.”

In brief then, all an electric motor on a bicycle seems to do is lower the barrier of entry to the sport and encourage people to do more than they ordinarily would. Is it cheating? Not so much. 

Have you reaped the health benefits of riding an e-bike? Tell us in the comments section below
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