Getting fitter and buying the right bike

[RobF]

There's a hill which defeated me when I first got the Brompton Nano about six months ago.

I could manage about 50 yards and would then come to a dead stop.

Tried the same hill at the weekend and got all the way up in reasonable order, in second gear.

Tremendous - I am fitter and, perhaps as important, lighter.

Good for me, but I think there's also a lesson for new bike buyers.

You might think you want the extra power of a bigger motor or S-pedelec - I did.

But the chances are after a few months your extra power will make a legal bike the right choice.

 

[andy slow coach]

Exactly the reason I want an ebike. If I want to go faster I can use my motorbike, but that's not going to get me any fitter.
Same reason for looking to bikes without a throttle, I know I would get lazy and use it! more and more until I don't bother pedalling at all then I'd be back to square one.

 

[jerrysimon]

This has kinda been my approach to ebikes though I have to say the spring/summer gives you a false sense of ability and I begin to think hey I don't need my motor. When the autumn/winter kicks in, I find I am more than thankful to have my motor assistance to help out in cold, windy & rainy commutes.

Without it I suspect I would not continue to commute day in day out on my bike.

Throttle wise I am torn in that I like it to help start off faster than a pedelec only. Once up to speed then assistance can be switched off. Having said that, if you really are looking for minimal assistance then pedelec (with a two/three switch power level) is probably the way to go.

Jerry

 

[jackhandy]

I've just been persuaded that my local Sustrans needs my voluntary help with trail upkeep, so I've been out with a small (very small) group today; one of whom is 68 (I'm 63) & rides 3 or 4 days a week unassisted: He was mildly disparaging, in a friendly sort of way, of my needing a motor....
We set out, up a nasty hill & I was surprised to find that he ended up struggling on the granny ring, whereas I was using very little effort & had to be very sparing on the throttle to stay behind him (for which he thanked me for not making him look bad)!
We poodled along, stopping to clear brambles & repaint waymarks then, when I'd sailed up the next short sharp nip & was waiting for him at the summit, he casually asked how much a bike like mine would cost - Result!

Back at the ranch, we got to shooting the breeze over lunch & he told me how much weight he'd lost since resuming biking 2 years ago & was dubious at my claim that I burn roughly 50 calories/mile on the ebike.
I have a cheapo Crane heartrate monitor, setup for a 63-year-old codger, weighing 90 kilos at 5'8" short & a favourite ride of mine, 36 miles & hilly, burns 1500-ish calories.

I've no idea how accurate that is, but goes to show that spinning along at 60-70 cadence with assistance on the ups, gives a useful workout.

 

[103Alex1]

You definitely burn calories on an eBike. Lots if you exceed 16mph on the flat and also loads even with assist up hills if you keep up any speed.

I was trying to gain a few kilos a couple of months back. Got a very fast metabolism and long rides on crank drive were simply eating all the extra calories as fast as I took them in (3200/day at that stage). I blame the blooming hills and cycling too fast probably ! Spoke to a PT who does triathlons and is built a bit like me - was told to stop cycling more than 25-40 minutes a day even on an eBike. After I cut the biking right down I slowly started to put weight on with the help of structured weights. My cycling stamina took a nosedive though ..

I've got absolutely no doubt you can get a very good workout on an eBike, if you don't just ride on a throttle.

 

[SRS]

You definitely burn calories on an eBike. Lots if you exceed 16mph on the flat and also loads even with assist up hills if you keep up any speed.

I was trying to gain a few kilos a couple of months back. Got a very fast metabolism and long rides on crank drive were simply eating all the extra calories as fast as I took them in (3200/day at that stage). I blame the blooming hills and cycling too fast probably ! Spoke to a PT who does triathlons and is built a bit like me - was told to stop cycling more than 25-40 minutes a day even on an eBike. After I cut the biking right down I slowly started to put weight on with the help of structured weights. My cycling stamina took a nosedive though ..

I've got absolutely no doubt you can get a very good workout on an eBike, if you don't just ride on a throttle.

Alex, most interesting.

I am commuting 25mile return trip 5 or 6 days a week on bosch pedelec.

My brain seems to think that each trip should be a training and not leisure ride. I am finding that I need around 1000 calories per day extra in order to keep my weight from dropping.

Wish I could potter to work but hacking it seems somewhat addictive.

I am 6'3" and 13 stone so don't need to lose weight.

