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Busting the Biggest Myths About Electric Bicycles

Busting the Biggest Myths About Electric Bicycles

As electric bicycles become more and more popular across the country, we’ve noticed myths and misconceptions spring up in record numbers. There’s a lot of apprehension about e-bikes, but we’re here to set the record straight. Read on to see us bust the biggest myths about electric bicycles, from the reasonable to the ridiculous.

“E-Bikes Don’t Provide Good Exercise”

If you’ve met someone who has claimed that “E-bikes can’t give you a good workout,” you’ve met someone who has never ridden an e-bike. Frankly, we think this is a ridiculous claim and that your misinformed friend does not understand how e-bikes fundamentally work. Essentially, an electric bicycle is nothing but a regular bicycle with a pedal-assist mode.

Because you can set the level of pedal-assistance, you have complete control over your workout. Do you want to feel the burn? Make sure the pedal assistance is on the lowest setting. Do you want an easy cooldown after your workout? Crank up the assistance and coast for the rest of the way home!

Even with the highest level of pedal assistance, an electric bike still requires the power of your legs to go forward. That’s where the “assistance” part of the process comes into play. You and the bike work together to create speed—the bike won’t do everything for you.

“Riding E-Bikes Counts as Cheating”

This may be the misconception we hear the most. Many cyclists have an unreasonable hatred for electric bicycles because they think e-bikes are nothing more than a motorcycle with pedals. While electric bicycles do have a motor, as we mentioned earlier, you can’t go forward without at least a little work.

Electric bicycles aren’t allowed in the Tour de France, but it would still be a fascinating, exhausting race if every athlete was equipped with one. You can pedal like crazy with the highest or lowest level of pedal assistance, and your workout will be the same. The only difference is your top speed.

“E-Bike Batteries Die Quickly”

While e-bike batteries haven’t always been the most effective, they are now! Battery technology has come a long way, and e-bikes have evolved to keep up with these positive changes. As long as you take good care of your electric bike’s battery, there’s no reason it can’t last for years (with several hours of charge for every ride).

Just remember to bring the battery inside when it starts getting cold—you should always store your batteries at room temperature. If it’s too hot or too cold, the battery can lose its ability to hold a charge.

“E-Bikes Can Leave You Stranded if the Battery Dies”

This myth goes hand in hand with the previous one. Many people believe that e-bike batteries die quickly and leave you in the middle of a long trail with no way home. While a fully charged battery should have no trouble getting you home, you don’t need to worry if the battery does run out.

That’s one of the best parts about pedal assistance. Without the assistance, it still functions as a regular bicycle! If you ever find your battery power dwindling, you can get yourself back to your home with the strength of your own two feet—no problem.

“E-Bikes Are Too Fast”

High speed is a bonus for some and a detriment for others. While it’s true that some electric bicycles can go up to 30 miles per hour, the speed is all up to you. If you pedal your hardest at the highest level of pedal-assistance, your bike can achieve high speeds. However, nothing is forcing you to take your bike up to its maximum speed—keep pedal assistance low if you’re worried.

“E-Bikes Can’t Be Used as Mountain Bikes”

This misconception comes from another person who doesn’t know much about e-bikes. Because you can convert any bike into an electric bicycle, there’s no reason you can’t turn a mountain bike into an e-bike! As long as you install the proper wheels, you can bring your bicycle onto any trail you want.

In fact, an electric bicycle may end up being more effective on some tricky mountain trails—pedal assistance can help you conquer almost any incline. Remember, an e-bike doesn’t give you a free ticket to disobey trail rules. You must still respect fellow cyclists and trail users and stay at or below the posted speed limit.

“E-Bikes Are Just a Fad”

The Segway, hoverboard, and one-wheel all came and went, so you may be wondering, “Isn’t the electric bike just the next in a long line of passing trends?” A quick glance at Europe is all we need to prove you wrong. While electric bicycles are just getting started in the United States, they’ve been a transportation staple in European countries for years now—and they aren’t slowing down.

If you’re worried that they won’t catch on in the United States, don’t fret. Electric bike sales skyrocketed during COVID-19, and the market is expected to continue to grow to $70 billion by 2027. With electric cars still going for prohibitively expensive prices, electric bicycles offer a fantastic, sustainable alternative.

“E-Bikes Are Too Expensive”

This misconception is absolutely fair. There are incredibly expensive electric bicycles out there—but this myth falls apart when you believe that there are only incredibly expensive e-bikes. While most dedicated electric bicycles have frankly ridiculous price tags, there’s no need to buy a dedicated e-bike to enjoy all that this invention has to offer.

In fact, if you have a regular bicycle of your own, you can turn it into an e-bike for a fraction of the cost of a dedicated electric bicycle. All you need is a complete e-bike conversion kit and a few hours of time! Practically every bicycle on the market has the potential for e-bike conversion. That leaves the quality of your e-bike entirely up to you!

If you want the experience of an electric bicycle on a budget, turn your old bike into an e-bike. If you’re willing to shell out a few more dollars, convert an expensive sportbike to get even more enjoyment out of your ride. No matter what you do, you can try out pedal assistance for yourself and feel the wonderful power that e-bikes offer.

Now that we’ve busted the biggest myths about electric bicycles, you can decide for yourself whether you want to give e-bikes a try—you won’t be disappointed.

Busting the Biggest Myths About Electric Bicycles
by Ebike Essentials