At SDREAM we are fully aware that there are many health benefits of riding an electric bike. Some people may think that motor assistance makes riding an electric bike easy. But, it all depends on how you ride it. In this post, we look at the health benefits of riding an electric bike, and some of them may surprise you.
Electric Bikes Improve Cardiovascular Health
When you ride an electric bike, you still need to put effort into the pedals to make it work. But, how much effort you put in all depends on which level of assistance you require. You can take it easy with a higher assistance level, or you can get a workout with a lower one.
But the fact that you are physically moving means that your heart rate is elevated no matter which mode you select. Therefore, riding an electric bike regularly will improve your cardiovascular health. So, when you run errands or commute on an electric bike rather than in a car, you are improving your health each time you ride.
Brigham Young University in Utah carried out a study on cardiovascular health and electric bikes. They monitored some experienced mountain bikers riding a 7-mile route. They first completed the loop on traditional mountain bikes and then did it on electrically assisted mountain bikes.
When riding the electric mountain bikes, they reached 94% of the average heart rate they hit on regular mountain bikes. They completed the route more quickly too. So this goes to prove that even with pedal assist, you can still get a great electric cardiovascular workout on electric mountain bikes.
Riding Electric Bikes Improves Your Metabolism
One of the benefits of motor assistance is that you can go on longer rides. Longer bike rides benefit you by increasing your resting metabolism rate. The reason for this is that when you exercise with medium intensity, your body adapts its metabolism rate. People with a higher metabolism burn more calories.
Ebikes Enhance Sleep Quality
Any kind of exercise is good for stress relief. But riding an electric bike gets you outdoors and into nature. Fresh air combined with exercise is one of the best ways to alleviate stress and improve your mood. In turn, you will be able to sleep better, which is essential for a good quality of life. People who ride an electric bike are more likely to have a whole night's sleep than people who just use walking as their exercise.
Encourages More Cycling
Riding bikes is lots of fun, and the more you do it, the more benefits you will enjoy. However, riding for a long time can be tiring and not always possible for everyone to do. But with an electric bike, you can ride much further while feeling more capable of pushing your limits. For example, you can ride all day, take on more challenging terrain on an electric mountain bike, or even use an electric road bike to commute.
Commuting is more accessible on an electric bike, as you can arrive at work looking as fresh as when you left home. Choosing a high assistance level means you are not working hard, but you are still exercising. You can save the lower assistance levels for a workout on the way home.
Assisted Biking Reduces Knee Stress
Riding an electric bike is low impact exercise. You don't get relentless pounding in your knees as you do with running. Also, there are no big shocks to your body unless you hit big jumps on an electric mountain bike.
Reduce Your Expenses
Lots of health issues stem from the stress of having money issues. But, if you commute on an electric bike instead of by car or public transport, you can help the stress on your wallet.
Fuel costs are expensive in most countries, but you can commute for just a fraction of the price with an electric bike. When you combine this saving with car maintenance costs and insurance, cars start to look incredibly expensive when com[ared to electric bike ownership.
Mental Health Benefits of Riding Electric Bikes
We have already discussed how riding an electric bike is good for your mood and stress levels. But there are other ways an electric bike benefits our mental health.
As we get fitter and our performance improves, our self-esteem improves. The physical act of exercise also gives us a hit of endorphins, which makes us happy.
But, electric bikes are also great for our social life. Family and group rides are fun, and spending time with loved ones makes us feel good. The independence electric bikes give us, especially older people makes it easy to visit and meet up with people.
When our mental health is in good condition, we are happier, more productive and more creative.
Electric Bikes Are the Future of Transportation
Inner cities are struggling with poor air quality. Many cities and governments are making it more difficult to drive into the centre but making it easier for electric bikes. Cycle paths and improved infrastructure for electric bikes will see more of them on our city streets. In many cases, an electric road bike will be the favoured mode of urban transport.
To make your commute super convenient, you can ride a folding electric bike. These fold up to a very compact size, so transporting them in a car, taking them on to public transport is super easy. In addition to this, you can easily stash it under a desk or in a cupboard at work. The benefit of this is that you don't need to leave it outside for bike thieves.
Biking Also Builds Muscle
Even though the pedal assist of an electric bike can make riding easier, the act of pushing the pedals builds muscle. As you can ride for much longer on an electric bike, your ability to build leg muscles is enhanced. These longer rides also improve your endurance and stamina for other aspects of life.
It is not just your legs that get a workout when riding an electric bike. As you push on the pedals, you also use your core. Over time, your core strength will improve, which will make your cycling more efficient. When you build a strong core, you have a good platform to push the pedals from.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, riding an electric bike is definitely good for your health. By leading an active lifestyle, we can stave off many health issues that occur with age. They make us fitter and happier, which is very valuable to us.
If you want to enjoy these benefits for yourself, why not check out the SDREAM 750X or the SDREAM Ur?
