Are electric bikes better than bikes?

OLD guy here. Really old (84).

Riding my bicycle was getting harder and harder on my metal knees and hips/

Bought an E bike for exercise - easier up the hills and into the wind for me. Ride with least assist and get max exercise, Hope to be able to take my 9.5 mile daily ride for another 5 Years.

YMMV.
 
When I used to commute by regular bike and also grocery runs, and recreational riding in my town, I knew the best routes to avoid steep hills, so I wouldn't get burned out. Now with the ebike that's a thing of the past. Now I explore more places, and hills don't bother me. The ebike (for me) is a game changer.
 
Barry1909 said:
The difference between an E-bike and a regular bike is that I will ride my E-bike while the regular bike sits in the garage. I bought an E-bike in 2020 when all the Covid shut-downs started and have ridden almost every evening since. I am 75.
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I've got two 10-speeds sitting around and 2-Emopeds and 1-Scooter that I ride while the bicycles sit around. :)
 
I see a new group of older individuals who were too old to ride a traditional bike because of age, aches and pains, being able to enjoy the outdoors and adventure on an ebike. I think it's great and I see more and more of it, it's a good thing. I also see a whole group of new people with ebike's who don't like regular bikes now riding and enjoying. Myself I'm 66 and have been riding since I was a little lad, and I never forgot about my bikes. Even when life gets in the way sometimes and I took a brief absence, I returned to it with a passion of a kid with his first bike. I bought my first ebike a few months ago and I'm having a blast, my regular bike sits in the garage now. I'll never get rid of it, it just see way less use.
 
When I mention I have an e-bike to some of my acquaintances or friends, they always say they don't want one because you can't get enough exercise like a regular bike. I tell them they are wrong, you can get just as much exercise on an e-bike(probably more, then you can with a non-e-bike. Turn the motor off and see what kind of exercise you can get! Or even on the lowest power assist settings you can get plenty of exercise. When asked which is better, there's pros and cons to both of them.
 
Hakaman99 said:
When I mention I have an e-bike to some of my acquaintances or friends, they always say they don't want one because you can't get enough exercise like a regular bike. I tell them they are wrong, you can get just as much exercise on an e-bike(probably more, then you can with a non-e-bike. Turn the motor off and see what kind of exercise you can get! Or even on the lowest power assist settings you can get plenty of exercise. When asked which is better, there's pros and cons to both of them.
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Tell your friends what you just said, try riding a Ebike with the motor off and I'll guarantee that they will get a bigger workout! I've rode my
Emoped pulling a trailer and a person will get a Big Workout. A Ebike is a heck of a lot heavier than a multi-speed bicycle! When a Person
gets tired pedaling a Ebike He/She can always power the motor up for a rest without stopping to rest plus can go further with the PAS.
The pros out weigh the cons when comparing Ebikes to regular bicycles.
 
ezl said:
Tell your friends what you just said, try riding a Ebike with the motor off and I'll guarantee that they will get a bigger workout! I've rode my
Emoped pulling a trailer and a person will get a Big Workout. A Ebike is a heck of a lot heavier than a multi-speed bicycle! When a Person
gets tired pedaling a Ebike He/She can always power the motor up for a rest without stopping to rest plus can go further with the PAS.
The pros out weigh the cons when comparing Ebikes to regular bicycles.
Click to expand...
That's pretty much what I tell them, and that is the predominant understanding of e-bikes by those who don't own one, is they are not much exercise. I tell him you can get more exercise than a regular bike.
 
better? who cares? I am old, fat, lazy and damaged and if it weren't for ebikes I would not get any exercise at all. years of dirt biking have destroyed my ankles and knees so it hurts to walk and jogging is out of the question. I have recently had prostate surgery and normal bicycle seats are like a mideviel torture device. I have motorcycles and quads but they offer no exercise except for my dog, that's how I walk him. I have a fat tire step through for the canal path behind my house. the bike is 97 lbs so I use pas 1 and ride until I am tired then I turn around and pas 4 or 5 or just throttle home. I've replaced the seat with the widest and shortest I could find, this allows me to sit on my butt rather than straddling a seat and gives extra room to step through and I have handlebar risers for better posture when riding. I have a mountain bike and every few years I pump up the tires on it but I do not ride it. sooo, are ebikes better? no! a traditional bicycle offers more exercise options. an ebike will probably never win a downhill race unless it is only ebikes. an ebike is not allowed in road races(shame on lance Armstrong). ebikes are getting more and more restrictive laws and children are getting hurt and people are making a nuisance of themselves hopping up the non pedal ebikes and being irresponsible in traffic. I own several electric motorcycles so I know how fast these things can go. however some of us have given up on bicycling for our own reasons and an ebike can get us out and moving around. just moving my legs makes me feel that I may not lose them to diabetes, which I do not have yet but will surely get if I remain stationary not to mention the healthful benefits from being outside and meeting and talking to other people. my life has gotten better because of ebikes and my life may have gotten longer thanks to ebikes so while not actually better they are sometimes the better choice.
 
Great breakdown! I'd just add that while e-bikes share a lot with regular bikes, the real difference is in how much they expand access and possibilities—like helping riders go farther, tackle hills, or commute without sweating buckets. That said, they also come with more responsibility—batteries, speed, and legal rules mean riders need to stay informed.
 
Chiligirl said:
Great breakdown! I'd just add that while e-bikes share a lot with regular bikes, the real difference is in how much they expand access and possibilities—like helping riders go farther, tackle hills, or commute without sweating buckets. That said, they also come with more responsibility—batteries, speed, and legal rules mean riders need to stay informed.
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I was on a rail trail the other day and I was reading a particular sign dedicated to users rules and etiquette. This particular Trail occasionally had horses/riders on it, so that comes into play. Bikers have to give precedence to not only walkers, but also to those riding horses. About the only thing bikers have the right of way over our automobiles, but they are never on the paths I ride on.
 
Chiligirl said:
Great breakdown! I'd just add that while e-bikes share a lot with regular bikes, the real difference is in how much they expand access and possibilities—like helping riders go farther, tackle hills, or commute without sweating buckets. That said, they also come with more responsibility—batteries, speed, and legal rules mean riders need to stay informed.
Click to expand...
The plus, there's no AC it's Natures AC! :)
 
I always liked bicycles, and got back into it maybe a decade before retirement... Last year every ride got more painful. This Spring got diagnosed with a deteriorated hip and got total hip replacement. While recuperating - studied up and bought a Lectric XPress 500 w cruiser and love it.
The big plus is pedal assist when I need it.
 
Hoggdoc said it so well - as I am new to e-bikes and in bad physical condition, e-bikes have been a godsend for me - long gone are the days I dominated bike trails in Wharton lol

It is so impt to do your research, ask questions, and learn the good and bad from other riders. Fortunately these days we have things like forums and YouTube which was non existent in my early years
 

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