28 mrt 2024 om 13:48 Update: 4 uur geleden
Fat bikes have been under fire lately. On Wednesday it emerged that students are not allowed to use them for traffic exams. On our response platform NUjij, critics said that electric cycling is unhealthier because you use less energy. Is that correct? NU.nl looked into it.
The short answer is: yes. The longer answer is: it depends. In certain situations, using an electric bicycle does indeed lead to more exercise.
It works like this: people with an e-bike cycle longer distances on average per bike ride on both their electric bicycle (9.4 kilometers on average) and on their regular bicycle (8.4 kilometers on average). Someone with only a regular bicycle cycles ‘only’ an average of 4.8 kilometers per cycle.
In addition, people with an electric bicycle cycle one and a half times as much per day as their counterparts without an electric motor in the bicycle (8 kilometers compared to an average of 5.3 kilometers per day). This is all evident from a 2019 EU study among ten thousand people in seven European cities.
There is a greater temptation to turn on electrical support
However, the Cyclists’ Union believes that in most cases it is a better idea to make your rides on a regular bicycle. “It depends a bit on what you would have otherwise used to get from A to B. If you replace something that is less active, such as a car or public transport, you will improve. But if you replace your regular bicycle “If you drive an electric car and travel the same number of kilometers, you use less energy and you therefore lose out,” a spokesperson told NU.nl.
This is mainly about temptation at times when the effort is a bit heavier, says the Cyclists’ Union. “On an e-bike you are more likely to be tempted to turn on the support at times when you have to make extra effort. Such as when cycling over a bridge or viaduct, or when you cycle away from a traffic light. Those moments are very good for your health, and you might lose those moments on an e-bike.”
Replacing rides one-on-one makes it less healthy
According to the Cyclists’ Union, it can also be worthwhile to take a critical look at your steel horse. “People who find cycling on a regular bicycle difficult can look at a better bicycle. A bicycle that you sit better on can really make a world of difference.”
According to the EU study, the difference is that people with an electric bicycle use it more often and for longer trips than people with a regular bicycle do with their bicycle. Even if you replace car or public transport trips with rides on an electric bicycle, you will exercise a lot more and there will be health benefits.
But if you replace rides with a regular bicycle one-on-one with rides with an electric bicycle (and no longer make any meters), you will ultimately lose movement. Then, according to both the EU study and the Cyclists’ Union, an electric bicycle is less good for you.
