E-Bike Exercise for Beginners | Losing Weight with an E-Bike

Hey, guys. Dustin here, CEO of sixthreezero. Today, we're going to answer the question, can you exercise with an electric bike? Stay tuned.

Okay. So today we're going to answer the question, can you exercise on an electric bike? But before we get into it, don't forget, click below, subscribe to our channel. We post all sorts of new content, rides, tips, information, cool stuff, contests, things like that. So subscribe, stay in touch with what we're doing.

So let's talk about exercise and an electric bike. I see this question a lot. I think there is a myth out there that if you get an electric bike, you can't get exercise. Well, the answer is yes, you can. But the other part of that answer is, you don't have to get exercise if you don't want to. It also depends a lot on which electric bike do you buy.

Now, when you say electric bike, that means that it'll have pedals and it will have the ability to pedal. I think that's one important thing to just distinguish is, if you're buying an electric bike, it will always have the capability to be peddled. If it doesn't have pedals, then it's not an electric bike. That would be classified more as a scooter, which is completely different. So if you're talking about an electric bike, it's always going to have the ability to be peddled without a motor involved. And it's as simple as just turning off the motor and using it as a normal bike.

So actually, an electric bike is a great tool to exercise with because it can allow you to do so many different things and also do what you please. An example would be, if you wanted to ride up some hills, maybe a very large hill, you could do it under your own power. Then you get to the top, use the motor, maybe circle back around to the bottom of the hill. And again, turn the motor off and go up.

So it gives you the ability to get, I would say, in a lot of ways, a better workout or at least a varied workout much easier versus a normal bike. This is a big reason why mountain bikers love electric bikes. It gives them the ability to take the bike up to the top of the hill using the motor. Now, clearly, it'd be the best workout to not use the motor to get up the hill, but a lot of riders just want to do the downhill.

And believe me, even riding a bike downhill, especially a mountain bike very aggressively, is still a workout. You're having to tense up a lot of muscles in your body to keep that bike straight, to turn it to make sure that you're not going off the road or crashing. It takes a lot of effort and energy, now, a different sort of energy than pedaling, but still an effort and energy nonetheless. If your body is tense, if your muscles are flexed, you're still burning calories and you're getting a workout on your muscles.

So the e-bike, again, as I said, provides a lot of opportunities to do different things. You could go 20 miles and you could vary the use of the motor. So if you don't normally ride 20 miles, or you can't ride 20 miles, maybe the first five miles you ride under your power, or the next five you could do pedal assist, the next five you do under your own power. And then after that, maybe you just do throttle only.

I would say, go into your rides. If you're looking to exercise with an electric bike, go into it with a strategy on how you're going to use the motor, how you're going to get your calorie output and think about how much time do you want to be in the saddle just pedaling without the motor.

And electric bikes are very, very simple. All you have to do is disengage the motor. Literally, it's as simple as a push of a button, just turn it off and boom you're riding without any assistance.

Now, the other reason why electric bikes can be a better workout than a standard bike is because if you are pedaling under your own power, the electric bike is going to be heavier than a normal bike. At this point in time, there are just not many ways to avoid that because you're adding the weight of the motor and the weight of the battery. So you're going to be towing more weight, which is obviously going to be a great workout for your legs should you choose to just be peddling and not use the motor.

And the batteries and the motor combined could be as little as 10 pounds and as much as 30 pounds. The batteries can be quite heavy. They can be anywhere from five to 15 pounds, depending on the size of the battery, the shape of the battery, and the cells inside the batteries.

So a lot of times, if you're just doing casual riding, you're not going to notice the weight difference from an electric bike to a standard bike. But if you start trying to sweat it out and go up hills, pedal under your power, you're going to definitely feel the added weight to the bike. And again, if you're looking to sweat and get a workout with your electric bike, it's an added bonus. And then if you want, just turn the motor on and you don't have to be getting exercise anymore.

So the answer to the question of, can you exercise with the e-bike or can you get exercise with an electric bike is yes, and in a lot of ways, it's better.

So I hope that helps. If you have any questions, comments, thoughts, or opinions, please comment below. We're happy to listen. Also, you can email us, the team, at sixthreezero.com or call us, (310) 982-2877.

And don't forget, if you are in the market for an electric bike, take our fitting quiz on our website. It will fit you perfectly on an electric bike. You'll answer questions about your body type, your lifestyle, and our proprietary algorithm will fit you perfectly to the right bike for your lifestyle.

And the added bonus, we have a 365-day return policy. If you don't love your bike within 365 days, send it back, zero questions asked, no money out of your pocket.

So thanks for sticking around. And don't forget, it's your journey, your experience, enjoy the ride.