E Mtb Exercise v MTB Exercise

[Mikerb]

My main sport is windsurfing and mountain biking is my no wind alternative for fitness and fun. High wind windsurfing uses nearly every muscle in your body with a big emphasis on core muscles. I always found MTB to be largely about...or at least limited by lung capacity and quads strength and fitness. My limited experience so far of E MTB is that those limitations no longer apply and a full ride becomes much more of a full body workout with exercise more evenly spread across a wider range of muscle groups. At my age (68) that means a e mtb ride is not only more fun than MTB but more beneficial .

 

[Swissrob]

As an old fella myself I would agree but it depends how hard you go but that is self regulated rather than distance or terrain regulated on non-Emtb.

 

[Mikerb]

As an old fella myself I would agree but it depends how hard you go but that is self regulated rather than distance or terrain regulated on non-Emtb.

I only know one way....to the edge of my skill level!...sometimes beyond!

 

[Mad Mark]

With the extra weight of an e-bike, you definitely get more of an all round body work out.

 

[Gary]

it all depends "how" you ride.
not what.

Emtb hasn't ever given me an more of a work out than I've had riding a non assisted bike. Be that a full days alpine uplifted DH, 6 hours at Ft William world cup track, a 5 hour XC/enduro ride or blatting about for a couple of hours on my 4X bike or BMX

Battery range (one battery) isn't really sufficient to achieve the same level of overall fatigue.
I always ride mtb with a lot of upperbody input though.

 

[Mad Mark]

I'm talking for all of us older, normal riders, who are what I would call leisure riders.
We ride once or twice a week, enjoy the riding,.... never .... ever want the battery to run out.... because that would be to much effort
In our case, I think you do get more all over work out
As for other riders who ride a lot more & are more committed to the task in hand, I'm not sure......I will take Gary's word for it.
But I feel fitter because I do more miles than I did on my clockwork

 

[Gary]

out of interest how many miles is that Mark?

I am older BTW (well.. .I'm not young anyway and at least 20 years older than a lot of the riders i ride with)
My normal is normal to me
riding is also all about leisure

 

[Dax]

Emtb hasn't ever given me an more of a work out than I've had riding a non assisted bike.

Even thou the ebike weighs a lot more than your regular bikes?

 

[Gary]

Yes Dax

it's 15lb heavier than my closest geometry/travel bike. a 170/165mm travel Capra.
but I rode DH bikes that were HEAVIER than my Ebike for most of the 90s/00s

 

[Gary]

I'm pretty upperbody strong riding wise. always have been because of my riding style. Once you have the hang of it maneouvering the Ebike really doesn't take masses more strength, just more pre-load force and slightly different timing.
the only extra muscle fatigue I ever get is occasional slight lower back fatigue. and only when I've been manualling badly. it's simply far more weight to hold when you're fighting it rather than nailing it. and we all have bad days.

 

[Dax]

I massively noticed the difference when I switched from my 16kg trail bike to my kenevo (which is admitidly heavy, even for an ebike), for the first few rides it felt like I'd hit core and upper body when I'd been riding.

I also rode very heavy DH bikes back in the day, but that was 15-20 years ago so the fitness has come and gone a few times since then. I'm pretty sure I'm riding harder on my kenevo than I have on anything without a chairlift too

 

[Gary]

I know fine I'll never ride harder than I did on those old overbuilt 43-49lb DH bikes i rode in my 20s and 30s.. I'm not actually any slower in general. I'm just far smoother nowadays. Age and injuries make you wiser.
I hardly ride my current DH bikes anymore (just the odd uplift day) and won't ever be racing them they're both built super light (35lb) Far lighter than any bike I ever did race DH on. built for fun rather than racing. My E-sommet has a longer wheelbase than both of 'em and is noticably way more stable in gnarly terrain.

 

[raine]

Yes Dax

it's 15lb heavier than my closest geometry/travel bike. a 170/165mm travel Capra.
but I rode DH bikes that were HEAVIER than my Ebike for most of the 90s/00s

But did you pedal those DH bikes all the way up?

I agree with you on your first reply - getting exercise does depend "how" you ride, but IMO the equipment does dictate how you choose to ride in the first place.

 

[Gary]

But did you pedal those DH bikes all the way up?

it was pretty stupid. but sometimes. Yes.

I pedal my Emtb to the top of DH tracks/enduro switched off sometimes and round entire scottish trail centre routes switched off.
almost every ride I do with my GF I take my Emtb and leave it switched off the entire ride to even up our climbing speeds
I also ride a 4x hardtail with a 36t ring and 11-21 cassette and a slammed saddle round trail centres and big (lots of climbing) natural Xc rides.
Here it is at the top of a 2200ft natural climb

i just like riding bikes. a lot.

what point are you trying to make?

 

[raine]

what point are you trying to make?

Whoa relax buddy, it was just a question... don't read into it. lol

 

[Gary]

chillin like a villain dude.

 

[JimBo]

For me, it's about getting a more constant aerobic workout.

Riding my old Stumpy up long, steep climbs, I'd quickly reach anaerobic levels. I don't enjoy that kind of exercise... at all.

On well equipped eMTBs, however, I'm huffing and puffing at a manageable rate.

 

[JChristo]

For me, it's about getting a more constant aerobic workout.

Riding my old Stumpy up long, steep climbs, I'd quickly reach anaerobic levels. I don't enjoy that kind of exercise... at all.

On well equipped eMTBs, however, I'm huffing and puffing at a manageable rate.

