Has your EMTB made you fitter, or kept you as fit, as your regular MTB?

[Expidia]

Why would anybody think an E bike or a regular bike is the end-all to proper fitness. I know I haven’t ridden my trek analog bikes in five years as they are hanging in my basement. But after I bought an E bike I put on 1500 miles in about five months. As another poster said I am also retired. I ride whenever I want. I just ride out of my driveway and put on 30 miles like it’s nothing riding to trails, on streets, single track trails etc.

But other than your legs and heart rate an E bike does nothing for your chest and arms IMO.

I set up an extra bedroom years ago and use an elliptical daily for 30 minutes and free weights every other day. Plus I added a rowing machine last year, so between the E bike and my workout room I get a total body workout weekly.

Nothing like the E bike though for getting out in the woods and fresh air …. very exhilarating.

Since I use my workout room for most of my fitness I luv to fly around my town and trails on the EMTB mode (automatic) and not feel guilty about not always using the lower assisted modes.

 

[emtbPhil]

Like they say in the world of photography, the best camera is the one you have with you.

The best exercise equipment is the one you use.

I have a gravel bike, treadmill, rowing machine, exercise bike… and I know for a fact my emtb gets 1-2k a year on it where the rest will gather dust

 

[fenwick458]

But other than your legs and heart rate an E bike does nothing for your chest and arms IMO.

depends how steep of a mountain you ride down. I often get sore triceps and traps

 

[DMC707]

First rides i have done were on the same trails as i frequent on my regular bikes

Heart rate average is about the same. Dont really go that much faster either. my trails are tight and technical for the most part ---

But i stay out longer and as mentioned earlier in the thread, i also will tackle climbs i used to have to hike

Time will tell. I got the thing because of another gent as heavy as me who lost 80 lbs with the E bike (im sure there were some diet changes too ) ---

 

[KSL]

Just curious but is that with a fitness goal in mind? Like do you specifically ride your emtb on smart control to make it harder etc? I mean I find it's definitely what you put in to each of them.. If you jog vs full on power a timed mtb climb.. etc

Fitness goals are based on how much free time I have to ride. It's that simple. Biking is supplemental for me, but got into it more when I purchased an eBike as it opens more options for me. I still have my Yeti 130, which feels like a BMX bike now. I ride eBikes, analog bikes, motocross, run and lift weights in no particular order. You can refer to me as Chuck Norris. That's an American joke.

 

[Garybee]

My heart monitor shows I ride in the same heart rate zones. The e-bike is easier on the legs, so to give my legs the normal workout I go farther and push harder. My upper body now gets more tired due to the additional weight of the e-bike. Looks to me I have put on noticeably more upper body muscle and my legs have remained the same. In 2021 I logged 307 hrs, and with the e-bike purchase it jumped to 437 hrs in 2022 and this year my goal is 500 hrs. I am going to sty I am in better shape due to riding longer for more cardio and a more balanced upper body/ lower body workout. Its also way more fun !!!

 

[rzr]

I tried riding my ebike with non assisted bikers and I just find it plain boring. Eco gives Too much assist, I really wish there was a “neutral” setting where you just got enough assist to make up for the extra weight of the bike.

of course you can, most of serious brands give you option to fully customise the settings (assistance level etc.) with your phone

 

[Paris Doo]

I haven't done many rides with my e bike so I can't tell about the long term effect on my fitness but I can definitely say that I can now have a more targeted exercise plan. Where I ride we have really steep uphill & downhill roads & trails so my usual rides were in zone 4 or 5 but now I can select the desired assistance level & target my preferred heart zone. That means that I can start the season by riding in my aerobic zones and then gradually add more intense anaerobic sessions.

 

[MOTO13]

Do people actually ride mtb's for fitness? Is this even a thing??? I'm not talking about some boring railroad grade type of riding to admire the friggin woodpeckers and barn swallows, but actually ride in the woods etc to get fit? Seems like an insane thing to even think about. I do it 100% for fun. Personally, I have never done anything for "fitness". If it doesn't involve me enjoying the shit out of it, it ain't happening. I never raced MX for fitness. It may be a side benefit, but it was for the fun and thrill. If you seriously enjoy doing it, the fitness will come. But to do something like riding a mountain bike for the sake of some BS workout is nuts.

