A Norwegian study shows that e-bikes allow people to cycle longer and more often.   This effect is most pronounced among women.   This is really good news at a time when we really need to find viable and sustainable transport alternatives, reduce traffic congestion and get more exercise.

Aslak Fyhri at the Institute of Transport Economics summarized:

“People use e-bikes for twice as many trips as conventional bicycles, both in terms of kilometers traveled and as a percentage of total traffic. The impact of e-bike ownership is particularly noticeable for women. around much more often than men, on the other hand, when they go for a bike ride, they usually go on longer trips.”

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The researchers randomly selected participants and divided them into two groups. The experimental group of 66 people were given unlimited access to an electric bike, while the control group of 160 people had to use their own regular bike.

Dramatic Increases in Cycling

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The experimental group had previously cycled, but with the advent of e-bikes, the number of daily trips increased from an average of 0.9 to 1.4 times per day. Their average trip length doubled, from 4.8 km to 10.3 km (3 to 6.4 miles).

Thanks to e-bikes, they meet almost half of their transportation needs with bicycles. Considering that only 5% of trips in Norway are currently made by bicycle, this shows the enormous potential of e-bikes to transform transport.

In the control group, the amount of cycling stayed the same.

The electric bikes removed a lot of the practical obstacles to cycling

Researcher Fyhri says:

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“To commute to work every day, you need to be prepared, take care of the logistics and maybe change and shower upon arrival. For many this is too big a project. With an e-bike you can do this. You can cover longer distances in less time, and you can wear regular clothes or a jacket because you won't sweat. Many short car trips these days are likely to be made on an e-bike.”

The impact of e-bikes increases over time, suggesting a learning effect among users.     I see it in Maggie and in myself.     Over time, we began to realize that many of the things we thought we needed a car for—like shopping for weekly groceries—could actually be done with an e-bike.     Maggie soon began riding her e-bike on all her excursions.

Maggie and I now do most of our grocery shopping with our electric bikes

It’s Still Exercise!

Anyone who thinks that riding an e-bike is not exercise has probably never ridden an e-bike.   It's not a moped, it's a bike that will help you when you need help.   As for how I use my e-bike, I was tired after a 50 km (30 mile) round trip, very bumpy commute.   I use the engine as little as possible and leave it off most of the time.   Usually when I drive on flat terrain it turns off.   Of course the bike weighs 35 pounds, not 20 pounds.   Therefore, it requires more effort to move it.   Overall, I'm definitely training.

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But when I go up a steep hill or a long hill (or a steep, long hill), the engine definitely kicks in. A ride on a regular bike would take several hours, but it doesn't take me long at all. While cycling is often fun and exciting, you can also get tired quickly if cycling is too strenuous. My colleagues and I have seen this happen many times. They start out with good intentions, but if the commute becomes too stressful, they are forced to quit.

Burnout can easily happen when cycling. At some point I found myself unable to handle the multiple pressures of the BC Parkway (7/11 trail). Too many cars and difficult to navigate places. I was back on the move for a while. But then I did some research and discovered a much easier bike route from New West End to Vancouver. It takes longer, but it's faster because it's less dangerous. I felt excited again and found myself looking forward to my commute rather than dreading it.

You need to have a route that is not too psychologically tiring (i.e. dangerous and stressful); and it should not feel like you are pushing yourself close to the point of physical collapse. That is where an electric bike can make all the difference.

Apparently, you can use very powerful electric bikes without having to pedal at all. In fact, there was a guy on my Stromer route who did just that, and he passed me every day. But he still uses alternative transportation and still keeps his car off the road. Perhaps when he feels aging approaching him, he'll start giving up e-bikes and turn to human power!

The point is, e-bikes take cars out of the way, allowing you to choose how much exercise you get during your commute. People who want to exercise can do so by turning off the power or turning off the power. Those who are tired, injured or have a damaged heart can still ride a bike, but will need extra help.

The end result is that e-bikes cause people to spend more time exercising on the bike and less time exercising in the car.