So for those people who say, e-bikes are for lazy people who cannot muster up the energy to pedal, I say try one before you comment.

 

[andy slow coach]

Ok, so today was my first day back on my bike for a long while. Rode from home to work, 11.1 miles / took just under 58 mins thats about 11.5 av speed, 5 years ago I could do it in 45 min about 14.8 av speed. According to my sat nav it included 584ft total ascent and 458ft total descent and a max speed of 32.6 mph.
So what do you guys average over that sort of distance? I think what I'm asking is, is an e-bike going to to be of any help to me.
I'd like to get that commute down to 40 mins and therefore an average speed of around 16.5 mph.
I have a bike in mind Bosch, pedelec. Am I right in thinking an e-bike will help me maintain 15.5 on the flat and give me some extra oomph uphills(I'm very slow on the hills and always get left behind by my mates hence my name)?
Any advice gratefully received.

 

[jackhandy]

Average average? About 12 mph, but then, I try to keep my heartrate between 100 & 140 bpm:

I don't have any objection to dying on a bike, but preferably not for 25 years or so

 

[SRS]

Ok, so today was my first day back on my bike for a long while. Rode from home to work, 11.1 miles / took just under 58 mins thats about 11.5 av speed, 5 years ago I could do it in 45 min about 14.8 av speed. According to my sat nav it included 584ft total ascent and 458ft total descent and a max speed of 32.6 mph.
So what do you guys average over that sort of distance? I think what I'm asking is, is an e-bike going to to be of any help to me.
I'd like to get that commute down to 40 mins and therefore an average speed of around 16.5 mph.
I have a bike in mind Bosch, pedelec. Am I right in thinking an e-bike will help me maintain 15.5 on the flat and give me some extra oomph uphills(I'm very slow on the hills and always get left behind by my mates hence my name)?
Any advice gratefully received.

12 miles, pretty much flat but can be very windy. 5 minutes to negotiate some locks.
3 miles of shared pathways at slower pace, 10-15 mph.
Typical time, 40-45 min. I do however pedal fairly hard most of the way.

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

We have had customers who have lost weight. Also A to B have some interesting research that an electric bike is healthier than a conventional bike because those that have them use them more frequently. Personally I love test riding electric bikes, am in the younger bracket as well (30)

 

[OldBob1]

Even my folder hums along at 10 -15 MPH, I like to use the throttle now and again to start off or slowly cycle around an obsticale, when riding along I find I would rather pedal now until the right leg gets cramp ( Which I find does not happen as often, which must be a good point) and I can use the backupif need be (Throttle).
Go for a throttle Andy, you don't have to use it, but it nice to know you have it after a bad day!!!

 

[dmcgoldrick]

Ok, so today was my first day back on my bike for a long while. Rode from home to work, 11.1 miles / took just under 58 mins thats about 11.5 av speed, 5 years ago I could do it in 45 min about 14.8 av speed. According to my sat nav it included 584ft total ascent and 458ft total descent and a max speed of 32.6 mph.
So what do you guys average over that sort of distance? I think what I'm asking is, is an e-bike going to to be of any help to me.
I'd like to get that commute down to 40 mins and therefore an average speed of around 16.5 mph.
I have a bike in mind Bosch, pedelec. Am I right in thinking an e-bike will help me maintain 15.5 on the flat and give me some extra oomph uphills(I'm very slow on the hills and always get left behind by my mates hence my name)?
Any advice gratefully received.

will an ebike help you on this journey??.....well it depends ..........
some ebikes ride well when above assist level of approx 15mph....others become very difficult to pedal when the power cuts out......
you will be quicker on the uphill with an ebike.....depends on how steep the hills are or if its just a long gradual slope.....

i would expect that to achieve the average you are looking for of 16.5 mph, then a good deal of the journey will need to be at 20mph or more to compensate for the slower speed on the inclines......

therefore you need an ebike that is easy to ride without assist for the faster part of the journey and will give good speed on the inclines of your journey........i am only considering 'legal' bikes with this reply....there are 'illegal' higher powered kits and ebikes available which make my reply irrelevant if you choose that option.

if you give some idea of your budget , i am sure there will be lots of suggestions as to which actual bike may best suit you........i actually prefer ebikes which give some assist but handle as normal bikes rather than the bikes which are claimed to do all the work for you, but ride like walking through treacle without assist or over the cut out speed.....

