It seems a bit counter intuitive, but riding an ebike is as good exercise as riding a conventional bike! Yes, you may exert less power while riding, but a study in ScienceDirect and a follow-up Norwegian study show that ebike riders put on more miles, and thus end up getting as much physical activity, measured in Metabolic Equivalent Tasks (MET), as conventional bike riders. And here is an article from a dedicated biker who tracked his activity ebike activity vs. his analog bike, quite detailed and interesting
Highlights:
- Ebikers take longer trips by ebike and bicycle, compared to cyclists.
- Physical activity gains from active travel are similar in e-bikers and cyclists.
- Substituting all car trips with ebike use leads to a gain of 550 MET min/week.
- Transport mode substituted by the ebike is still used frequently afterwards.
I’m not sure what will actually happen, but I am certain that e-bikes are one of the steps towards a better, more humane transportation system.