I’ve been riding an electric-assisted bike, a.k.a. a Pedelec for several years for fun and commuting. I will share my experiences regarding how much exercise you get from personal experience and whether I think it’s a valid form of exercise.
Yes, an e-bike is a good form of exercise. Studies show your heart rate works at 93.6 percent of the rate of a cyclist on a regular bike. The cardiovascular benefits are clear for new and experienced riders. In addition, an e-bike provides extra motivation to actually exercise in the first place.
There are many ill-informed ideas about exercise on electric bikes, unfortunately. These include the notion that using an e-bike is somehow considered cheating. Cheating at what exactly? It provides a clean, healthy form of exercise and takes cars off our roads.
Read on for more information on how exactly it helps you to get aerobic and cardiovascular exercise, to burn calories and more.
Table of Contents
How much exercise do you get on an e-bike?
The amount of exercise you get on an e-bike will depend on several factors – including the terrain -think a mountain course versus a flat commute, the type of e-bike – think a full-throttle assist versus a pedal-assist only, and the amount of pedal assist you select on your electric bike – from barely perceptible to maximum power assist, and of course the length time of the bike ride.
If you wish to use your electric bike as a form of exercise, a pedal-assist bicycle – also known as a Pedelec– is the type to get. There are another e-bikes, known as throttle assist e-bikes that are basically electric mopeds where, the electric motor does all the work for you. Obviously, the amount of exercise from this type of e-bike is minimal.
According to MyFitnessPal, a leading data provider of exercise and calories data, you can expect to burn anywhere from 289 calories during 30 minutes of mountain biking (non-electric bike) for a 150 pound (68kg) person, to a whopping 482 calories burned under the same conditions for someone weighing 250 pounds (113kg).
Of course, using an electric-assist bike, the calories burned will be somewhat less. Studies indicate that 20-25% fewer calories are burned using an electric bike compared to a normal bicycle. Using the more conservative estimate of 25% fewer calories, this translates into about 217 calories for a 150-pound person, and 362 calories for a 250-pound person mountain biking for 30 minutes.
Let’s dive into the details for several weigh ranges below.
Approximate Calories burned during 30 minutes of eMTB exercise
Let’s take a look at several typical weight ranges – from 150 pounds up to 250 pounds – for 30 minutes of unassisted mountain biking. The table below shows the approximate amount for regular and electric assisted mountain biking exercise.
| Person’s Weight – Pounds | Person’s Weight – Kilograms | Calories Burned – 30 minutes, mountain biking NO assist | Calories Burned – 30 minutes on an eMTB |
| 150 | 68 | 289 | 217 |
| 175 | 79.4 | 337 | 253 |
| 200 | 90.7 | 386 | 290 |
| 225 | 102 | 434 | 326 |
| 250 | 113.4 | 482 | 362 |
Based on these numbers, the typical eMTB rider can expect to burn several hundred calories, even with as little as 30 minutes exercise on the mountain trails.
Next, we will look at the specific calories burned for those at different weight levels.
Calories burned during 30 minutes of regular Mountain Bike MTB exercise (no electric assist) – 150 Pound Person
A 150 pound person cycling on a regular mountain bike can expect to burn 289 calories in 30 minutes.
For the same person on an e-mountain bike, this would be about 217 calories in 30 minutes.
Calories burned during 30 minutes of regular Mountain Bike MTB exercise (no electric assist) – 175 Pound Person
A 175 pound person cycling on a regular mountain bike can expect to burn 337 calories in 30 minutes.
For the same person on an e-mountain bike, this would be about 253 calories in 30 minutes.
Calories burned during 30 minutes of regular Mountain Bike MTB exercise (no electric assist) – 200 Pound Person
A 200 pound person cycling on a regular mountain bike can expect to burn 386 calories in 30 minutes.
For the same person on an e-mountain bike, this would be about 290 calories in 30 minutes.
Calories burned during 30 minutes of regular Mountain Bike MTB exercise (no electric assist) – 225 Pound Person
A 225 pound person cycling on a regular mountain bike can expect to burn 434 calories in 30 minutes.
For the same person on an e-mountain bike, this would be about 326 calories in 30 minutes.
Calories burned during 30 minutes of regular Mountain Bike MTB exercise (no electric assist) – 250 Pound Person
A 250 pound person cycling on a regular mountain bike can expect to burn 482 calories in 30 minutes.
For the same person on an e-mountain bike, this would be about 362 calories in 30 minutes.