 

[Paris Doo]

Here is a crazy thought. You can enjoy your ride and still workout! Mind-blowing I know!

 

[Bongles Grandad]

didnt ride before i got my trek rail but this has certainly made me a lot fitter, when i first got it i was in turbo mode quite a lot, but most of the time im in tour or eco mode now. (except very steep climbs) the area i live is at the foot of the cleveland hills so i do get a very good work out

 

[BiGJZ74]

As a Super Clyde, E-mtb has actually made me more fit. On my regular bikes, most rides climbing i'm in zone 4-5 near max HR which isn't the best. On the E-mtb I'm able to ride longer in lower zones to increase cardio capacity so whenever I ride my regular bikes, I'm able to ride longer and receiver faster. If I ride e-mtb too much, I do think I lose some on my threshold power as I'm not grinding as hard. TBH, I ride emtb to keep up with my normal sized friends so there is no waiting on climbs. Just about every ride we do around NorCal involves 2-4k ft of climbing if ur doing 15-25miles. When you climb half as fast even without stopping....there's a lot of waiting. Everyone always says they don't mind....but waiting is never as much fun.

 

[PennywiseTheDancingClown]

I was so unfit that I'm definitely gaining... though not nearly as fast as my son who's on an amish hard tail. I am only 4 months off chemo so there is that too..., having the E bike is allowing me to ride as I only last on an amish bike for 30 minutes before I'm wrecked.

Ill probably go back to an amish at some point, but in the meantime I'm just enjoying being able to get out and ride at all.

 

[Maxi]

One of the reasons I went for an eMTB is age coupled with dodgy hips, meaning I was in pain after riding my analogue, irrespective of the distance. Now I'm riding longer / further and whilst I'm not using as much 'effort', I'm getting out riding which I haven't been able to do comfortably for the last couple of years.

So yes, it is getting me fitter as opposed to not riding at all.

 

[rod9301]

depends how steep of a mountain you ride down. I often get sore triceps and traps

Exactly

 

[Type1]

eMTB‘a are heavier and so require muscling around more, this will increase your upper body strength more so.

 

[Jake From State Farm]

Emtbs are trainers. Stationary bikes that actually move and can go downhill lol.
You can make a stationary bike really easy too if that's what you want.. I just prefer DH, so riding as many downs as I can is a good workout in itself. Going up is just an added fitness benefit, I would rather it not affects my performance going down though.. where it actually counts. Which is why I love my levo....
However, on top of that I'm eyeing a Kenevo SL and gonna FOX 40 the shit out of it..
A DH bike that climbs. Who would have thought!

 

[Rando_12345]

Regarding the weird comments from ex-moto guys:

On non-motorised bikes fitness is directly correlated to fun (unless you use chairlifts/shuttles). If you are not fit, you can barely get any riding and that riding is hampered by being tired from the climbing. When you have been riding at a high level, losing fitness is really s###, you can't get out as long as before, you can't access some of the best spots as they are too remote, and you can't power out of turns and double over stuff as easy.

E-bikes reduce this barrier considerably, but still for me the best days out are 70+kms with 2500-3500m of vert in the Alps, effectively climbing and descending 2-3 mountains. Without some fitness you will not enjoy or be able to ride hard past the first few descents.

 

[rod9301]

Emtbs are trainers. Stationary bikes that actually move and can go downhill lol.
You can make a stationary bike really easy too if that's what you want.. I just prefer DH, so riding as many downs as I can is a good workout in itself. Going up is just an added fitness benefit, I would rather it not affects my performance going down though.. where it actually counts. Which is why I love my levo....
However, on top of that I'm eyeing a Kenevo SL and gonna FOX 40 the shit out of it..
A DH bike that climbs. Who would have thought!

You can buy a dh e bike, haibike makes one

 

[Jake From State Farm]

You can buy a dh e bike, haibike makes one

Yeah I'll be staying away from haibikes. Nothing against them personally, just have other bikes that I would spend that kind of money on before their product. Honestly, even a light trail bike like the new rise would be a good pick up since I already have a levo..
If the Kenevo matched the weight (at least by 2/3 lbs) with the same specs but keeping the same geo/travel it would be a no brainer. They really do need to upgrade their motor..

