We all know riding a bike is great exercise – we’ve seen plenty of lycra-clad people riding on the weekends! And of course, it makes sense that if we replace the car with a bike for a few extra trips a week, our fitness will improve and there’s plenty to say that our health will also benefit.
Fitting in 2-4 hours of exercise a week is easy when you ride your bike to the shop, the park, on school runs or to work. And once you start, you’ll feel the benefits almost immediately! BetterHealth Channel Victoria notes the health benefits of regular riding include:
So with all these benefits, why wouldn’t you ride?
Riding an e-bike isn’t cheating – remember, you must still pedal for the electric assist to kick in – so you are still getting a great workout for your body and mind…you might not sweat as much and you’ll probably ride further and more often!
Before you start riding more frequently – we recommend you pay attention to a couple of quick (but important) pointers:
Be predictable.
Make sure you remember when you’re on a bike, you’re following the same rules as cars on the road. Be sure to stop at red lights, use hand signals when turning and always keep your eyes open for other vehicles. It’s important to be predictable when riding a bike – so drivers can be aware of what you’re doing and where you’re going.
ABC Quick!
Before you set off each day do the ‘ABC Quick’ check: (A)ir: Make sure your tyres have enough air. (B)rakes: Double check that your brakes are working. (C)hain: Check there are no kinks in your chain and that it’s lubricated and not full of dirt. (Quick) Release: It’s important to check the ‘quick release’ levers on your wheels and seat post – especially if you’ve recently removed the seat or wheel. You don’t want to lose a wheel going over a bump in the road!
Be visible.
As well as keeping your eyes open for other vehicles on the road, you must make sure they can see you! Especially during winter when days are shorter – make sure you have good lighting on your bike. White light for the front and red for the back. Dyson Bikes offer a great range of bike lights.
Wear comfortable clothing.
The best thing about riding an electric bike is the clothes – you can wear absolutely whatever you like! It’s still a good idea to make sure it’s something that won’t cause chafing if you’re on a longer ride. But really there’s no need to purchase special clothing to ride an electric bike. :)
However, you might want to remember that if it’s wet then a good raincoat and shoe covers should be on your shopping list, and for riding on darker days/nights, hey reflecto are an Australian brand that offer a great range of reflective, yet pretty stylish gear.
Let the bike carry your stuff.
When you’re riding, there’s absolutely no reason to
You can be as funky or as practical as you like! Checkout the Dyson Bikes range.
Remember it’s safer to not hang shopping bags from the handlebars – the load will affect your steering, get in the way of braking or bang on your knees which is highly annoying not to mention dangerous.
If you’re going to be riding to do the weekly shopping, you might want to look in to a trailer for your bike. That way you can easily carry a whole trolley full of groceries with no hassle.
Where you shop.
Before you hit the road it’s probably a good idea to plan a bike friendly route. Ride this City is a great website that offers bike friendly routes across a huge number of towns and cities around the world. Take a look today and plan your route.
One great benefit to riding is that you don’t have to worry about finding a carpark (or paying for one) at your destination. You can shop locally or travel across suburbs (especially easy when on an electric bike). If you have several shops to get to, going by bike makes the trip especially easy and you can always park right outside your chosen store!
Make sure you use a good quality lock like the OnGuard K9 to make sure your pride and joy is still waiting for you on your return.
What you buy.
It’s important to have a think about what you’re going to buy – for example if bulk packs of toilet paper are on sale you may want to order online and have it home delivered (many supermarket chains offer free delivery) rather than try to squeeze it into your pannier leaving no room for the rest of your shopping!
How often you shop.
If you don’t have a trailer to carry a week’s worth of shopping, you may want to plan ahead a few days and buy only what you need. The upside of this is you can always buy fresh food, avoid impulse buys, and it can help you stick to a budget if you like too!
Heavy products such as juice, milk and washing powders are probably best to order online to include in free delivery once every few weeks or so.
We hope this helps you with your decision to ride more and to get the most out of your e-bike. Enjoy the ride!