
You may not realize it, but electric bikes are having a bit of a moment. Ebike sales skyrocketed by 91% from 2017 to 2018, and some experts expect 130 million electric bikes to be motoring around the U.S. by 2023—far outpacing the number of electric cars and trucks projected to be on the roads by then. If you’re not already part of the crew who’s figured out how electric bikes can transform your life, we’ve rounded up the reasons why you can’t afford not to ride (pun intended) the wave.
You’ll save money.
Swapping out drives for ebike rides is one of the quickest and healthiest ways to make giant dents in your budget. One estimate from Rad Power Bikes shows how switching your commute from car to ebike can save as much as $7,409 in a single year.
You know your budget best. Think about your transportation costs, from Uber rides to gas money to subway fares to car maintenance, and do the quick math to see how much you can save by working an ebike into your lifestyle.
It will revolutionize your commute.
There’s the fantasy of a conventional bike ride into work (showing up fresh as a daisy, right on time) and the reality of a standard bike commute (harried sprints upon realizing you’re not the Tour de France biker you thought you were, trying to hide your sweaty pits from your boss).
But a commute on an electric bike turns that fantasy into a reality. Along with shaving time off your ride—just how much will depend on your distance and terrain, but an ebike optimized for commutes can slash a 27-minute standard ride down to 15 minutes—that speed and the ease of the ride allow you to show up without looking like you need a shower and a Gatorade.
Plus, with accessories like baskets and child seats, you can ditch the car and make errands like daycare drop off and Target runs all part of your electric ride to work.
It will help you bring a whole new meaning to weekend warrior.
But ebikes aren’t all work, no play. They’re great tools for making the most of the free time you have to explore the great outdoors, since they allow you to travel farther, faster. Easy to rack to the back of a car or to fold into the trunk or an RV, they’re mobile enough to trot out for a quick Saturday spin but long-lasting enough to get you through an entire weekend of camping trip rides.
Ebikes with fat tires can help you tackle terrain that a conventional bike can’t, while an ultra-quiet but mighty hunting bike can be an affordable way to trek through mud, sand, or snow to stake out a spot that other hunters won’t find.
It’s not the ‘lazy’ option you might think it is.
Ebikes get dismissed as the lazy version of biking. And while it’s true that rides can sometimes seem effortless, your body is still getting the benefits of exercise. One study tracked previously sedentary adults who took up ebiking. After a month, they had greater aerobic fitness, better blood sugar control, a trend towards lowering their body fat, and, importantly, the desire to keep on riding despite other forms of exercise never enticing them before.
Plus, there are people for whom less physically taxing rides can be a game changer. The balance and motor functions required to ride a bike can help to alleviate the symptoms of diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s in aging populations. And doing it on an ebike can help seniors get all those benefits without physically exhausting themselves, making rides a great way to stay active and healthy with older relatives and friends.
You’ll be doing your part to help the planet.
Scaling back your driving miles by 5,000 per year can slash your carbon footprint by 15%, and contribute to your physical and mental wellbeing in the process. There’s never been a more critical time to start making the sacrifices that will help keep Earth healthy. So why not make a switch to electric that feels like anything but a sacrifice?
Interested in uncovering even more reasons you can benefit from an ebike? Rad Power Bikes is offering Futurism readers a free add-on accessory of up to a $100 value when you buy an ebike. Just add the promo code “FUTURISM” at checkout and get ready for the ride that will change your life. Offer expires 4/10/20 at 11:30 PDT and cannot be combined with other discounts or promotions. U.S. only.
Futurism fans: To create this content, a non-editorial team worked with RadPower Bikes, who sponsored this post. They help us keep the lights on. This post does not reflect the views or the endorsement of the Futurism.com editorial staff.
The post 5 Ways an Electric Bike Will Change Your Life appeared first on Futurism.
