What are the advantages of an electric bike?
Does riding an electric bike make you fit? We want to answer this question once and for all. An EU study shows that cycling on an electric bike is just as healthy as cycling without assistance. Thanks to the assistance, people cycle more often and further.
For two years, researchers tracked the riding habits of more than 9,000 people in seven European cities. The results showed that people riding an electric bike exerted similar or even greater physical effort than test subjects with normal bicycles. The study shows that cycling on an electric bike requires less energy per minute than cycling on a normal bicycle. But cyclists tend to travel longer distances on an electric bike than on a normal one. Cyclists cover an average of 4.8 km per bike tour. With an electric bike, this figure rises to an average of 9.4 km. With an electric bike, you cover around twice the distance and consume correspondingly more energy on the longer tour.
To return to the initial question: “Does riding an electric bike make you fit?” Yes, it does. To about the same extent as the normal bicycle affects our fitness. Although we consume less energy per minute on an electric bike, we spend much longer on the road, which roughly balances the situation.
An electric bike does not produce any exhaust fumes and thus contributes to a clean environment
Apart from walking and using a regular bicycle, there is no other means of transport that is as sustainable as the electric bike. If you choose an electric bike, you emit over 50 times less CO2 per kilometer than a car and 20 times less CO2 than an electric car. This has a positive effect on your carbon footprint.
The following overview shows you how much CO2 you use per kilometer traveled and depending on the mode of transport (per gram of CO2).
| Running or normal bicycle | 0 |
| Elektric bike | 3 |
| Elektric car | 54 |
| Train | 90 |
| Car | 149 |
The electric bike’s drive makes riding easier
Always with a tailwind and never having to worry about arriving at your next appointment drenched in sweat: Riding an electric bike makes life easier, especially due to the motor. This means you travel longer distances on your electric bike, distances for which you would otherwise start reaching for your car key.
The electric bike also offers a great opportunity for anyone who has difficulty completing their training due to injuries or other health problems. It is precisely in such situations that an electric bike with drive is an enormous advantage. This is because cycling is a workout where it’s impossible to make any wrong movements. Perhaps you simply lack the strength and, understandably, the motivation to get on your bike. With the assistance of the motor of an electric bike, the force on the pedals can be increased by 400% without causing injury.
But what is the best way to ride an electric bike?
The best way to ride an electric bike is to use the Eco assistance or the lowest assistance level of the motor. This way, you have to generate energy yourself, but the motor helps you ride faster and cover additional kilometers. If you are riding uphill or if there is a strong wind, choose a higher assistance level (Sport, Turbo). The extra boost helps you to overcome these obstacles quickly and easily without sweating. When you ride with Eco assistance, you not only get the most out of your workout, but also spend longer on your e-bike with one battery charge.
Would you like to find out how different assistance levels affect the range of your battery? Then read more in our blog.
Cheaper to purchase and maintain than a car
The electric bike that is most comparable to a car is the speed pedelec, also known as a high-speed bicycle. It provides assistance up to 45 km/h and can replace the car for distances up to 30 km. A speed pedelec is cheaper to buy than a car. A brand new FLYER High Speed model is available for as little as € 6,699, while a new car is available from € 15,000.
In addition to the relatively low purchase price, the costs per kilometer for an electric bike are also much lower than for a car. We have calculated that the cost per kilometer for an electric bike is around € 0.303, while the cost for a car is € 1.44. Do you want to know how we calculated that? Read our blog to find out why you should prefer an e-bike to a car.
In addition, the average maintenance costs of an electric bike are much lower. In 2021, the Dutch consumer association carried out a survey of the average maintenance costs for an electric bike. They calculated somewhere between 50 and 110 euros. The most common price was around 60 euros per service appointment, excluding spare parts. If you keep your e-bike in good condition and have annual maintenance carried out, you can save yourself a lot of trouble. It is therefore advisable to plan annual maintenance costs of between 60 and 80 euros.
Read our tips on what you can do to maintain your e-bike yourself.
The maintenance costs for your car are much higher, with the car requiring more service than a well-maintained e-bike. What’s more, the independent maintenance of your car is much more challenging than that of your e-bike. Studies have shown that the cost of a small service on your car can easily be between 100 and 200 euros, without including the cost of spare parts.
An electric bike is a suitable alternative to a car or public transport
Anyone who wants to go through life more sustainably and not rely on the public transport timetable should consider an electric bike as an option. Being in traffic jams, looking for a parking space, waiting for the train when you’ve just missed it – all of this is now a thing of the past on an electric bike.
In addition to eliminating these inconveniences, the electric bike also offers many health benefits. For example, you are out in the fresh air every day, which is good for your mental health. You also exercise your body while riding from A to B – you won’t be able to do that in the car or on public transport.
A good option for people without a driver’s license
And last but not least, an electric bike is a great alternative if you don’t have a driver’s license. After all, the car is not the only form of mobility. With an electric bike, you can also cover longer distances for which you would normally take the car.
It is important to note that you are only allowed to drive a model with 25 km/h speed assistance without a driver’s license. For the speed pedelecs (45 km/h) you need at least a category M driver’s license (motorbike). This applies to adolescents as well as adults. Young people from the age of 14 are allowed to ride the 25 km/h fast electric bike models, but must also be able to present a category M driver’s license. From the age of 16, it is no longer needed for the “slow” models. This rule applies to Switzerland, where FLYER has its headquarters. We recommend that you check the regulations applicable in your country.
Discover our FLYER electric bikes
Are you still unsure about whether to forget the car and take the electric bike instead? Let Paul convince you. He rides almost 70 km to work by bike every day. With an electric bike, he stays fit, enjoys freedom and saves a lot of money and time every year.
