Riding e-bikes does not result in health benefits, claims influential bike blogger

[James_MTB]

Story
Bike blogger criticised for e-bike claims
Source
A view from the cycle path: Riding e-bikes does not lead to health benefits

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

Conclusion
The exercise benefits of pedalling are lost when you're no longer pushing the pedals hard.

Kiwi in Wales: No shit Sherlock! and what happens if you are pushing hard on the pedals like most of the members in this forum do? Perhaps the study should have been split in 2?
50% of People that 'do not' push hard on the pedals
50% of People that 'do' push hard on the pedals

Gee wizz, I wonder if that would have made a difference to his results..... honestly....lord give me strength.....

 

[Slowroller]

Breaking news! Some people exercise more than others. Recent findings also show the sun rises in the east every morning.

 

[ckay76]

Well I sweat loadsvwhikst riding. If I want to put no effort in, I'd have bought a moped.

 

[Norange]

The exercise benefits of pedalling are lost when you're no longer pushing the pedals hard.

Incorrect. They are reduced.

 

[Riotsloth]

Here is my take on this:

(TL;DR: Study concludes the bleeding obvious, but it is barely of any significance.)

That study isn't brilliant in my opinion; there are way too many variables which are not defined here. For instance, people who buy expensive racing bikes or MTBs tend to use them far more than, say, people who buy shopping or folding bikes. They are also likely to have significantly different lifestyles and diets - how many fat people do you see on racers or full-sus MTB's off road? Not many. What was the breakdown of ages/bike types/conditions? When I lived in Groningen I cycled everywhere but its totally flat and I was cycling gently. I doubt my BMI would have reduced in any meaningful way. And what E-Bikes were they? How far were people cycling? Ten minutes on the flat to the train station is different to out all weekend on the Downs pedalling like a loon. Unfortunately I couldn't see any breakdown of categories by age, income or how long candidates had been using their mode of transport prior to the survey, which I think would have been interesting and added some context.

The study actually says that the e-bike user base questioned was small. From the study:

"Although the sample of e-bikers was small, riding an e-bike was asso-
ciated with higher BMI. This finding could complement a previous
study that found that older adults with a higher BMI were more likely to
be an e-bike-user"

And it also says:

"we hypothesize that more frequent use of an e-bike leads to a higher BMI
through less regular biking (Me: do they mean taking your E-bike instead of your normal bike? No shit!). However, it is unlikely that all of the weight gain was the result of reduced physical activity, as e-biking still requires moderate to vigorous levels of physical activity"

The conclusion should have been: 'E-Bikes prove those who expend more energy see a slightly reduced BMI compared to those who don't'

Finally, I think it is worth noting that in the findings, the top BMI changes were from male cyclists, who lost 0.75Kg on average over 18 months... well whoopee-shit. Quit sugar and you will see a 5Kg weight loss inside 3 months.

 

[OldBean]

the exercise effort/ benefit is entirely up to you .....whatever "exercise" you are doing .
jogging can be gentle or fast , work outs in the gym can be low or full on ...etc .entirely up to the exerciser.
The same result could be achieved from any similar survey!
Dont tell me we dont benefit after my ride in the Suffolk hills yesterday..Phew.....Yes there are hills in Suffolk........unless I had strayed into Essex.....Sacre Blue!!!!!
Have fun

 

[Al Boneta]

I can see the health benefits to other people. Because of riding my Ebike I am less prone to strangle people who make bullshit studies and cherry pick the results to support their preferred conclusions