Daily Mail and Electric Bikes

[daveboy]

This story in the Daily Mail this week.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6001373/Riding-electric-bicycle-just-healthy-pedalling-normal-bike-researchers-say.html

 

[Jonah]

This story in the Daily Mail this week.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6001373/Riding-electric-bicycle-just-healthy-pedalling-normal-bike-researchers-say.html

Curious, no mention of immigrants, benefit cheats or brexit! Mind you, you can’t trust the Swiss!

 

[Plodder Bob]

Interesting and also fun to read some of the comments at the bottom of the article . It keeps me fitter for sure and keeps the mileage down on my car

 

[flecc]

The comments were far from favourable overall, the usual anti e-bike views apparent.

In my case, switching from unpowered cycling into e-biking in later years led to me losing my cycling fitness, but of course impossible to say how much of that was due to the assistance and how much due to increasing age.

Of course these researchers used untrained volunteers, so just getting them off the sofa and outdoors balancing a bike will have improved their fitness!
.

 

[Fat Rat]

What an ignorant bunch of comments at the bottom
Likely from people who have never even peddled an ebike as you can tell from the couch potato comments and motorbike comments
My hear rate never rises on a 2000ft climb or even my 10mile comute with 20% gradient hills each end
And of course whem im sat on my sofa my heart rate is always resting at an average of 154bpm and peaking at 175 odd or is that riding the bike i forget
Ignorance is a vicious mistress

 

[flecc]

And of course whem im sat on my sofa my heart rate is always resting at an average of 154bpm and peaking at 175 odd or is that riding the bike i forget

That's when riding. If it was when sitting on the sofa I'd be very concerned for you!

When still fully cycling fit and riding unpowered in my mid sixties, after a climb to the top of the North Downs I'd reach 150 bpm peak, quickly dropping when stopped to my usual slow 48 bpm at that time.

I've always had a slow heart rate, even now in my eighties the resting rate is typically in the low 50s. I can't help feeling that matters for a long life span, in the animal world the faster the heart rate, the shorter the life span. The common shrew for example with a heart rate of about 500 bpm has a 14 month life span. Mice 320 plus bpm for circa 3 years. Tortoises with 6 to 20 bpm can live for a couple of hundred years. Crocodiles which can reduce their heart rate to 2 or 3 bpm can live for several hundreds of years.
.

 

[anotherkiwi]

What an ignorant bunch of comments at the bottom
Likely from people who have never even peddled an ebike as you can tell from the couch potato comments and motorbike comments
My hear rate never rises on a 2000ft climb or even my 10mile comute with 20% gradient hills each end
And of course whem im sat on my sofa my heart rate is always resting at an average of 154bpm and peaking at 175 odd or is that riding the bike i forget
Ignorance is a vicious mistress

I told you wanting a throttle would come back and bite you UK guys one day!

We need to grab a few of those "motorbike" people, put them on a normal pedelec and say "£10 if you can climb that slope without pedaling, remember it's a motorbike"...

I haven't read the article but I am guessing that it is based on the research report that came out recently saying that a pedelec wasn't going to help people lose weight. Well of course it won't if you live in a flat country and you ride around on maximum assistance all the time, that will burn as many calories as walking slowly. You will get to your destination much faster than walking though and probably faster than in a car in most European cities.

On the other hand if you pedal hard and use assistance levels appropriately you will lose weight and get fit. Even to the stage where you can ride a non assisted bike up steep hills again! At 63!

 

[Fat Rat]

That's when riding. If it was when sitting on the sofa I'd be very concerned for you!

When still fully cycling fit and riding unpowered in my mid sixties, after a climb to the top of the North Downs I'd reach 150 bpm peak, quickly dropping when stopped to my usual slow 48 bpm at that time.

I've always had a slow heart rate, even now in my eighties the resting rate is typically in the low 50s. I can't help feeling that matters for a long life span, in the animal world the faster the heart rate, the shorter the life span. The common shrew for example with a heart rate of about 500 bpm has a 14 month life span. Mice 320 plus bpm for circa 3 years. Tortoises with 6 to 20 bpm can live for a couple of hundred years. Crocodiles which can reduce their heart rate to 2 or 3 bpm can live for several hundreds of years.
.

Yeah definitely not on the sofa lol
That was my sorry attempt at sarcasm aimed toward the trash in the link
Funny enough i still do a lot of riding unassisted as well and my heart rate is the same give or take
It does average out around 155 with the odd peak according to my garmin as accurate as that maybe
My resting heart rate is around 60bpm sometimes a little less i have asthma not so much as an adult more as a child but they say it will come back with age
What i will say thou is personally i didnt buy a pedelec for easy riding i bought it to do more riding in less time and i always push for max speed up any hill no matter what
Climbing trails faster is fun too

 

[flecc]

What i will say thou is personally i didnt buy a pedelec for easy riding i bought it to do more riding in less time and i always push for max speed up any hill no matter what

A bit different for me, since I first bought one to help climbing hills when towing big trailer loads.

Fast fun came later with a second bike that had no 15 mph cutoff, but I eventually settled for being happy with the legal assist speed.
.

 

[Muddy]

Some of the comments were funny as they’re so ridiculous
Good to see good mental well been taken into account as well as improved fitness, that for me is one of the biggest positive factors. I feel fantastic riding through a forest or park, it must stimulate endorphins or something technical.
I just know I feel much better for the experience

 

[chris_n]

I actually normally ride at a higher heart rate on the ebike, knowing I can just turn the assist up and cruise up my final 17% climb home if I need to.

 

[oyster]

I can't help feeling that matters for a long life span,

That's worrying.

My heart rate has always been bizarre. From about 48 to 165 - occasionally higher. Sometimes when sitting calmly on the sofa. I know when it is wrong (much too high) because I feel nauseous. But I can go weeks or months without such issues.

Even so, I find that the rate is often not where I would expect it to be by considering exercise. When I have just made it up a steep hill (by my standards) it can be just about 70. Coasting happily and it could be 60 or 90.

 

[flecc]

That's worrying.

My heart rate has always been bizarre. From about 48 to 165 - occasionally higher. Sometimes when sitting calmly on the sofa. I know when it is wrong (much too high) because I feel nauseous. But I can go weeks or months without such issues.

Even so, I find that the rate is often not where I would expect it to be by considering exercise. When I have just made it up a steep hill (by my standards) it can be just about 70. Coasting happily and it could be 60 or 90.

I know that this is quite common, many have very variable heart rates. I wouldn't worry about it in the context of what I posted though, I meant for an extended lifespan above the norm, such as the centenarians.

If I'm right I could still could posting here in 18 years time!

I wonder if the Brexit thread will still be running then.
.

 

[oyster]

I know that this is quite common, many have very variable heart rates. I wouldn't worry about it in the context of what I posted though, I meant for an extended lifespan above the norm, such as the centenarians.

If I'm right I could still could posting here in 18 years time!

I wonder if the Brexit thread will still be running then.
.

Honestly not in the least concerned by your post! (And already well aware of the animal numbers.) But the idea of riding to any particular heart rate - or even just "high" or "low" - is a bit of a joke for me.

 

[Marc Draco]

The BHF has a chart for various resting and active heart rates I believe - but age and genes play a large factor.