As ebike use is spreading, and more and more people see others using ebikes, so much so, that they are becoming a common sight now in streets and parks, it is no wonder that some people think to themselves, would an ebike do for me?
Growing Popularity of Ebikes
Sales of ebikes are soaring, by any metric, and when you look at who are using the ebikes that perhaps pass you by in the street, you may notice that not every rider is youthful and clad ankle to neck in lycra cycling gear, many are just average citizens using a novel and convenient method of transport to get from A to B. An ebike, it seems, is not only for the enthusiastic cyclist, it is for anyone.
“E-bikes are predicted to grow from 3.7 million bikes sold in 2019 to 17 million in 2030. The e-bike market in 2020 is already up by 23% year on year, and on the current trajectory, there will be 10 million e-bikes sold per year as early as 2024.” (source)
What Age Is Best for Ebike Users?
Age is no Barrier to Ebikes
Whatever age you are, we know that physical exercise is something we should be doing. The older you get though, the less inclination you may have to participate in exercise. It seems gyms are full of young fit people, joggers tend to be mostly young, and it does appear almost that older people partaking in exercise is something strange and out of place in the modern world.
This is why ebikes are of a particular benefit to older adults. Perhaps shy of the gym, and wary of injury by overdoing exercise. Aware that, due to age, certain physical limitations do apply, and perhaps the inclination to exercise at all, is weak. However, many older individuals have discovered that on an ebike, they can exercise. The exercise they do though, is gentle, a soft exercise, that still keeps them fit and active, and also gets them outdoors in the fresh air. They have a new found motivation to get healthy.
Can You Use an Ebike If You Are Unfit?
Injury is no Barrier to Ebikes
Unless your injury is severe or totally immobilizes you, an ebike may be a great option to get back into fitness. A knee or ankle injury will not be strained on an ebike in the way a traditional bicycle may do. In fact, ebike exercise may even be recommended by your physiotherapist if you have one. Ask them to be sure, as gentle exercise on an ebike may assist your recovery to full active health.
Can You Use an Ebike If You Are Overweight?
Weight is no Barrier to Ebikes
The more overweight you are, perhaps the less inclined you are to exercise. You may be self-conscious of going to the gym, shy of joining a weight-watchers class. Your spirit may be willing to exercise to lose weight, but the physical inclination to do so is lacking. Your doctor may have told you it is essential that you do so for health reasons. If that is the case, then why not think about an ebike. Exercise need not be tedious, and for anyone who has not exercised in a long time, it need not be a harsh experience on muscles unused for so long. Gentle easy exercise may be the way to start, and you can do this easily on an ebike.
See also: Lose Weight the Ebike Way
Can Lazy People Use Ebikes?
Even Couch-Potatoes can Ebike
Very few people will admit to being a couch-potato. A slur, usually aimed as an insult at those who do little more than sit in their lounge watching tv all day and evening. Couch-potatoes are characterized as lazy, unfit, and lacking any motivation to do anything remotely physical. The good news is, without breaking a sweat, even a couch-potato can do a workout on an ebike. Even if it is only going to the store and back to stock up on chips and soda. A trip on an ebike may even have them forget they are actually partaking in exercise. And who knows? Perhaps two or three trips on an ebike may give them the buzz and the incentive to lose the couch-potato tag.
Should I Give Up the Car for an Ebike?
Ebikes for Car Drivers
For many car drivers, the convenience of having the car, for the weekly shop, for commuting to work and back, for the school run, is without doubt, essential. They cannot imagine living life in this day and age without a car in the drive. And with some families, there are two cars in the drive, or more, if the drive is big enough, and if the kids are old enough to drive and still live at home.
The car then, is a necessity, just as much as domestic electric power is, or cable tv, or flushing toilets. The car is something that will not be given up without a fight to the death. No one though is advocating giving up the car. It is not either the car or the ebike, the two can live side by side, at the same address, and coexist peacefully together. The ebike though, is the one that will save you money every trip, loosen up those tight muscles, and have you slapping yourself on the back every time you take it out for a jaunt, for your carbon-footprint slightly lessens and the planet breathes a sigh of relief.
Every trip you make on the ebike instead of by car, will not only save you on fuel costs, the exercise and fresh air will benefit your health, plus it is much more enjoyable to cruise past a traffic jam on an ebike than sit in one in a car.
Can an Ebike Benefit My Business?
Ebikes for Small Business
Running a small business has a great deal of expenses. You may have rent to pay for premises, you may have staff to pay, and you may have one or more vans that are essential, to take equipment and stock to a job, or for deliveries to customers. If you are a small local based business, then there may be a way to save on the expenses of running a van, and paying the insurance and tax and service costs, as well as the expensive fuel it entails to keep a van on the road. Why not investigate and see if perhaps with a suitable cargo ebike, you can cut these costs, or at least minimise them? You may be one of the many small businesses that can benefit using cargo ebikes instead of vans to operate your business. And isn’t that a great marketing angle, advertising how clean and green, and climate friendly, your business is?
So, Who Does Benefit with an Ebike?
Everyone Can Benefit with an Ebike
I think it is clear that everyone who owns an ebike, benefits. Those who go out and buy one will certainly benefit in one way or another. They are a method of transportation that is green, enjoyable to ride, and for very little in the way of energy expended, can get you a long way. They are easy exercise for those who need it, but are reluctant to do so for one reason or another, therefore, they can help you to lose weight and gain fitness with very little effort. They can save you money by replacing car journeys, or business costs, if a cargo ebike is a viable alternative to a van.
It is not a case of who benefits with an ebike, it is a case of everyone benefits.