 

[prometeo72]

Talking about numbers....I'm 50 and obviously unfit. Here two runs of the same route, same bike (trek fuel ex-e) made 2 days one from the other. First ride without assistance (I was with my ordinary-bike-equipped friends) second ride full use of assistance (ended with only 10% of battery left). Numbers says that I worked out more with the assistance.

 

[RebornRider]

The amount of effort you put into your ride is up to you, not the bike. You can choose to work harder on an ebike than an acoustic bike. Or you can choose to let the ebike do some of the work you used to do on the acounstic bike. It's your choice.

 

[rzr]

This is very strange... these pics above. avg. HR is similar, but max HR is lower on activity with higher load). one activity is 40 mins shorter (time in move), but Load waaay higher (241 vs 163)...

anyway... yes, i agree that if you WANT, you can ride emtb in an intense way, but also it can make you lazy (comparing to normal bike, as i don't have to pedal so hard on steep climbs if I feel a bit exhausted)

 

[prometeo72]

This is very strange... these pics above. avg. HR is similar, but max HR is lower on activity with higher load). one activity is 40 mins shorter (time in move), but Load waaay higher (241 vs 163)...

anyway... yes, i agree that if you WANT, you can ride emtb in an intense way, but also it can make you lazy (comparing to normal bike, as i don't have to pedal so hard on steep climbs if I feel a bit exhausted)

Yes it seems strange looking at heart rate data, but look at average power and normalized power data. And yes, I think it can make you lazy on hard climbs but maybe making them easier let you maintain an higher average effort level.

 

[RebornRider]

Nope, the bike does not make you lazy. You make you lazy. It's your choice, not the bike's.

To make it as harsh as possible, don't blame the bike for your lack of discipline.

 

[mtb-steve]

Since my regular bike is 790cc I'm reasonably sure my emtb has made me fitter

 

[irie]

Since my regular bike is 790cc I'm reasonably sure my emtb has made me fitter

Ooh, don't talk about motorcycles otherwise @MountainBoy will suddenly appear to tell us "The Rulez"

(If it's a Duke that's a nice bike).

 

[MountainBoy]

Ooh, don't talk about motorcycles otherwise @MountainBoy will suddenly appear to tell us "The Rulez"

(If it's a Duke that's a nice bike).

Well, if I can help prevent a needless death or help prevent someone from becoming a paraplegic because they believed the urban legend that the way you deal with an unexpected situation was to "lay her down", then yes, I'm going to bust that false narrative wide open every time someone tries to suggest it's a good idea.

I'm sorry you don't like to be schooled, but "laying her down" on a street full of moving cars is a rank amateur move by someone who doesn't have good emergency braking skills.

 

[ggx]

Some years ago yes, I wanted to be fitter and worked for it. Now I only care about fun and have a good time, so I don´t have a clue. When things gets nasty I just go for emtb or turbo mode !

 

[KSL]

Thanks for reply. Have you tried riding your normal bike recently and if so how has your fitness been compared to how to remember it or measured it?

This is a dated thread, but I've now had my KSL for two years (my how time flies). I spend 95% of my time on my eBike and only occasionally get on my Yeti analog. My Yeti has a feather weight feel to it (and some nice performance rims), shifts like magic in comparison and simply has a great feel to it (I really enjoy it still). As long as I'm riding flats or doing some hill work for anerobic conditioning, this is all it's used for, but again, it feels great to ride being only 30 lbs and is super agile and fun! Love the feel.

If I could sum it up, for the hilly (15-30% grades) I ride, it's just not practical or fun to be on anything other than an ebike. Going anaerobic in the first minutes of a ride isn't ideal and that's pretty much what happens on my Yeti. Anolog=anerobic threshold training whereas my KSL is mostly aerobic conditioning with some anaerobic. It's really that split for me. If I lived where it was only flat, I could easily see me riding analog for more, if not mostly.

For pure miles (more riding days per week), an ebike for sure. I would typically need far more recovery time between rides before my eBike came to be, so I ride more often with the ebike, but it's not always hardcore training like prior.