go and try some.....you will not be disappointed..........

regards

 

[dmcgoldrick]

We have had customers who have lost weight. Also A to B have some interesting research that an electric bike is healthier than a conventional bike because those that have them use them more frequently. Personally I love test riding electric bikes, am in the younger bracket as well (30)

looks like you are in the 'junior' section at such a tender age !!!!!! most of us old enough to be your dad, or in some cases your grandad........
regards

 

[Scimitar]

Exactly the reason I want an ebike. If I want to go faster I can use my motorbike, but that's not going to get me any fitter.
Same reason for looking to bikes without a throttle, I know I would get lazy and use it! more and more until I don't bother pedalling at all then I'd be back to square one.

That objection to throttle just isn't true - at least, for me. I have a throttle only, but still pedal madly, even at top speed, as it seems natural to do so.

 

[RobF]

Ok, so today was my first day back on my bike for a long while. Rode from home to work, 11.1 miles / took just under 58 mins thats about 11.5 av speed, 5 years ago I could do it in 45 min about 14.8 av speed. According to my sat nav it included 584ft total ascent and 458ft total descent and a max speed of 32.6 mph.
So what do you guys average over that sort of distance? I think what I'm asking is, is an e-bike going to to be of any help to me.
I'd like to get that commute down to 40 mins and therefore an average speed of around 16.5 mph.
I have a bike in mind Bosch, pedelec. Am I right in thinking an e-bike will help me maintain 15.5 on the flat and give me some extra oomph uphills(I'm very slow on the hills and always get left behind by my mates hence my name)?
Any advice gratefully received.

An ebike will certainly help on hills, which should improve your journey time.

It will also help you maintain at least 15.5mph on the flat.

Some motors assist to an mph or two higher than that, and a Bosch could be a good choice because from my limited testing they are among the easiest to pedal faster than the motor.

Easier still if you get one with narrowish tyres and run a fairly high pressure.

Ebikes are also good into a headwind, so one should give you more consistent journey times, whatever the weather.

 

[jerrysimon]

Ebikes are also good into a headwind, so one should give you more consistent journey times, whatever the weather.

This is one of the most beneficial things to me given that I live in Cambridge and there are not many/no hills!

Battling head winds, is the biggest complaint I hear from my conventional cycling friends.

Jerry

 

[jackhandy]

This is one of the most beneficial things to me given that I live in Cambridge and there are not many/no hills!

Battling head winds, is the biggest complaint I hear from my conventional cycling friends.

Jerry

It's certainly the most demoralising, Jerry:

Riding home from a 'scursion along the Camel Trail means climbing steadily for about 5 miles, to 600':
When reaching Mount Pleasant, thinking to ease off for a couple of miles, ready for the last blast up Roche Hill, the prevailing so'wester can make an old man cry

 

[andy slow coach]

Many thanks for all your comments.

 

[amigafan2003]

I'm still on a fast bike - I've just found as I'm getting fitter I'm just going quicker but using less battery

Like a previous poster, my brain always goes into "bat out of hell" mode when getting on the bike - all my good intentions of cycling to work in my work gear and sitting straight down at my desk with nary a drop of sweat have not materialised - I dress up like a cyclist - excepting I still wear jeans but with undershorts. I still get to work out of breath and with a bit of a sweat on. The difference is I do the ride in 25 mins (record is 22 mins), whereas a similar exertion level on a normal bike would be 45 mins - those 40 mins a day I get back are priceless to me - more time with the family, more time to spend on hobbies etc - the way I look at it is I get paid £25 per hour so those 40 mins are worth £16 per day.

If anything, as I'm riding the bike more and more, I'm hankering after a more powerful motor and even more speed - I'm just a spead freak at the end of the day - always have been, always will be! You just have to look at my cars for an illustration of that point!

I should get a Zero one of these days, but then I'd be denied the beautiful 7mile traffic free promenade that forms 80% of my commute :-(

 

[Spinalot]

Great OP
I decided on a crank motor without a throttle for the precise reason I do not want to be "pulled along" I want to cycle using my own power as well. I want to get fit and enjoy actually cycling. I understand others want throttles and be able to get a tow without using effort. For some they have legitimate reasons for doing so and that is fine.
My personal hope, long term, is that I get fitter and my back gains some strength and I can get rid of the eBike and go back to a traditional designed bike but without the assist.