E-Bikes & Access.

Active transportation

An e-bike is still physical activity.

One of the most common arguments against e-bikes is that the motor somehow eliminates the exercise.

Research does not support that idea.

A 2026 systematic review of 31 studies involving 11,890 participants found that although e-bikes generally require less effort than conventional bicycles, e-bike riding commonly still reaches at least moderate physical activity intensity. The review also found evidence that e-bikes may increase overall physical activity and reduce barriers for people who are less active or physically limited.[1]

An earlier systematic review and meta-analysis also found that electrically assisted cycling produces meaningful physiological activity, with energy expenditure, heart rate, oxygen consumption, and metabolic demand remaining well above rest. [2]

Of course an e-bike can make climbing a hill easier. That is the point.

Reducing the difficulty of one part of cycling can make the entire activity accessible to someone who otherwise would not ride at all.

For me, the alternative was not riding the same route on a conventional bike. The alternative was not riding.

Participation

Accessibility is not cheating.

There is a strange idea in some parts of cycling culture that suffering is part of the admission price.

If you did not grind up the hill entirely under your own power, somehow the ride counts less. If you used electric assistance, you cheated.

Cheated at what?

If we are racing under a set of rules, equipment rules matter. Competition requires a level playing field.

But most people riding bicycles are not competing.

They are commuting to work. They are riding a greenway with their spouse. They are exploring a trail. They are carrying groceries. They are trying to become more active. They are recovering from injuries. They are getting older. They are trying to keep doing something they love.

There is nothing to cheat.

Research on e-bike adoption in the United States has documented this exact stigma. Riders reported being called "cheaters," being told that they were not really pedaling, and receiving negative comments from other cyclists.[4]

I understand traditional cycling culture. I came from it. I raced bicycles long before I ever owned one with a battery.

But I do not think making cycling harder to access protects cycling.

I think it shrinks it.

A wider door

E-bikes can bring people back.

My situation is personal, but the broader idea is not unique to me.

A study of 1,146 older adults found that e-bike use was associated with more cycling for transportation and recreation. Among participants with cycling limitations who had ridden recreationally in the previous week, e-bike users reported 180% more minutes of recreational cycling.[3]

That matters.

• There are former cyclists with bad knees or ankles.
• There are people living with old injuries.
• There are people who cannot maintain the power output they once could.
• There are couples with very different fitness levels who would like to ride together.
• There are people who live somewhere hilly enough that a conventional bicycle is not practical for daily use.
• There are commuters who cannot arrive exhausted and soaked in sweat.
• There are older riders who are not ready to give up bicycles.
• There are people who have never considered themselves cyclists at all.

Electric assistance lowers some of those barriers.

That does not diminish cycling. It expands who gets to participate in it.

Transportation

More bikes can also mean fewer car trips.

E-bikes are not useful only for recreation.

Their additional range and ability to handle hills, cargo, and longer distances can make a bicycle practical for trips where a conventional bike might not be.

Research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that in one e-bike program, 34% of recorded e-bike trips replaced car trips. NREL also reported an average energy savings of 2.3 kWh for those trips. [5]

An e-bike does not have to replace someone's truck, SUV, or car completely to be useful.

If it replaces a few trips a week, it is already doing something a conventional bicycle sitting unused in a garage is not doing.

Responsible use

This does not mean anything goes.

Supporting e-bikes does not mean ignoring legitimate concerns about them.

Riders should operate responsibly.

Speed should be appropriate for the trail, road, traffic, and people around you. Local rules should be respected. Pedestrians should not have to fear bicycles flying past them. Riders need to understand that a heavier, faster bicycle requires good brakes, good judgment, and additional stopping distance.

Different types of e-bikes also have different capabilities, and not every bicycle belongs on every trail.

Those are reasonable conversations.

But they are conversations about behavior, access, infrastructure, and responsible use.

They are not reasons to dismiss an entire category of bicycles or the people who benefit from them.