Difference between e-bike and normal bike

[Mike Robinson]

I took my car for it's MOT this morning and put my old peddle bicycle in the back of the car to cycle the 5 miles home. The route had gentle gradients in all directions but it all averaged out in the end. I didn't really enjoy the ride and felt knackered and sweaty when I got back to my house. I decided I'd use my e-bike (an Ezee Liv) to pick the car up in the afternoon and worry about how to fit it in the car later.

It seemed to take 1/3 the time going back the same route and I actually enjoyed the ride this time. I seemed to average around 18 mph and arrived as fresh as a daisy (I do pedal as I go and just occasionally stop at lights etc).

I parked the bike in the MOT center and literally everyone (mechanics and customers) came over to ask about the bike while no-one even noticed my other bike. I'm pretty sure I could of sold two e-bikes there and then! Interestingly the Liv fitted into the car as easily as the normal bike (I'd assumed it was longer with the battery). I think I'll have to ask 50cycles to give me some business cards to hand out

Mike

P.S.

I also tried a bit of unplanned cross country at the weekend when the path I was following across a park turned to wet mud. Normally I'd of turned round but I was only wearing sandals and figured I'd fall in if I tried to turn. I carried on in a straight line for a distance of about 4 football pitches with both the rear tyre spinning from me peddling and the front spinning from the motor. It was quite an odd site to watch as mud was being flung up everywhere. Took a fair while to clean the bike afterwards.

 

[flecc]

Well done Mike, glad you're enjoying that Liv. There's no doubt about the way e-bikes spoil us, I don't think we get less fit, just that we get used to more performance and when legs can't do as well we try too hard and suffer.

My Twist did this to me when I first got it, and the faster eZee bikes just made normal riding fall even more short of expectations.

Thanks for the Liv information, I thought it looked quite a compact bike from it's photos.
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[Mike Robinson]

Fitness: I've had a normal bike in my garage for years and probably ride it once every 4 months. With the e-bike I ride it every day and as I pedal along with the motor I figure I get far more exercise from the e-bike than I did a normal bike.

Compactness: The Liv feels quite big but when compared to my old bicycle it seems to be the same size. It does weigh a lot more however.

Mike

 

[flecc]

Fitness: I've had a normal bike in my garage for years and probably ride it once every 4 months. With the e-bike I ride it every day and as I pedal along with the motor I figure I get far more exercise from the e-bike than I did a normal bike.

Mike

That's probably true for many people Mike. My situation was different in that almost all my utility journeys had been done by bike for the previous 12 years so cycling was an almost daily thing anyway. Some fitness loss with an e-bike was inevitable for me at first, but quickly adding a big trailer hauling large loads soon made me make a bigger contribution.
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[redalpha3]

Some fitness loss with an e-bike was inevitable for me at first, but quickly adding a big trailer hauling large loads soon made me make a bigger contribution.
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Interesting. I've never really thought of it like that! Depending on the base fitness level someone new to electric bikes could be being less active and see a drop in fitness and weight gain, etc. I suspect that there is a greater likelihood that people fall into the same category as Mike and increase fitness levels due to greater average weekly use.

I find the electric cycle/fitness discussion quite interesting generally. I am sure that an electric cycle makes you exercise for longer and increases distance travelled but would love to have a rough comparison chart which compared walking, cycling unaided, cycling powered, and driving. I'm sure that there are far too many variables (my old Land Rover without power steering would have needed its own category!! ) but a rough guide may well show the value of the e-bike.

 

[flecc]

I too think most fall into Mike's category. Another factor as well is hills, presence or absence. If someone's in a very hilly area, getting the help of an electric could very greatly increase their cycling, compared with the prospect of exhaustion previously. Someone in a generally flat area might not change their habits anything like as much, especially if they'd bought a slowish low powered electric making little change to journey experiences.

 

[danieldrough]

Fitness

Since I've had the Twist I'm going out more. I've checked to see how it compares with unassisted cycling using a heart rate monitor. Most of the time I'm still getting a useful cardio workout, at about 60% of max rate.

 

[nigel]

Nigel

with electric
i will take on most journeys without a second thought but with my normal bike if there are to many hills i loose intrest maybe the electric does make you a bit lazy but i am keeping mine NIGEL