A Guide to commuting With E-Bikes
Recent studies have shown that e-bikes are the best way to commute between home and the office. Simulations of city commuting show that even those new to the e-biking experience will enjoy a commute that is faster and more pleasant than that enjoyed by simply pedaling. However, with an e-Bike you’ll still get that cardio workout that is essential to maintain your health.
For many people, the idea of cycling is joined at the hip with sweat and discomfort – and the fact that any journey is simply going to take that much longer than a commute with a pedal bike. But that appears not to be true. Researchers at Miami University in Ohio have put that idea to bed. They found that an average three-mile journey resulted in a journey of between 11 and 12 minutes versus 14 minutes for that pedal-only cycle. That same study showed that the riders of an e Bike (according to their heart rate) enjoyed moderate exercise, which has been proven to have long-term benefits.
The study was more thorough than that – it examined the fact that there was a pedal-assist mode – and that mode (at the top end of the scale) did not contribute to health was not as substantial as the pedal-only mode. However, it is worth noting that this is a U.S. study and that the top speed was set at 20mph and that it required a lot of torque pressure. Changing settings will provide a very different result. Lower settings can provide a much better cardio workout.
For those who are counting calories, the iZIP electric bike will not shine on the count. If you took the same route on a pedal cycle you are going to burn about 30% fewer calories on a three-mile ride. But on an e-bike like the iZIP you’ll still be burning around 344 to 422 of those calories when you take a three-mile ride. The takeaway is that you are till gong to be burning between 70% to 80% of the calories that you would be spending by simple cycling.
An expert in cycling, Dr Helen Alessio came to the conclusion that if electric bike users et their bikes to the lowest setting in they would enjoy significant health benefits.
The study that cites Dr Helen Alessio was published in the Translational Journal of the American College of Sports medicine and was based on 30 newcomers to the pastime of electric biking. They were assessed prior to eh research and had to provide their assessment of electric bikes. Some raised issues related to safety – but that changed after they had experienced the electric bikes in action.
The findings of the study reinforced European research that resulted in a simple conclusion -e-Bikes provide a similar workout to that supplied by pedal bikes. One study showed a 10% difference in physical exertion, while another showed a 95% similarity.
