Somewhere along the line, my life goals became focused on two things: to ride my bike fast and to be fit. And while I love racing track and speeding along trails as fast as I can go, I’ve also been considering adding an eBike to my family of bicycles.
An eBike is an electric bicycle. It’s a bicycle that has a small, battery-powered motor to assist you when riding. The typical eBike will give you extra power when you’re pedaling up to about 20 miles per hour. And everything else on the bike works like a typical bike - you can shift, you can brake, and you can coast downhill. Some people say riding an eBike will change your life! Let’s find out how.
An eBike will take you places! Pictured: The Biktrix Stunner X 6
1. eBikes can go where cars can’t – and where they can.
You can’t take a car on a bike path, but you can take an eBike there. You can ride an eBike on public roads, just like with a traditional car or bike. And you can ride through neighborhoods, bike paths, and just about anywhere. You can even bomb it downhill with a mountain hardcore eBike if you choose.
You can take your eBike to the grocery store and not have to worry about hauling the extra weight of your groceries back home – your eBike can handle it! Need to run a few errands? Get it done easily on your eBike without having to worry about finding a parking spot in a crowded area.
You can take an all terrain ebike almost anywhere a car can go – and a whole lot of places a car can’t go.
2. They’re better for the planet.
We’re all worried about taking care of our planet. And riding an eBike instead of driving a car can help us all do just that. eBikes are even more efficient than cars – they get more miles per pound of battery than a car, according to Calbike.org. They emit fewer greenhouse gases than cars, too. They take up less space, cut down on heavy traffic, and are far more affordable. And when they no longer work, there’s a lot less to dispose of than there is with a broken car.
All of this lends itself to a life that is a little bit easier – and a whole lot healthier – for our planet.
3. eBikes are very affordable.
I was astonished at just how affordable eBikes are. I’m used to spending thousands of dollars on a high-end bike (that I have to pedal with my own energy), so as you can imagine, I was really impressed that I could get a great eBike for a similar price.
Of course, you can spend a lot of money on an eBike if you want, but you don’t have to.
Charging your eBike with a designated ebike charger is pretty inexpensive, too! It’s just pennies per mile (if that) to charge your bike. So it’s definitely less expensive than gassing up your car or truck.
eBikes are inexpensive to charge and maintain compared to a car or truck.
4. eBikes are surprisingly fast!
Sure, I can sprint at 25 miles per hour or more. But it’s hard work, and I can’t sustain it for more than 30 seconds. An eBike, on the other hand, can really get you moving without much effort from you at all.
There are three different classes of eBikes. Class 1 eBikes only engage the motor if you are pedaling. But when you pedal, your eBike can take you to 20 mph- and sustain it – without a lot of hard effort from you. Class 2 and 3 eBikes can take you 28 mph, with or without pedal assist (depending on the bike). So you can easily sustain those sprint speeds for long periods of time without the suffering you’d feel on a typical road bike.
If you want to maintain a fast speed, an eBike might be the right way to go!
5. You can commute to work on your eBike (without getting all sweaty and hot).
If you have a short-ish commute, an eBike might be your bestie! You can save money on gas and parking by taking your eBike to work. Bonus, you won’t get all hot and sweaty like you would if you had to power your bike with your own two feet! So instead, let the eBike do the hard work while you easily pedal along. Twenty miles or less is a great distance to commute by eBike.
If your city or town has bike lanes, your commute will be even better because you won’t have the hassle of fighting traffic. Instead, you can breeze your way there!
You can even add pannier bags or a front rack & basket to many eBikes so that you can carry your briefcase, lunch, or laptop with you safely and easily from our ebike accessories shop.
6. You can go further than your legs might be able to carry you.
Even if you’re in good shape, there’s a limit to how far you can pedal. We all reach our ‘end point’ where we just can’t go any further because we’ve spent all our energy. Thankfully, an eBike can help!
You can go further with an eBike than you might be able to go without it. You’ll have that battery boost to save some of your energy for the ride home. You can pedal as much as you want – and use the pedal assist as little or as much as you want.
If you love to ride but aren’t good at hills, you can save your eBike power for those dreaded climbs. Or if you just want to keep up with some faster friends, you can do that, too!
The battery size, motor output, terrain, riding conditions, and rider weight all affect how far you can go on your eBike. But according to cyclingweekly.com, you should be able to go about 60 miles on a single charge.
If you need more, you can purchase extra batteries or larger ones, depending on your bike model. So you really don’t have to worry about how far you can ride!
Fat tires will get you over all kinds of terrain with your eBike.
7. You can still stay in shape with an eBike.
eBikes don’t have to do all the work. In fact, you can pedal as much as you want with your eBike. However, the motor and the battery pack do add a little bit of weight to the bike, so if you turn off the pedal assist, you’ll be sure to get in a good workout just by pedaling along!
You can even use your eBike to do interval workouts. First, turn off the assist for a hard effort. Then you can turn it back on for a recovery block. Just because it’s an eBike doesn’t mean you can’t work hard!
How you ride your eBike is up to you – you can use as little or as much as the assist as you want, which means you can still stay in shape no matter what type of bike you ride.
8. eBikes are much easier to use and maintain than a car.
If you drive a car, you’ll need to have the funds to purchase one. You also need to do a lot of regular maintenance, from oil changes to yearly inspections, brakes, tires, and registration. It all adds up fast! And, of course, you have to have a license to drive a car.
An eBike is much simpler. You don’t need a license for a class 1 eBike. They are much less expensive than a new car. Of course, you’ll need to do some maintenance, but bicycle brakes and tires are much less expensive to purchase and easier to maintain yourself if you choose.
9. eBikes are just fun to ride!
If you like riding different types of bikes in all different places – you’ll probably love an eBike. They’re just fun! You can go fast. You can go slow. You can go up hills, and back down. You can use as little or as much power as you want or need.
eBikes are just fun! You can take them almost anywhere for a fun, comfortable ride with whatever gear you need.
Final Thoughts on 9 Ways an eBike Will Change Your Life
There’s an eBike for pretty much everyone! Whether you want to go fast to keep up with your friends or just explore some local trails. There are customizable eBikes for commuters and grocery getters, as well as eBikes for mountain bikers, too.
But you won’t know how much an eBike will change your life until you try it. Are you ready?
Writing credit: Jason Luke