Studies on the Exercise Benefits of Electric Bikes
A study by the Brigham Young University, from Provo, Utah found that “average heart rate during eMTB (electric mountain bike) use was 94% (31/33) of the average heart rate during conventional mountain bike use.” This was combined with the perception by those studied that they were pushing themselves much less. This provides a powerful incentive to get exercise on an e-bike, particularly on an e-MTB.
But wait a minute! Let’s say you have no interest in using an e-bike on mountain trails. How much benefit do you get from more mundane cycling, such as on flat ground or bike trails, or for everyday commuting?
Let’s examine how calories are typically burned during more commonplace scenarios where e-bikes are used. I have chosen a speed of around 15mph (about 25 km/h), as many pedal assist electric bikes cut off the electric pedal assist at this speed. This means it’s perfectly viable for almost any rider, even a beginner, to achieve speeds of 15mph.
Approximate Calories burned during 30 minutes of 15mph (25km/h) exercise on regular roads
Once again, we will take a look at several typical weight ranges – from 150 pounds up to 250 pounds – for 30 minutes of riding, this time on a normal road or bike trail. The table below shows the approximate amount with and without electric assisted biking exercise on a regular road at 15mph or 25km/h. Again, let’s calculate the calories burned with pedal assist at 25% less calories compared with the calories burned from a regular bike on the MyFitnessPal website.
| Person’s Weight – Pounds | Person’s Weight – Kilograms | Calories Burned – 30 minutes, flat ground, 15mph/25kmh, NO assist | Calories Burned – 30 minutes, flat ground, 15mph/25kmh, WITH assist |
| 150 | 68 | 340 | 255 |
| 175 | 79.4 | 397 | 298 |
| 200 | 90.7 | 454 | 341 |
| 225 | 102 | 510 | 383 |
| 250 | 113.4 | 567 | 425 |
These calories burned amounts are somewhat surprisingly larger for flat ground cycling versus mountain biking. This could be because the MyFitnessPal website describes cycling at 14-16mph as ‘vigorous’ exercise, but this is perfectly achievable using an electrically assisted bike, even for those who are not particularly fit. Therefore these figures are not 100% exact, as naturally cycling conditions can vary quite a lot from place to place, but it gives us a rough indicator of how much calories we can expect to burn.
So what do these calorie burned amounts mean for those who cycle to work on flat ground? It means e-bikes are a great way to incorporate exercise into your daily commute. You can combine a healthy commute and a workout into one activity.
Let’s examine the calories burned for those weighing different amounts.
Calories burned during 30 minutes of cycling at 15mph(no electric assist) – 150 Pound Person
A 150 pound person cycling on a regular bike can expect to burn 340 calories in 30 minutes at 15mph.
For the same person on an e-bike, this would be about 255 calories in 30 minutes.
Calories burned during 30 minutes of cycling at 15mph(no electric assist) – 175 Pound Person
A 175 pound person cycling on a regular bike can expect to burn 397 calories in 30 minutes at 15mph.
For the same person on an e-bike, this would be about 298 calories in 30 minutes.
Calories burned during 30 minutes of cycling at 15mph(no electric assist) – 200 Pound Person
A 200 pound person cycling on a regular bike can expect to burn 454 calories in 30 minutes at 15mph.
For the same person on an e-bike, this would be about 341 calories in 30 minutes.
Calories burned during 30 minutes of cycling at 15mph(no electric assist) – 225 Pound Person
A 225 pound person cycling on a regular bike can expect to burn 510 calories in 30 minutes at 15mph.
For the same person on an e-bike, this would be about 383 calories in 30 minutes.
Calories burned during 30 minutes of cycling at 15mph(no electric assist) – 250 Pound Person
A 250 pound person cycling on a regular bike can expect to burn 567 calories in 30 minutes at 15mph.
For the same person on an e-bike, this would be about 425 calories in 30 minutes.
As we can see, a person on a fairly typical 30 minute commute, at typical e-bike speeds of around 15mph (25km/h) will burn several hundred calories at a minimum. If you regularly pedal at above 15mph and the pedal assist cuts off, you will actually burn more calories as you are pedalling a heavy e-bike 100% from your own power.
Best electric bike for exercise
As we have seen, using a mountain bike on the trails is the most intensive form of cycling, but you can get the benefits of riding an e-bike from everyday scenarios on flat ground too.
It stands to reason that having a top quality eMTB is the best way to get the maximum exercise on an electric bike.
A highly recommended e-MTB model is the Specialized Turbo Levo SL, you can find out more on this article on high end e-bikes. This is one of the bike electric mountain bikes on the market. With this machine, you’ll be conquering mountain trails and burning thousands of calories in no time.
