Weight gain from EMTB

[Canyon Shawn]

What? You dont even know me buddy so please dont talk to me about laziness. I logged 3k miles last year on various pedal bikes. I ride 4x a week, work out 3x a week, and commute 3 hrs each day to work, then come home and raise a family.

Seems Ive hit a nerve here. I keep hearing how ebikes give you just as much of a workout as a regular bike. Im here to say that for ME, it doesnt and wanted to see If others experienced the same. I said my anecdotal experience. If you notice I said “if all else being the same, diet etc”. Whats the point of riding an ebike if you leave the motor off like someone above suggested? If you lost weight with an ebike, good for you, but dont judge me because I didnt experience the same.

The mob mentality here is no different than MTBR. What a shame. Must have the same opinions as everyone else or the pitchforks come out.

Dude, you are blaming your ebike for getting fat. Take accountability and move on.

 

[Twindaddy]

You are definitely wrong. You can even burn more calories riding in E bike. Because if you ride at the same intensity as your analog bike, you’re burning more calories in your upper body to handle the extra speeds. First thing I noticed riding an ebike is, that I had to completely rethink my braking points. With the increased speed I was coming into the corners too hot. And, I’m also able to carry more speed through the corners. But, life is all about choices. If you want to lose weight, you have to make the right choices. If you don’t make the right choices, you have nothing or no one to blame but yourself for gaining weight. There are many other choices you have to consider when it comes to losing weight. Riding an analog bike or an E bike is at the very bottom of that list of choices. If you have to rely on which bike you ride to lose weight, you are really screwed.

I agree with you to a certain extent. IF you ride the ebike with the same intensity as a regular bike but that is a huge “IF”.

 

[Twindaddy]

Dude, you are blaming your ebike for getting fat. Take accountability and move on.

Accountability for what? Literally the only thing that has changed is im now riding an ebike vs an analog. Process of elimination leaves me with the ebike as the only determining factor.

 

[RebornRider]

Speaking of touching a nerve, you seem to have a hair trigger. It is completely illogical to blame the bike when YOU are responsible for the watts you put into the pedals.

 

[Canyon Shawn]

I agree with you to a certain extent. IF you ride the ebike with the same intensity as a regular bike but that is a huge “IF”.

For me, it’s not IF, it’s WHEN. WHEN I ride my ebike I ride with the same intensity. You should try it.

 

[Canyon Shawn]

Accountability for what? Literally the only thing that has changed is im now riding an ebike vs an analog. Process of elimination leaves me with the ebike as the only determining factor.

Accountability that it’s your fault you’re getting fat. Not your ebikes fault. By the way, who bought your ebike? How old are you?

 

[Twindaddy]

Speaking of touching a nerve, you seem to have a hair trigger. It is completely illogical to blame the bike when YOU are responsible for the watts you put into the pedals.

Read your post again. I asked a question if anyone gained weight, made zero personal attacks on anyone and you came on and essentially called me fat and lazy without knowing a thing about me.

 

[Twindaddy]

Accountability that it’s your fault you’re getting fat. Not your ebikes fault. By the way, who bought your ebike? How old are you?

Whats with the insulting posts? I asked a question and laid out why I think the ebike may cause more weight gain. I made no personal negative comments and I get called fat and lazy and now asking who bought my bike? Really?

 

[DogRanger]

Twindaddy, people disagree because they do not share your experience. This thread did strike a tiny nerve with me because I keep thinking of the many, MANY ways ebikes are helping me stay fit and lose weight. For example, some days I'm not sure I want to ride. So I figure I'll get on the ebike and up the boost. Some days that's the way I ride and others I end up pedal hard anyway. If I only had an analog bike on those days I would not have even gone for a ride.

So you're pedaling easier because you can. That's simply not what many others do. I do agree with the people who say don't blame the bike. You can choose to pedal it hard if losing weight or making fitness progress is, in fact, your goal.

 

[Twindaddy]

Twindaddy, people disagree because they do not share your experience. This thread did strike a tiny nerve with me because I keep thinking of the many, MANY ways ebikes are helping me stay fit and lose weight. For example, some days I'm not sure I want to ride. So I figure I'll get on the ebike and up the boost. Some days that's the way I ride and others I end up pedal hard anyway. If I only had an analog bike on those days I would not have even gone for a ride.

So you're pedaling easier because you can. That's simply not what many others do. I do agree with the people who say don't blame the bike. You can choose to pedal it hard if losing weight or making fitness progress is, in fact, your goal.

Thats fine. Folks can disagree with my points but theres no need for personal insults as I did not make any. I dont need to come on a mtb forum and be called fat, lazy, and asking how old I am.

