Is an e-Bike right for me?

Authored by Linda Wheeling, BSN RN MSN FNP

Considerations Before you Buy:

It is hard to overlook that many people have bought electronic bikes (e-Bikes) instead of traditional pedal bikes in the past year or more. Maybe you are trying to decide if an e-Bike would be the right choice. This article will compare electronic pedal-assist bikes to traditional bikes. It will not include those ‘bikes’ with a throttle, which qualifies them to function like a moped. So, let us compare e-Bikes with traditional bikes and help you decide which type is right for you.

The Pros of E-Bikes:

E-bikes only assist you electronically while you are pedaling. When an e-Bike is assisting you, you can feel the bike being gently propelled; way more than it would be if you were pedaling under your power. When you stop pedaling, the assistance also stops, and the bike typically coasts until you resume pedaling. The electronic assist feels like magic to the novice e-Bike rider. The advantages are as follows:

  • Tremendous health benefits since pedaling is easier, you are more likely to ride regularly

  • Excellent way for elder riders or those who are not so strong or able to get daily exercise

  • All styles available as e-Bikes: trikes, recumbents, road bikes, city bikes, mountain bikes, etc.

  • Riding is so much easier on windy days since you have electronic assist to push you

  • You can go further on an e-Bike than on a traditional bike because it takes less effort

  • You can climb hills and get out of multi-modal tunnel path exits quickly on an e-Bike

  • Soaring gas prices make e-Bike riding an economical & ecologically friendly thing to do

  • If you want to join the Sumter Landing Bike Club, you can keep up with the group and sprint!

  • If you run out of battery charge, you can still ride an e-Bike like a regular bike

  • E-bikes hold their value for future resale and trades

  • E-bikes require the same maintenance as traditional bikes

  • Regular exercise initiated by a new e-Bike will make your confidence and endorphins soar like you have not experienced since you were a kid

The Cons of E-Bikes:

  • E-bikes are heavier because the battery adds the extra weight (27.5 to 50 pounds total weight)

  • E-bikes usually cost more, but there are also plenty of expensive traditional bikes

  • The average battery range is 30-75 miles per charge, depending on your use and the model

  • More likely to be stolen because of popularity

Good Reasons to Stick with a Traditional Bike:

  • They usually weigh less than an e-bike

  • The only limitations for traditional bikes are the rider’s lung capacity and leg strength

  • Cost benefits, traditional bikes are usually cheaper than e-bikes

  • Sweating more from pedaling harder proves you are working, and that is a good thing!

Summary:

When you choose to either get out of the house for a new cycling adventure or stay indoors and with a sedentary lifestyle, decide to be an adventurer. The ‘perfect’ bike style exists for you, and there are no excuses for why you cannot get out and ride. Experience the sort of freedom that you had when you rode your bicycle everywhere in your childhood neighborhood. Riding in your older years still feels that way, so get onto a bicycle and grab some of that joy!

Sources:

1.      33 Main Pros & Cons of Electric Bikes, Environmental Conscience.com. April 15, 2021,
https://youtu.be/wUFtq45ymcM

2.      Clark, John, The Main Advantages and Disadvantages of Electric Bikes, Velospeed, October 8, 2020, https://www.velospeed.co.uk/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-electric-bikes/

3.      10 Things We Wish We’d Known About E-Bikes, Global Cycling Network, 2021,
https://youtu.be/S00r7WVbz5k

by Linda Wheeling, BSN RN MSN FNP

Linda Wheeling is a freelance Medical Journalist who has 39 years of experience as an RN and has practiced for fifteen years as a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner. She is a B-group rider out of Bradenton in the Sumter Landing Bike Club.