Can you lose weight on an e-bike?
Yes, absolutely you can lose weight on an pedal assist e-bike. As we have seen above, riding 30 minutes one way to work at 15mph could burn 250-400+ calories, depending on several factors. This is a great way to burn fat, get exercise, save money and help the environment all at the same time. It reduces stress compared to commuting in heavy traffic, and completely removes the headaches from parking a car.
It’s important to note that on a throttle assist e-bike, there are little or no exercise benefits. A throttle-assist e-bike is essentially an electric moped, since the electric motor does all the work for you. On a pedal assist e-bike, the motor stops working when you stop pedalling.
Riding an e-bike can allow the rider to exert their heart up to 90%+ of the equivalent heart rate of riding a normal bike, so it’s a great motivation for those who wish to lose weight. Cycling is a low impact form of exercise compared to jogging on a hard surface like concrete, so it’s also suitable for seniors who may have problems with their joints.
Are Electric bikes suitable for unfit people?
Yes, e-bikes are suitable for people of almost all fitness levels including unfit people.
Recent studies suggest that e-bike commuting are helpful in improving individual’s glucose tolerance and VO2 max – a measure of endurance fitness. This means that apart from burning calories, there are other significant health benefits to riding an e-bike regularly.
Participants rode a pedelec in the real world at a self-selected moderate intensity, which helped them meet physical activity recommendations. Pedelec commuting also resulted in significant improvements in 2-h post-OGTT glucose, VO2max, and power output.
Pedelecs as a physically active transportation mode
Additional studies show that riding an e-bike could be helpful for those suffering from glucose related health problems, such as type 2 diabetes.
There was evidence that e‐cycling was acceptable, could increase fitness and elicited a heart rate that may lead to improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors in this population. Electric bicycles have potential as a health‐improving intervention in people with Type 2 diabetes.
Potential of electric bicycles to improve the health of people with Type 2 diabetes: a feasibility study
We have seen above that e-bikes will enable you to burn calories at approximately 75% of the rate that you would on a regular bike.
Since having an e-bike is an extra motivation to hop on a bike in the first place, it increases the chance that you will actually use it in the first place. When I’m feeling tired and not in the mood, simply jumping on my e-bike and getting 30 good minutes in the morning is a great way to boost my energy, mood, and focus for the day. Therefore I get exercise that I wouldn’t have gotten at all versus driving or taking public transport.
And that isn’t just my personal opinion. Studies indicate that e-bike riders get more exercise compared to regular cyclists too, check out the following evidence from these studies.
E-bikers take longer trips by e-bike and bicycle, compared to cyclists.
Physical activity of electric bicycle users compared to conventional bicycle users and non-cyclists: Insights based on health and transport data from an online survey in seven European cities
Physical activity gains from active travel are similar in e-bikers and cyclists.
.. this data suggests that e-bike use leads to substantial increases in physical activity in e-bikers switching from private motorized vehicle and public transport, while net losses in physical activity in e-bikers switching from cycling were much less due to increases in overall travel distance.
Physical activity of electric bicycle users compared to conventional bicycle users and non-cyclists: Insights based on health and transport data from an online survey in seven European cities
Overall, there is no doubt that riding a pedal assist electric bike is a wonderful form of exercise with a myriad of health benefits.
Can you use an electric bike as a normal bike?
Yes, a pedal-assist electric bike will function as a normal bike when the battery is drained or the assist is powered off. You pedal the bike as you would on a normal bike, everything is the same except the assist doesn’t work.
You will get more exercise on an e-bike without pedal assist, since an e-bike is heavier than a regular bike due to the battery, motor, and other e-bike components. A battery is the heaviest extra part that a regular bike doesn’t have. A typical e-bike battery weighs around 7 pounds, or 3.5kg. However some longer range e-bike batteries can weigh almost double that amount, up to 12 pounds.
Conclusion
Electric bikes are a wonderful form of exercise for several different reasons.
E-Bike owners get more exercise, travel further than other cyclists, burn plenty of calories, therefore lose weight in the process, get a good cardio workout, help their VO2 max and glucose levels and more. A typical one-way commute of 30 minutes at common electric bikes speeds will burn several hundred calories, and the heavier the rider, the more calories burned on average. If the battery is empty, pedaling an e-bike will actually burn more calories due to the fact that an e-bike is heavier than a normal bike.
Have fun on your e-bike and get fit at the same time!