 

[DogRanger]

I dont need to come on a mtb forum and be called fat, lazy, and asking how old I am.

True that. But it's the internet and people bring their own agendas even when it's uncalled for. Let it roll off your back and then go for a ride. I would but this weather is making me fat and lazy.

 

[Twindaddy]

True that. But it's the internet and people bring their own agendas even when it's uncalled for. Let it roll off your back and then go for a ride. I would but this weather is making me fat and lazy.

Im sure if we met on the trail we’d get along just fine as Ive never met a mountain biker I disliked. Sharing opinions on a forum should be no different. Enjoy your weekend.

 

[Canyon Shawn]

Whats with the insulting posts? I asked a question and laid out why I think the ebike may cause more weight gain. I made no personal negative comments and I get called fat and lazy and now asking who bought my bike? Really?

I didn’t call you lazy. I’m starting to lean that way though. Well, you did say you gained ten pounds and you seem to be upset with that gain. So yeah, fat is what it’s called! And, you’ll get fatter unless you make a change. I’d like to know how old you are? As you should know (but I’m not sure you do, because you don’t seem to have a good grasp of some basic principles) that our metabolism slows down as we age. That could very well be your problem. That’s what happened to me and I remedied the problem. Refer yourself back to post number 20. Watch it, learn it and live it! Also, stress can cause weight gain. And well, you seem to be fairly stressed. People are giving you good advice here, but you don’t seem to want to except it and learn from it. You just want to blame your ebike. Which is an inanimate object. Therefore the blame lies squarely on the animate object that owns the inanimate object. That would be you, in case you didn’t understand that.

 

[KnollyBro]

Im sure if we met on the trail we’d get along just fine as Ive never met a mountain biker I disliked. Sharing opinions on a forum should be no different. Enjoy your weekend.

Haha... I would have to agree unless you are that dooche who blasts up the FSR in full turbo, never stops to talk to anyone, and then goes as slow as fnck on the way down because they are in way over their heads on trails they can't ride. I see them all too often around here.
When I read your first post, I completely agreed with it. The problem here is that there are lots of riders on this forum that would be very happy to only be 10 lbs over weight and be able to ride as often as you do. People like to share their opinions online, especially ancedotal ones, but I think you made your point that ebikes are fun and you enjoy riding them but will have to make some changes in your life style. I recently bought a pedal bike to ride proper DH trails (shuttle or chairlift) but it is not all that likely I will ride it that often to pedal up a mountain as I am too old/fat and enjoy my time going down the mountain WAY more!
Have a nice weekend on which ever bike you choose and if you can, lose a pound for me

 

[Bman]

Accountability for what? Literally the only thing that has changed is im now riding an ebike vs an analog. Process of elimination leaves me with the ebike as the only determining factor.

But in the post before you said it was a big “if” regarding riding at the same intensity. So apparently you’re not. And if you don’t, with everything else being equal, you’re gonna gain weight. I just don’t understand what’s so hard to understand. If you ride your e-bike like you used to ride a regular bike, you’ll burn the same calories, just go farther and/or faster. If you lolligag on it, you’ll gain weight.

 

[Twindaddy]

I appreciate everyones input. However, with everything else being the same, i.e, diet, time in the saddle, etc, my anecdotal experience is the ebike simply cannot burn the calories that pedaling an anolog would. I think we can all agree that calories burned per hour on a ebike cannot match that of an anlaog. I would have to change one of the existing factors like more time in the saddle, improving my diet, and/or decreasing the assist. . I was just surprised how much of a difference it made in a relatively short time. Im just as surprised that no one else gained weight switching to an eeb.

Additional time in the saddle isnt an option as Im maxed out on time available to ride (about 8 hrs a week). So, the diet definitely needs to change along with decreasing the assist. I also plan to take the analog out more often.

The rain here in socal isnt helping anything! Enjoy your weekend all!

Here is my post where I acknowledged I needed to 1) increase time in the saddle 2) improve my diet 3) or decrease the assist. Not sure where anything in my post was controversial. My question was simple, how many of you gained weight switching to an ebike. I suspect not everyone is putting out the same intensity. Apparently I was wrong and everyone is.

 

[Jake From State Farm]

I've lost 50lbs on my emtb (was in a bad work accident and put on 80 lbs during a 3 year long recovery)
They still keep coming off. Ride longer, ride harder!

 

[KnollyBro]

I've lost 50lbs on my emtb (was in a bad work accident and put on 80 lbs during a 3 year long recovery)
They still keep coming off. Ride longer, ride harder!

