Veloviews for September 30, 2022 – E-Bikes Rekindle the Joy of Cycling

If you consider yourself a serious bicyclist, you may think that e-bikes are a form of cheating. After all, riding climbs or sprinting to a certain point is what makes the sport not only fun but a great workout. Those were pretty much my thoughts.

But what if you were seriously injured to the point where you couldn’t really use the full power of both your legs? What if you had a heart condition that if you rode a bike full throttle could endanger your health? What if you were a family of three on a tight budget that loved cycling but had to rely on a car to do errands?

E-Bikes Can Change Lives

These are all questions Frederick Dreier raises in his article “The E-Bike is Pure Joy” over at the Outside website. In fact, he mentions many stories of those whose lives were changed for the better by the use of e-bikes.

Dreier, in fact, goes as far as to say that e-bikes are not only functionally useful and can serve various purposes, but that they are also cool. A motorized bike cool? After reading the seven short vignettes he adds to his article, I must say I’m now convinced.

Positive E-Bike Stories

One man who was almost killed in a cycling accident when a car hit him had lost all the power in his right leg. An e-bike restored his confidence and joy in the sport. Another person states how e-bikes brought him closer to his partner, so now they spend more time together.

Yet another man who suffers from heart arrhythmia, although he loved cycling, was terrified he might have a heart attack while riding. An e-bike allowed him to keep riding without the worry of overstraining his heart. And that’s just a few of the nice comments you can read in Dreier’s article.

Last Thoughts

So, are e-bikes cool? Yes, they most definitely are. Why? Well, for one, two wheels are always better than four. And chances are you won’t die or hurt someone else with a bike. Secondly, while e-bikes have a motor, it doesn’t use gas but a battery. So, no air pollution or climate change is going to result from e-bikes. And lastly, the people in this article, who already enjoyed cycling, have fallen completely in love with the sport because e-bikes have opened their eyes to a new world of purpose and function. I think that is pretty special.