Electric Bike vs. Regular Bike

Electric Bike vs. Regular Bike

Electric bikes offer the benefit of increased range, decreased joint pain, and less sweat on hot days... they bring the benefits of being able to ride on sidewalks, cut through parks and store inside, which are not possible for mopeds and motorcycles. You also don’t need a license in many cases to ride an electric bike so it can easily substitute for a car in short range, lower speed scenarios.

The first thing people usually notice about electric bikes is their weight. While they’re not nearly as heavy as a motorcycle or moped, most ebikes still weigh in excess of 50 pounds and that’s pretty heavy compared with a traditional bicycle! The average mountain bike weighs just 25 pounds and road bikes weigh much less because they usually don’t have suspension systems. The weight of an electric bike makes it much harder to cary up stairs, load into a car or maneuver into a bike rack. It also makes it harder to simply pedal and stop…

I think the truth about ebikes is that most people don’t pedal them when they ride. Those pedals are really just there to save your butt if the battery runs out on the way home and create a safe, slow appearance. When you combine pedals with a speed limiter (set at 20 miles per hour on most electric bikes) you get a vehicle that is legally classified as a bike and thus enjoys many of the same benefits and freedoms such riding on sidewalks and bike lanes.

I bought my first electric bike when my knee started hurting from riding my regular bike.

I was riding my bike to and from work every day, just three miles each way, but there was a really long hill in the middle of the ride that took a lot of strength to finish. Even though I’m a fit person and could usually finish the hill without reaching physical exhaustion, I started experiencing a lot of pain in my Iliotibial band and on the outside of my knee. I was diagnosed with ITBS, “IT band syndrom” by a physical trainer and we concluded that my bike riding routine was the primary cause.

The repeated flexion and extension of my knee during the daily ride combined with my relative inactivity at the office, sitting in a chair at the computer, caused an imbalance in the muscular and tissue structure of my leg. The best thing for me would really walking to work but that would take too long and be uncomfortable with my laptop and documents. I could always just take the car but parking is a hassle, it’s expensive and it’s bad for the environment! The purchase of an electric bike solved all of this and even though it made me feel old and weak at first, I realized that it actually empowers me and is safer and more affordable than a gas powered machine.

In my opinion the limited speed and power of electric bikes makes them much safer than motorcycles or even cars in many situations.

When you’re in the mindset of riding a bike you act like a bicyclist and stay clear of heavy traffic and intersections. On my ride to and from work I cut through a park, cruise along a bike path and duck right into a parking garage that has a free covered storage rack! It actually takes me less time to get into work than driving a car because I don’t get caught in rush hour. And while I am exposed to a bit more exhaust fumes than I would be if I were in my car with filtered air conditioning blowing, I’m not breathing as hard as if I were on my regular bike and thus, it sort of nets out.

One other big advantage of electric bikes, or bikes in general, is that you can grab a drink or two with friends after work and then walk your bike home. This doesn’t work with cars, you just have to take a cab or get a ride instead. I find it refreshing and liberating to take this approach and I’ve found myself being more social than if I had taken the car to work. For people who may have lost their license due to age or a legal infraction, ebikes can really set you free.

When it’s time for a workout I still love riding my old fashioned bike and I’m able to do it in beautiful uncrowded places that fit my workout and physical needs. My electric bike really is more like a car for me than a bike and that’s a good thing. The real takeaway here is that higher powered electric bikes are a better fit for most riders when they realize when and how they use their bikes. I hope these thoughts help you discover the best fit for your commute because there is a whole range of bikes to choose from out there. Newcomers to the technology are usually disappointed after just a few short months of using a cheaper, lower powered solution and in some cases people give up entirely. This almost happened to me when I first started out and I lost a lot of money selling my first ebike used on Craigslist and then upgrading to a higher powered model.

My favorite bikes usually have brushless hub motors rated at 350 Watts or higher. The top speed is still limited to 20mph but the power makes the ride much more satisfying and helps a lot with hills, wind and acceleration from complete stop at a light or stop sign. It also makes carrying groceries or supplies a lot easier and means you’ll use the bike more often. Check out my full list of electric bikes that’s sortable by price, power and weight.