Hit the nail on the head there for me as well JimBo. The climbs where I live feature a lot of steep techy stuff that just ruins me on a regular bike. I'm finding I'm riding a lot more regularly and for longer. As long as I'm not with non-ebike riders I go as hard as I can and my average HR is very similar to what I was getting on the non-ebike, except for longer.

Never been fitter and as my 'main' sport is surfing the extra upper body workout is a bonus. I think the only negative compared to a regular Mtn Bike might be a slight loss of Quad strength?

 

[davarello]

For me the workout from four or five ebike rides a week is far superior to what I used to manage on a regular bike, which was one or two rides at most due to a lack of enthusiasm (and a dogdy heart condition). The assist just takes the edge off climbing, so I can get up to the good tracks without blowing a valve, and then it helps me clear steep and/or technical sections I could never ride otherwise.

 

[Mad Mark]

I probably ride 30 miles a week on average, with work I can't get out as much as I would like & I'm nearly 56 with dodgy knees & a not so great hip

 

[outerlimits]

My ass gets a better workout as I sit down more on the ebike. My quads get a better workout as I do more downhill runs on the ebike. Core strength has improved on the ebike as I commute to and from the trails riding no hands, instead of slumped over the bars.
It’s not what you ride, but how you ride.

Well I ride my ebike differently, so it’s kinda both really.

 

[e-mtbiker]

For me, it's about getting a more constant aerobic workout.

Riding my old Stumpy up long, steep climbs, I'd quickly reach anaerobic levels. I don't enjoy that kind of exercise... at all.

On well equipped eMTBs, however, I'm huffing and puffing at a manageable rate.

This is Bob on, anyone wanting to lose weight will likely gain more benefit from an ebike as you can maintain a lower HR zone over the same terrain and potentially go for longer (depending on fitness).

Long and low is key.

 

[Gary]

No it isn't
eating less calories than you burn is.

it makes no difference how you burn them
and you'll get fitter with higher intensity exercise.

train at aerobic level all the time and you'll only ever be good at arerobic level exercise.
MTB is very much an anerobic activity if done to a high fitness level.
Even endurance mtb is raced at and above threshold.

Stop kidding yourself.
losing more weight from riding an ebike than a non assisted bike is complete nonsense.
As is getting fitter on an Ebike.

It's perfectly possible to train at low intensity on a non assisted mtb. it's just slower.
Granted you may enjoy the exercise more when assisted.
The funny thing is. the fitter you get the more enjoyable higher intensity riding becomes

 

[outerlimits]

losing more weight from riding an ebike than a non assisted bike is complete nonsense.

Fat is not a real efficient fuel for the body, however you burn more fat at a lower intensity. You still burn fat at higher intensity but not as much. At a higher intensity you will tire quicker but tend to build more muscle. Greater muscle mass increases your metabolism, which is good.

An ebike allows you to flatten the earth and keep in the lower fat burning hr zone for longer without getting as tired as if you were working at a higher intensity. But you also have to do some trading in the higher intensity zone to get fitter and increase muscle mass.

It’s harder to go for a long low intensity ride on a mtb as there are hills which increase the hr, and you tire quicker and burn less fat when this happens and cut your ride short.

 

[Gary]

however you burn more fat at a lower intensity.

no you don't mate

 

[Pdoz]

No it isn't
eating less calories than you burn is.

it makes no difference how you burn them
and you'll get fitter with higher intensity exercise.

train at aerobic level all the time and you'll only ever be good at arerobic level exercise.
MTB is very much an anerobic activity if done to a high fitness level.
Even endurance mtb is raced at and above threshold.

Stop kidding yourself.
losing more weight from riding an ebike than a non assisted bike is complete nonsense.
As is getting fitter on an Ebike.

It's perfectly possible to train at low intensity on a non assisted mtb. it's just slower.
Granted you may enjoy the exercise more when assisted.
The funny thing is. the fitter you get the more enjoyable higher intensity riding becomes

Gary, not everyone is an elite athlete with decades of dedication to the sport.

For us mere mortals, getting out on an emtb for 2/3 hours per week and being able to walk the next day is a HUGE improvement from what we were doing in the past ( an hour a week on a clockwork ) . For many of us, our bodies are never going to cope with pumping pedals - damaged knees / ankles / feet / lungs and hearts. So we do what we can, when we can, and the emtb means we can - often harder and for longer.

Btw, if I want a hard hours exercise I switch to full power . On a gentle day I leave the bike in eco. With this worn out body, I KNOW I get more exercise on my emtb than my clockwork. My knees and ankles are my limiting factor.

 

[outerlimits]

no you don't mate

You are quite right, what I have stated is a complete myth. Was just seeing if you were on the ball Gary.

 

[Gary]

Gary, not everyone is an elite athlete with decades of dedication to the sport.

Neither am I.

but being less than athletic doesn't excuse talking complete bollocks about basic fitness training and weight loss.

I'm happy for anyone who's riding more, whatever the reason.
Bikes are awesome!

 

[Gary]

I actually don't "get" the need to justify an Ebike purchase with fitness anecdotes.
They're incredibly fun to ride.
That should be enough justification for owning one whatever your fitness level.

 

[outerlimits]

I actually don't "get" the need to justify an Ebike purchase with fitness anecdotes.
They're incredibly fun to ride.
That should be enough justification for owning one whatever your fitness level.

Yeah I ride an eMtb so I can roost and tear up the trails, and because I like cheating and I’m lazy.
Oh shit, I’m talking myths again.
Carry on