Tips for using your electric bike to get and stay fit

One of the best parts of riding an e-bike is the freedom and activity it enables. Even with powered assist, it’s easy to get a good workout on an e-bike. Here are some tips that can help you maximize the effectiveness of your workout time, while also keeping it casual and fun. 
 
Ride often. Have fun. 
 
When it comes to getting and staying fit, one of the best things you can do is simply to get out and have fun riding your electric bike. You’ll quickly start to see fitness gains if you can get in rides of at least 30 minutes, 3-5 times each week. After a month or two, you may find you want to increase the length of at least some of your rides. 
 
Explore. 
 
One of the coolest things about e-bikes is how easy they make it to get out and explore, whether it’s close to home, at a local park, or in an entirely new place. When you make the ride more about the adventure, the workout happens more easily, often without you even thinking about it. If you need inspiration for places you can ride, check out the Ride with GPS and Strava apps. Both can give insight into popular local cycling routes for you to explore.  

Power down. 
 
One of the best ways to get a better workout on your electric bike is to reduce the assist level you’re using on rides. If your e-bike has a throttle, try to limit how often you use it. Instead, use the pedal assist at a low level to help power you along on rides. As a bonus, using lower assist levels will enable you to ride more miles on each charge of your battery. That’s a win-win situation for sure! 
 
The bottom line: electric bikes are a great workout. 
 
While on the surface it may be easy to think riding an e-bike is markedly easier than riding a traditional bicycle, the reality is that e-bike riders tend to work nearly as hard. In fact, a recent study comparing the physical exertion of traditional mountain bike riders and electric mountain bike (eMTB) riders found that the average heart rate during eMTB use was 94 percent of the average heart rate for riders of conventional mountain bikes.  
 
That means that despite the powered assist of the e-bike, the rider was working almost as hard… and likely having more fun! 

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