But would you have lost 50lbs riding a pedal powered bike? My guess is, possibly, but you might not have enjoyed it as much. Unfortunately, during a period of rehab, one tends to develop other coping mechanisms including over eating and possibly a more sedentary life style watching Netflix and Youtube. I know I did when I broke my calcaneus bone. However, all the "ride longer. ride harder" comments do not address the OP's question of "Did anyone gain weight when they switched over to an emtb?" I think a simple "yes, I did", "not really" or "no, I didn't" would have worked here followed up with "I used to ride all day long to get away from my wife but now my battery holds me back so I can only ride so far and we have to hit the pub" or "but I was fat when I started."
Once again, the OP is talking about 10 lbs here. How many of us can say their body weight has changed by 2-5% and it has changed our lives? I read his question as a curiosity rather than an accusation.

 

[durask]

I must say, though, that bar food is just bad stuff. Lots of carbs, seed oils and in general cheapest ingredients you can buy from your local restaurant supplier like SYSCO. Add some high calorie IPAs and you are really not doing your body any favors.

Even if you are not gaining weight, you are giving yourself fatty liver and insulin resistance.

 

[Sunburntwily]

This is a lot of chatting. To much for me to read. So on from the beginning, for what it's worth I find the emtb almost like a spin class. The best thing I have ever done. I have been riding all my life and personally really appreciate when hit a techy climb and ordinarily expecting my legs to blow out you just find your self pushing through. For me, it has given me an extra 2 hours of adrenalin filled riding.

 

[Zimmerframe]

A tandem stroller attracts a bit of attention from other parents and especially mothers.

The mother did the usual tickling and asked a few questions.

Oh god, I hope @BAMBAMODA doesn't read this thread. He'll be offering to babysit for people if he thinks women are going to come up and dive straight in with the usual tickling ...

 

[Mr. Light]

I appreciate everyones input. However, with everything else being the same, i.e, diet, time in the saddle, etc, my anecdotal experience is the ebike simply cannot burn the calories that pedaling an anolog would. I think we can all agree that calories burned per hour on a ebike cannot match that of an anlaog. I would have to change one of the existing factors like more time in the saddle, improving my diet, and/or decreasing the assist. . I was just surprised how much of a difference it made in a relatively short time. Im just as surprised that no one else gained weight switching to an eeb.

Additional time in the saddle isnt an option as Im maxed out on time available to ride (about 8 hrs a week). So, the diet definitely needs to change along with decreasing the assist. I also plan to take the analog out more often.

The rain here in socal isnt helping anything! Enjoy your weekend all!

Father of 11 year old boy/girl twins here!

I had the same experience. I was hovering around 150lbs, in excellent shape, riding an enduro MTB 4-5 times a week, often 3-4k' elevation per ride. I could eat/drink whatever I wanted at that point and it wouldn't affect my weight. In 2020 I picked up a Levo SL (thinking I'd still get some exercise with the SL platform) and immediately started gaining weight.

Same as you, I had every intention of keeping it in eco but rather quickly gave in to full turbo all the time, unless I was trying to save battery. My rides stayed around 3-4k' elevation. I gained 10lbs in a handful of months and haven't been motivated to burn it off or eat less. I've never needed to watch my diet in the past so that's something new to me. I recently purchased a full fat Levo (very happy with it) and I'm not even trying to pedal this thing anymore Definitely less beer and chips in my future.

My guess is that the people who lose weight when they get the ebike are losing it because they're riding more than they used to, for longer, etc. That's not the case for me, I'm just burning a fraction of the calories and not getting my heart rate above 150 unless it's a gnarly descent.

So sure, diet is the place to start, but I guarantee I'd burn those (now 15) lbs pretty quickly if I went back to the regular bike and stopped riding the E.

You seem like a cool dude, the aggressive tone of some of the comments here are head scratching for sure. Maybe some have had a struggle with weight in the past and that makes them sensitive? Maybe I'm just lazy but I'm still relatively slim, fit and enjoying riding bikes more than ever

 

[Moderator]

Just a short reminder for everyone to keep things polite.

The OP merely started a discussion with reference to their experiences and was interested in others experiences.

Not everyones will be the same and not everyones opinions will be the same.

I'm sure we all understand that it's far more useful to offer advice rather than to declare that in your opinion, someone is lazy - when you don't even know that person or their circumstances. Plus, you all have e-bikes, so as far as anyone else reading this thread is concerned, you're all lazy and this conversation is merely about different degrees of laziness .

 

[Dax]

 

[Dax]

So I guess Im not the only one.

For me its a lifestyle thing, not really an ebike thing. Standard mid life stuff where good diet and exercise takes a back burner - too much time at my desk, living in hotels on restaurant food, trying to do all the diy and chores means I'm just not getting the saddle time I was a decade ago, coupled with slowing metabolism.