Link:
5 Ways an Electric Bike Will Change Your Life
- Futurist Serata featuring artist Luca Buvoli at Brown (Nov. 20) [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- FUTUR1SM00GGI [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- ‘Futurism on Film’ Series this month in NYC [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Schedule of Futurist Events in NYC (PERFORMA 09: Nov 1-22) [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- ‘Futurismo/Futurizm: The Futurist Avant-Garde in Italy and Russia’ (Nov. 13 + 14) [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- ‘Beyond Futurism: F.T. Marinetti, Writer’ conference at Columbia (Nov. 12+13) [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Futurism and Cars at the Museo Nicolis [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- MoMA Film Series Marks Centenary of Futurism with Films [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- ‘Bergson+Futurism. Speed in thought’ - Madrid (Nov. 5) [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- ‘The Future in Five Senses: Echoes of Italian Futurism in New York Architecture and Design’ Nov. 16th NYC [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- New World-Wide Climate Treaty in 2010 More Likely [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Tar Sands CCS Myth Shattered [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Smart Grid and Smart Meters Get Big Grants [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Pollution Makes Methane Even More Dangerous [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Climate Change Bill Hearing Video [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- New Satellite to Monitor Water and Plant Growth [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Spiritual Battle Awaits the Deniers and Skeptics [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Effects of Climate Change are Observed World-Wide [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Get Yer Global Warming Science Here [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- TckTckTck Wake up Call — Delay Kills [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Canada’s Awful Gold Rush [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Climate Change Talks Spark Global Backlash by Businesses [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- World May Need Extra Year for Climate Treaty [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Senator Boxer Moves Climate Bill Despite Republican Obstructionism [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Lights out for incandescent lights? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Sutures from Bacteria [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Remote-Controlled Pigeons [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Apple Announces iPhone Release Date [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- UK Government Envisions a Grim Future [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Top Ten Emerging Technologies for the Environment [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- DIY Mobile Networks [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Stem-Cell Treatment Cures Type 1 Diabetes [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Is Tesla Getting the Electric Car Right? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Future of TV News [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Bruce Sterling on Earth-Friendly Pervasive Computing [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- First Step Toward Organ Regeneration in Humans [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- IBM's "Five in Five" [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Outsourced Journalism [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Is True Global Democracy the Next Great Political Movement? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Risks of Autonomous Robots [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Microsoft Introduces "Tabletop" PC [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Britain Piloting First Biofueled Train [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Self-Healing Plastic [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Bird Population Falls Over Past 40 Years [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The iPhone Revolution? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The End of "Cheap Food"? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- How to Stop -- Or Live With -- Global Warming [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- MIT Demonstrates "Wireless Electricity" [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Unintended Consequences of Biofuels [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Time to Focus on the Big Picture in Copenhagen [Last Updated On: December 12th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 12th, 2009]
- Protests in Copenhagen [Last Updated On: December 12th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 12th, 2009]
- Mario Guido Dal Monte exhibit [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Futurism News Bulletin, xvi [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Viva il Futurismo! (video trailer) [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- 3 exhibits in Gorizia! [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Forthcoming: ‘Antidiets of the Avant-garde’ by Cecilia Novero [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Pubblicità e propaganda. Ceramica e grafica futuriste at the Wolfsoniana [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Balla’s home scheduled to open in 2010 [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Futurismo a Savona [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- ‘Zang Sud Sud’, Cosenza [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Conference in Rome (Dec. 10) [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Climate Hackergate: A Well-Orchestrated Campaign of Harassment [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- The Sad Story of Cap and Trade [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- How to Waste Trillions on Capturing Carbon [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Smack the Email Hack Attack [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- EPA About to Declare CO2 a Public Danger [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Copenhagen Summit Starts with Virtually There Media [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Climate Scientist Gets Blunt on Trading Scheme [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- One Climate Change Editorial in 56 Newspapers, 45 Countries [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- This Decade Will be Hottest Ever on Record [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Divide and Conquer [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Leave the Coal in the Hole! [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- COP15: Two Agreements Coming [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Climate and Copenhagen News December 10 [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Sea Level Already Rising on Atlantic Coast [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- ‘Umbria Veloce’ in Perugia [Last Updated On: December 14th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 14th, 2009]
- An Instable CO2-Filled Ocean [Last Updated On: December 14th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 14th, 2009]
- ‘Futurismi a Ravenna’ opens Dec. 19 [Last Updated On: December 15th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 15th, 2009]
- ‘Futurism and the Technological Imagination’ – 30% discount until Jan. 15 [Last Updated On: December 15th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 15th, 2009]
- Protecting Our Lungs at Copenhagen [Last Updated On: December 15th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 15th, 2009]