Some say having an electronic bike is cheating. They say it’s not real cycling and is simply a poor imitation of an enjoyable hobby. While such an opinion can be understood, it isn’t really true, and you’re about to find out why.
The sale of electric bikes is going through the roof. There are electric bicycles for sale online and in shops, and in virtually every other place you look. But are all these budding new cyclists cheating? No.
Electronic Bikes are About More Than Just Cycling
Cyclers are a competitive bunch. You only have to watch the Tour de France or Giro de Italia to see how much pleasure riders get out of making themselves suffer in order to win the grand prize. That attitude is something that most cyclists have. Of course, it’s natural, therefore, that they may find the electronic bike a cop out. But they’re looking at the picture too simply. Electronic bikes are actually about more than cycling. They’re a lifestyle.
While cycling is certainly fun, it can also be very taxing on the body. Now that’s not a bad thing, but it can be an inappropriate thing in certain circumstances. Take somebody nursing an injury, for example. They may enjoy being out in the fresh air and being able to use a bike without the usual stress of doing so. Then there are those who need to get to work but don’t want to arrive there sweaty. Those people can benefit from this unique method of travel.
Emissions
Another reason why electronic bikes aren’t cheating is because of the reduced emissions associated with their usage. If everybody started riding an electronic bike, global warming would reduce ten-fold. Electric bikes for sale are actually marketed using this benefit. As so many people now care about protecting planet earth, anything that can prevent its destruction is always going to be a popular choice.
As the reduced emissions given off by an electric bike are real, it’s hard to say riding one isn’t real cycling. After all, isn’t that what cycling is, an eco-friendly way of traveling? There’s no way the planet thinks of this benefit as cheating, and there’s certainly no way future generations will think of it as so, either.
Changing Perceptions
As the electric bike gets a few years behind it, more and more people will grow to appreciate it and what it does. It looks to be getting a whole new generation of people into cycling, including people who wouldn’t have wanted to do so on a normal push bike. This is fairly huge in the grand scheme of things, which makes the electric bicycle a revolutionary product. Whereas the bicycle market has stagnated, the electronic bicycle market is fresh, and growing rapidly.
Make no mistake about it, hundreds of thousands of people wouldn’t buy into cheating. Riding an electric bicycle is real cycling, just ask anyone who has one.