For me the ebike is definitely an asset, with my current level of fitness I wouldn't bother going to ride because it would leave me too ruined to do everything else I need to do, with the ebike I can get some laps in and still keep adulting. Its also a useful training tool - I use it to keep my HR in the cardio zone on climbs, rather than just bouncing my unfit ass straight into the peak zone and blacking out 5 mins later.

 

[Jake From State Farm]

But would you have lost 50lbs riding a pedal powered bike? My guess is, possibly, but you might not have enjoyed it as much. Unfortunately, during a period of rehab, one tends to develop other coping mechanisms including over eating and possibly a more sedentary life style watching Netflix and Youtube. I know I did when I broke my calcaneus bone. However, all the "ride longer. ride harder" comments do not address the OP's question of "Did anyone gain weight when they switched over to an emtb?" I think a simple "yes, I did", "not really" or "no, I didn't" would have worked here followed up with "I used to ride all day long to get away from my wife but now my battery holds me back so I can only ride so far and we have to hit the pub" or "but I was fat when I started."
Once again, the OP is talking about 10 lbs here. How many of us can say their body weight has changed by 2-5% and it has changed our lives? I read his question as a curiosity rather than an accusation.

just giving my personal experience with my emtb man. I was on my trail bike coming off my injury first and I found that It wasn't really helping all that much and was harder on me physically painwise. Being that before my injury I played soccer, baseball, surfed, mtbed, and worked as an electrician every day fitness was never really my priority, staying active was. I would have gotten an emtb regardless and all things being equal I probably wouldn't have gain weight being that it would have kept me in the saddle longer, being active for longer. So I don't know how this kind of question is even answerable.
That's like asking if someone rode the exact same amount of time on both bikes, with the same effort, and saw a decrease in fitness or gained weight. Weight gain within 10 lbs can come and go because of a plethora of things. I didn't read his question as an accusation either and my response was in line with the change between the two. It gives you the ability to do these things with less stress on your body, so you need to push it harder and ride longer if that is your number one goal of out the bike. It wasn't for me, but it sure did help. I just didn't prefer the pain that it put on my lower back. Now I can ride both fine and don't see much of a difference unless I push myself or get lazy on either bike... I mean if someone asked you i you lose more weight on a XC bike or an enduro bike could you give an honest answer without having some kind of bias? If you lost more on one, it's likely because you liked riding it more and put more time in the saddle. My point after this long winded response it you get in what you put out, regardless of the bike. If you are gaining weight, push harder and ride longer. Or do a billion other things that will likely be more effective in weight loss than power output.

 

[Eliadn]

Well they are called full fat bikes for a reason, goes with full fat dudes!

 

[Stihldog]

Oh god, I hope @BAMBAMODA doesn't read this thread. He'll be offering to babysit for people if he thinks women are going to come up and dive straight in with the usual tickling ...

Unlike @Zimmerframe and @BAMBAMODA and @Moderator , I wear my onesies MTB gear, with printed bunnies and a cute helmet, for different reasons. To hide my body shape.

 

[Swiss Roll]

I think people should chill out with the aggressive posting, but anyway, it's easy to underestimate how much the motor is helping,. And, as has been already noted, the words"bar food and ipa" are standouts in your post, and I sympathise, after all, aren't we supposed to be having fun here??????
I had to lose a lot of weight, and I read up on the studies, and of course exercise can be counterproductive, as you feel you deserve some sustenance after your hard work.
On the other hand, I found calorie counting depressing, as I bleakly observed my allowed blob of butter. As I work near a pretty steep forested hill, on my way from work, I found a nice steep 500m stretch of tarmac, and slogged up and down, working up my repetitions, and working down my motor power, when it got too hard, I would switch up for a few seconds, and and then down again. The objective being burning calories as quickly as possible. After a couple of months, I lost like 10kg, I could shred my quite fit wife up the hill with motor off, and I ate pretty normally.

 

[Stihldog]

Cardio is my main reason riding, then fun, then fixin stuff, etc. The strength of my upper body has now changed to my lower body. I can’t huck-around my eMTB though. But I can out-climb any 74-year-old (all things equal) and most 24-year-olds. Any one of them could easily pass me on a decent thought.

Being a twin daddy I ride with each of the boys separately on our mountain. One is a dare-devil and the other is a complete disaster. They both roll their eyes at my costume choice.

I want my ticker to reach 160+ bpm several times. Occasionally I reach the 190bpm but my recovery is fast and almost back to normal in no time. I’m not as concerned about weight as long as it’s not out of control.