Classic bike or electric bike? Choose the best option to exercise

Which type of bicycle is best? Each of the two has its followers: for the supporters of the first, only the bicycle without electric assistance is a real sport, while the owners of electric bicycles praise its practicality for covering longer distances.

But which of the two is healthier? One might think that the traditional bicycle allows you to burn more calories as it requires greater physical effort. However, a study in the journal 'Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives,' cited by Slate, shows that it may not be so simple.

In order to have a reliable sample, the researchers carried out their study over two years and with a group of 10,000 adults living in seven European cities. The participants were divided into three groups: "classic" cyclists, e-bike cyclists, and non-cyclists.

And the results are surprising! With or without electric assistance, cyclists have the same average frequency of use of their vehicle and the same average journey time per day.

Since the time spent cycling was identical between the two groups, electric bike users necessarily traveled longer distances: 9.4 kilometers per day on average, compared to 4.8 for classic bike enthusiasts.

And contrary to what one might imagine, the physical effort measured in metabolic rates is slightly higher among e-bikers, with a coefficient of 4.463 against 4.085 among traditional cyclists.

How can this paradoxical result be explained? "If we postpone the moment when the effort becomes painful, which is the case with the electric bike, we manage to do more. And when we do more, we go beyond physical inactivity and reach the level of sports activity. So if the ride on an electric bike is much longer than on a muscle bike, that makes up for it!" Slate sports doctor Nicolas Barizien explains.

In addition, users of electric bikes would go on two wheels to work more frequently, while those who had a conventional bike would more often take the car instead of their bikes.

While electric assistance allows one's performance to be optimized for the same effort, the two types of bikes let people use the same muscle groups and the same metabolic pathways (such as cardiorespiratory endurance).

Still, according to Nicolas Barizien, the electric bike "can be a good way to convert to muscle cycling. Some people get back into physical activity on the electric bike, get a taste for it, and move on to muscle cycling afterward. Others stay on the electric bike but they still maintain physical activity."

Furthermore, according to this doctor, the electrically assisted bicycle has the advantage of "being able to encourage physical activity for people who do not have the capacity to do so." Examples are the elderly, people who are overweight, or people whose health does not do not allow them to easily step onto a bike without electric assistance.

However, this study is not the first on the subject, and the results of different studies are often contradictory. It's difficult to compare the data accurately because of the small sample sizes and the short-term character of the results.

According to a German study from 2020, the frequency of use of the electric bicycle more than compensates for less physical expenditure. According to its results summarized by Slate, the effort is 30% less important in the electric bikes, but then again, they would be used four times more often.

Doctors are far from unanimous when it comes to the benefits of electric bikes. For sports doctor Jean-Christophe Miniot, interviewed in the French program 'Special Envoy' in 2021, "the health benefit is very, very low because you don't leave your comfort zone. In my opinion, it is not a sport."

Even if its superiority over the classic bicycle is not definitively proven in terms of physical effort, the electric bicycle at least allows the greatest number of people to practice physical activity and fight against a sedentary lifestyle. And that's an important benefit for everyone's health.

Whatever the type of bicycle, its benefits are significant compared to physical inactivity. But whether you are fond of electric bikes or passionate about classic bikes, the main thing is to have fun on two wheels!