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Comment by relyks | Hacker News Reader

Actually, studies (e.g. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259019821...) have shown that people who use e-bikes (pedal assist not throttle) tend to be more physically fit and active than ones who just use regular bikes.

I have an e-bike and it’s enabled me to cycle on steep inclined and hilly roads that I would be unable to do otherwise. Having an e-bike encourages you to cycle a lot more than you typically would imo. I use it as my primary form of transportation.

I’m just surprised that people continue to use old bikes when the newer technology around them has continued to improve.

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The quoted study does not mention fitness. It does find (1) physical activity level increases of e-bike vs bike riders is similar. (2) e-bike riders ride farther than conventional bike riders.

From the linked study: > E-bikers take longer trips by e-bike and bicycle, compared to cyclists.

> Physical activity gains from active travel are similar in e-bikers and cyclists.

The second point is non-obvious IMO and interesting.

The first point makes sense though IMO. AFAIK the majority of pedal bike trips are short ranges. A subset of bike riders travel larger distances. This averages out to be relatively short distances. An e-bike I believe is not attractive for a short distance (why pay the cost when a cheaper pedal bike that you will ride for 10 minutes would do just as well and for a fraction of cost?). I think it makes sense that e-bikes then push that distance-travel average up over conventional bikes.

Sure, there's "studies" but there's also physics.

My main use of a bike is X miles per day to work and back. Shopping trips and some weekend activities add miles, but the baseline is commuting. I'm not particularly athletic. I have some friends who commute on e-bikes, and I'm fully supportive. It's all good.

Switching to an e-bike won't add hours or miles to my baseline. I mention this anecdote only to illustrate that the effect of an e-bike depends heavily on circumstances.

I think a better generalization might be that an e-bike combined with a lifestyle change can result in better fitness. This is where I see the great benefit of e-bikes, and why I encourage my friends to get them.

Just spitballing a number, if the bike supplies 50% of the effort, then a lifestyle change could consist of increasing your use of a bike by 2x or more. This is not implausible because a lot of people get virtually no exercise at all.

Oddly enough the most frequent question I get about cycling is: "When are you going to get an e-bike?"

I think there will always be a few remaining uses for a bike that is cheap, maintainable by the owner, light enough to carry up a stairs or throw into a car, can be stored anywhere, indefinitely, and used on demand, doesn't catch fire, and is powered by the lipids stored in your body. ;-)

I did a study, informal, involving sitting at a cafe watching the bikes go by for 30 mins and the ebike riders were definitely in worse shape than the regular bike riders. That said I ride an ebike - nothing's perfect.

I wonder how much that is biased by the people who buy pedal assist ebikes. They're still expensive enough for most people that it requires a certain amount of cycling enthusiasm to buy one.

These things can cost like decent used cars. We're living in a crazy world.

Yeah, I found buying one, though it was very expensive, to be worth it, because I started getting a lot more exercise than I would have without it. I don’t need to carry cargo or passengers very often :)

> studies have shown that people who use e-bikes (pedal assist not throttle) tend to be more physically fit and active than ones who just use regular bikes.

I read the abstract of the study you linked, and it does not say that people who use e-bikes are more fit than people who use regular bikes.

It says that e-biker have slightly less "metabolic equivalent task" minutes per week compared to cyclists.

Hehe I guess it greatly depends on the kind of group of people you test it on. There are a lot of people that buy these comfortable e-bikes with fat wheels and big seats, not because they're sporty, but because they're lazy and want comfort. And often you can also see it from their weight.

> I’m just surprised that people continue to use old bikes when the newer technology around them has continued to improve.

Newer technology is not necessarily always better. A lot of the e-bike utility derives from having a working motor and battery. Those two are probably the most expensive fragile items in a bike. Good luck dealing with the fire when your battery explodes. Good luck getting home when your battery goes flat and you have to ride a heavier bike home and you are in the middle of nowhere because with a working battery you can. Oh, yes let's a buy a backup battery and increase your bike costs. Good luck getting a new battery when your bike supplier dies.

> having a working motor and battery. Those two are probably the most expensive fragile items in a bike.

As an example, a replacement battery pack for the e-bike model I bought is 25% of the price of the bike. I'd assume the motor and other electronics would ring up to another 25%. Since I bought a cargo e-bike, there's really no meat motor bike to compare the remaining price to see how it aligns.

I was actually referring to regular bikes not e-bikes in my last point, your quote, but I agree with everything you said. There are definitely disadvantages to e-bikes

> Good luck dealing with the fire when your battery explodes.

Any data available for how often that happens? I have never heard of a single instance, nor it even being a risk even.

> Good luck getting home when your battery goes flat and you have to ride a heavier bike home and you are in the middle of nowhere because with a working battery you can.

Indeed the 'stranded with a heavy bike' was a problem. Less so now that e-bike ranges are 60+ miles.

> Oh, yes let's a buy a backup battery and increase your bike costs

I don't think this makes sense. Have you heard of this as common? Do you know any manufacturers who recommend this? The shelf life of batteries is years and years. A replacement would be idle..

> Good luck getting a new battery when your bike supplier dies.

Bikes are relatively simple. Happily the wiring can be redone if need-be to retrofit to something new

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