10 Reasons Why You Should Consider Motorized Bicycles
The Best Benefits of Buying an E-Bike
Increasing your life longevity means living an active lifestyle. This entails not only making in-the-moment healthy decisions but also to structure the routine of your life in a fashion that is conducive to and incorporates steady physical activity. One of the best ways to incorporate constant, habitual physical wellness into your daily routine is to consider supplementing or completely switching your daily transit method to cycling. Biking is a zero-carbon footprint transportation method, which benefits the rider's pocketbook, as well as their body. However, many of those who would willingly transform their transportation method to biking have physical, occupational, or personal limitations to the amount of energy that they can exert. Fear not, for there is more than one way to build a bike and we have compiled the 10 best reasons why you should consider motorized bicycles.
Electrically Motorized Bicycles
Bicycles like mountain bikes and road bikes are wonderfully simple, mechanical vehicles. The only energy input comes from the cyclists' effort and thus they are inexpensive, reliable, and versatile as compared to all other forms of transportation. Electrically motorized bikes (also known as electric bikes, e-bikes, motor-assisted bicycles, and power-assisted bicycles) are built to be street legal as a bicycle and do not require a vehicle registration in the way that electric scooters and motorcycles do. Motorized bikes are, just that—a bicycle with a motor to help in accelerating the bike. E-bikes, which are legal bicycles, will feature motors designed to tap out around 20 miles per hour.
E-Bikes use rechargeable batteries, which come in many varieties. Lightweight motorized bikes will reach speeds around 16 to 20 miles per hour. Some higher-powered bikes, which still fall into the category of motorized electric bicycle, can reach speeds upwards of 30 miles per hour. Motorized bikes are designed to use a wide range of different motors. Some motorized bikes are under the classification of pedal assist. These bikes will create up to 25% motorized thrust assistance, whereas other models, which fall into the classification of power-on-demand motorized bikes, will create up to 200% acceleration from the rider's pedaling. What separates motorized bikes from mopeds and motorcycles is the ability of the bike to be propelled by the rider's pedaling power. Motorized bikes are classified into the following two types:
Pedal-Assist Motorized Bikes
A pedal-assist motorized bike is regulated directly by the rider's leg power. The motor is designed to provide a supplementary power source, in addition to the rider’s pedaling effort. For example, you will still need to pedal on the uphill ride; however, the job will be much, much easier. Pedal-assist e-bikes are street legal and are not classified differently than a bicycle.
Power-on-Demand
The motor is designed to match or exceed the rider's leg power. With a power-on-demand motorized bike, the motor is engaged by a handlebar throttle, which resembles that of a moped. On uphill climbs, the rider can use the motor power as a pedaling supplementation or they can stop pedaling altogether. However, at the end of the day, the bike can operate under its own pedal power and is not 100% reliant on the motor for propulsion.
Best 10 Reasons to Consider Motorized E-Bicycles
1. Speed Demon
With a motorized bicycle, you don't have to worry about getting worn out and slowing down. The motorized bike is designed to kick in when the going gets tough, so you aren't late to get where you're going. Motorized bikes can accelerate to over 20 miles per hour, which is the speed of a biker at a pretty quick pace. It does make it a little bit unfair for the other bikers when you are cruising past them at 20 mph and you haven't even broken into a sweat.
2. Elevation Changes (Hills)
The motorized bicycle specializes on hills. On motor assist e-bike models, riders can ascend hills easily, with only a steady pedaling force, which is supplemented by 25%. On power-on-demand models, a rider can more or less sit back and let the motor do the hard work on uphill climbs.
3. Professional Appearance
For those who live in areas with large elevation changes, biking can be a challenge. This is especially true if you are considering making a bike your main form of transportation, but you work in a professional industry. It is one thing to get all sweaty on a bike before you shower but it's another thing to show up to the boardroom looking like you just stepped out of a 5k in the desert. Motorized bikes excel on hills and keep the rider from working up a sweat on uphill slopes and super hot days. The motor allows a rider to cruise along at their leisure, with variable low energy expended in pedaling.
4. Frugality
Motorized bicycles are the cheapest form of transportation. The benefit gained from the bikes motor only adds to its value, fulfilling the main basic function of an automobile and still outweighs the long-term expense of using a car tenfold. E-bikes can be found in a range from around $300 to around $3000 and their upkeep costs are negligible when compared to cars. Best of all, no fuel is required. On a motorized bike, the rider powers the motor while pedaling.
5. Safety
In a car crash, vehicles are traveling at very high speeds when compared to bicycles. Car crashes can result in long-term injury and even death and the frequency of these occurrences are seen all too often. The worst case scenario cases are generally the same for bikers; however, the chance of this scenario taking place is negligible. Bikes are usually not traveling over 25 miles per hour at full speed. A rider wearing a helmet has exponentially lower odds of experiencing a life-threatening crash on a bicycle compared to a car crash. Less mass and less momentum results in less risk.
6. Ecological
Climate change is in full swing, everyone knows it (well, mostly) and there's nothing we can do about it! Wait. Yes, there is. Converting your main method of transportation into a motorized bike is one of the biggest things that anyone can do single-handedly to reduce their own personal carbon footprint. Imagine if everyone in the country decided to bike to work. Peace on earth would happen.
7. Health and Wellness
The hardest thing about working out is establishing a new habit, in terms of using a gym or creating some space in your life where you perform a useless task for the purpose of your health. People don't have time to add a thing into their lives. That is why bike commuting is the perfect way to get your physical exercise every day. Instead of adding a new habit, change an existing habit. The habit of driving to work is bad. It gets you there at 40 mph and that is it. The habit of biking to work is good. It gets you there at 20 mph and you never have to think about making specific time to exercise. Bike commuting will become the healthiest and most efficient thing you do in your day.
8. Mobility
It’s hard to drive your car up a flight of stairs, between two lanes of traffic or take it on an elevator. Bikes are inherently mobile and allow the user virtually as much freedom as if they were on foot, except bikers get where they are going up to 6 times as quickly.
9. Versatility
Many people have packages and things to carry in their vehicles, which makes it difficult to convert to bike commuting. However, it's all about the gear. Getting an extension built on your car is difficult and expensive. Bikes are made to accommodate extensions and additional storage space and the cost is once again negligible when compared to any work on a car.
10. The Fun Factor
You don't know what you’re missing until you try it. Biking is invigorating, meditative, peaceful, exciting—it's just fun. It introduces you to a new face of the landscape, which you talk to through your tires. Instead of separating you from the environment, like cars, bikes bring you into the environment. Bikers surf on the waved hills of the earth, feeling the ever changing terrain, landscape, and elements of their environment. Take off the top, turn off the engine and throttle up for the ride of your life. Just remember, always wear a helmet.
