The Electric Powered Bike is starting to become more and more popular, but you may wonder if using an electric bike is really a sport... In this article, I explain why it's not just for the lazy and all the benefits it could have for you.
It's a Tour de France rider who got lost and didn't manage to follow the peloton until the finish of the day's stage: this option is only possible in July and given the number of cars in the Tour Caravan, you still have to go there to get lost... unlikely option, therefore.
He's a former cyclist convinced of doping who had to stop his career momentarily, and who therefore takes advantage of this to shoot EPO in order to have fun overtaking honest people on the roads. An unlikely option, since it seems that there is no doping in cycling.
This cyclist who passes you, he has a little box on his bike frame, and it's not a super new generation refrigerated bottle cage... no, this little box is an electric assistance... aka an ELECTRIC BICYCLE!
If you have followed everything, I prefer the last option to understand this phenomenon that appears more and more on our bike paths. And even if it has the gift to annoy the "real" cyclists, the electric bike is not just a lazy sport, and I'll explain why.
Using a bike to get around is a great idea for short trips (between 3 and 5 km) but motivation is harder to find when it comes to riding about 10 km. Using an electric bike will allow you to trade your car or public transit for a two-wheeler.
Another important advantage of an electric bike is that it allows you to ride up hills without crying or sweating when you see them in the distance. In fact, when you live in a hilly city or in a rural area with a difference in altitude, electric assistance can be a great help. Above all, it will allow you to avoid the excuse of "I'm going to have aches and pains for three days if I go by bike"...
You may also find it a more social interest, for example having the opportunity to ride with friends or colleagues who are more used to cycling than you are, and therefore ride faster. Riding in a group is an important motivating factor, and it's better to be physically active, even with electric assistance, than spending your Sunday on the couch watching Belle and Sebastian on Netflix.
Finally, when you're not very sporty or an elderly person, not used to producing a lot of physical effort, the electric bike is a very good alternative to the classic bike to get around without producing too much effort. Having an electric bike will allow you to trade your car for your two-wheeler for your daily trips on a more regular basis. Not only will your carbon footprint decrease, but your body will thank you for the activity.
The answer is simple: yes, the electric bike remains a sport, despite its differences from the "classic" bike.
What you have to understand is that the electric motor of a bike is only an assistance: it is only activated when a certain pedaling intensity is reached. It is therefore the muscular effort that allows the motor to turn, and it switches off at a certain speed.
Cycling on an Electric Powered Bike may be less demanding than on a conventional bike, but it is still a sporting activity since it cannot function without operating the pedals.
As we have seen, the Electric Bike has definite advantages for your travel, depending on the distance you have to travel, the difference in altitude you encounter every day, and your level of physical activity.
As for the classic bike, depending on your level, it is preferable to use it on shorter routes or during specific training sessions. Cycling outings can be integrated as part of a triathlon preparation if it is one of your objectives in 2019: this event is not reserved for pros only, very short formats exist.
To sum up: the Bike with Electric Assistance is not reserved for the lazy, far from it! It can allow you to resume a physical activity smoothly or to swap your car more often without being discouraged by the distance or the difference in altitude. In addition to being a good way to do good for our planet, your body will thank you greatly.
Although still quite expensive to buy, the savings can be quite quick if you leave your car in the garage regularly enough or cancel your transit pass against this mode of travel. Finally, you can find out about local or national grants to help finance the purchase of an EAB.