By 2025 it’s expected that the electric bike market will reach $36,466 million US. 

With more and more people all over the world embracing these electronic bikes, the questions around this form of exercise have become louder. Many speculators conclude that using these electric cycles was ‘cheating’ and couldn’t be classified as a ‘real workout’. 

However, just one trip on an electric bike reveals that these assisted cycles are by no means an effortless way to travel. 

So how can an electric bike be such a great form of exercise? Follow along to discover 5 reasons why these fancy bicycles are just as effective for your health as hopping on a motorless petal bike. 

What Is an Electric Bike?

An electric bike, not to be confused with a motorbike, is essentially just a regular pedal bike with assistance. The motor on these cycles is activated by the user pedaling, so it won’t carry you along without any effort. 

You’ll have the option to add more assistance or deactivate the motor whenever you like. This is a handy feature for climbing steep inclines or taking your cycle a little further from home. 

With a battery-operated motor, you’ll simply plug your bike in for a charge when needed and enjoy the convenience of on-demand assistance whenever you need it. While the motor can take some of the load off, the rider still has to actively participate in the exercise to move the cycle. 

1. Increased Desire

One of the largest benefits to purchasing an electric bike is the increased desire to get outdoors and on the cycle. When consumers were asked about their lifestyle after switching to an electric bike, the riders revealed that they hit the road much more frequently with their new wheels. 

In fact, on average, users set out 5 times per week compared to just 3 times on their non-motorized cycles. 

While most of these riders didn’t necessarily go further on each ride than they previously would have, the increase in frequency led to a greater number of exercise minutes per week. All in all, even with slightly less calorie burn per session, the electric bike users were more active and averaged a higher exercise output overall. 

2. Cardiovascular Challenge

The criticism for these units comes from the belief that the motor is reducing the amount of work the rider has to do, raising the question “Is biking good cardio, or is walking more effective?”. As it turns out, in the walking vs biking debate, even an electric bike is more effective for burning higher amounts of calories in a shorter time frame.

This means that biking for weight loss is just as achievable on the assisted cycle. 

The cardiovascular and aerobic element of biking isn’t eliminated by the motor. Users did notice that they required less strength to get up steeper hills, but the amount of peddling they performed still raised their heart rate considerably. 

After monitoring a rider’s heart rate on both a regular cycle and an electric bike for the same distance and duration, there was only about a 10 beats-per-minute drop in the maximum heart rate reached. When you combine this with the more frequent trips, the cardiovascular challenge is no less impactful on an electric bike than a regular pedal option. 

3. Balance and Core

Riding a bicycle requires a specific amount of balance to stay on two wheels. This balance is maintained by using the core muscles for stability. Since an electric bike is a cycle with an added motor, the core stability of the two-wheeled vehicle is still recruited for the duration of your ride.

However, this isn’t the only benefit to hitting the road on your two-wheeled friend. The benefits of biking include:

• Increased muscle strength
• Higher endurance and cardiovascular health
• Improved flexibility
• More joint mobility
• Decreased stress
• Better posture and coordination
• Fat loss and weight loss
• Prevention of disease.

All of these benefits of biking carry over to the electric bike, making it a fantastic form of exercise for the body and the mind. 

4. Outdoor Activities

Using an electric bike for your outdoor sports can increase the distance you can travel and take you across new terrain without adding stress to the body. The motor takes away the edge of the challenge to encourage greater exploration and enhanced activities. 

For example, hunting with the use of an electric bike opens up the possibilities for a more successful trip. With three ways electric bikes help wildlife hunters find game, the benefits of using these trendy options in place of a regular cycle are undeniable. 

Go further, remain quieter, and enjoy the assistance these bikes provide for those labor-intensive rides.

5. Accessible Active Lifestyle

Finally, purchasing electric bikes for adults makes it easier and more exciting to embrace an active lifestyle. The convenience of these cycles makes it easier to choose to ride over driving to the grocery store. This is both better for your health and the environment. 

Riders found it more appealing to ride their electric bike to work or school and had an overall increase in their daily exercise by linking multiple short rides together through the course of the week. 

With the added assistance for extra weight, riders had no concerns about piling their groceries onto the bike and peddling away. Because you can adjust the amount of assistance, these sessions were more achievable and encouraged riders to take them on. 

On top of this, the worry of arriving at work sweaty and unprofessional-looking was eased and cyclists could embrace the healthier habits they had once put off. 

Get Exercising With an Electric Bike

Whether you are looking to start biking for weightloss or keen to adopt an environmentally-friendly lifestyle, purchasing an electric bike for adults is a great option. Raise your heart rate and build your core strength with this convenient and fun way to get around.

Want to know more about getting in your daily exercise and improving your health? See our other articles to discover tips and tricks for adopting a more active life and staying in tip-top shape.