Your ebike is more than just a means of transportation; it is a powerful tool for improving your health and overall well-being (studies show this over and over). The combination of practicality, physical exercise, stress reduction, and cardiovascular benefits- not to mention increased social connection- puts the ebike in a league of its own. Here are a few tips to make your ebike your best fitness companion:
Use Your Ebike For Everything
The best way to get more exercise without even noticing is to use your ebike for practical purposes. Need to get groceries? Take your ebike. Going out to dinner? Take your ebike. Picking up the kids from school? Take your ebike. The list goes on. By incorporating your ebike into your daily routines, you will get the benefits of healthy activity as part of daily life, instead of as an adjunct activity like going to a gym - of course you can always ride your ebike to the gym!
Adjust Assist
The beauty of a quality pedal assist ebike is that it amplifies your pedaling, putting you in control of your exercise regime. But sometimes we can get in a turbo groove and while it's nice and easy, exercise is decreased. Try riding your same route but with a lower level of assistance (on a Bosch bike, try Tour for instance).
Another way to go is to stick to your same level of assist but extend your ride a bit longer. The extra mileage and time give you an increased workout and extra fun.
Upgrade Your Display
There may be additional display options available for your ebike that can give you more fitness features. For instance, a Bosch Purion or Intuvia display just shows you your speed and mileage, but a Bosch Kiox or Nyon will show you your power, cadence, calories burned and even track your heart rate. All of this information can sync to an App so you can track your workouts, and also tie into Apple Health.
Talk to a team member at The New Wheel about upgrading your display or book a service appointment to have the work done.
Set Goals
A key way to feel successful and motivated is to set some goals. Goals can be as simple as choosing how many rides you'd like to go on per week or you can track your calories burned, elevation gained, or wattage output. Apps like Apple Health or Strava can be helpful. If you have a Bosch Nyon display, you can program weekly and monthly goals - mileage, calories burned, hours ridden, and more - and see your progress right on the display. Talk about motivation!
Track Your Heart Rate
A heart rate monitor serves as a valuable tool in optimizing your fitness levels by providing real-time insights into the intensity of your exercise. By monitoring your heart rate, you can ensure that you are working within your target heart rate zone, promoting cardiovascular health and endurance. This data helps tailor your electric bike workouts to your specific fitness goals, whether it's weight loss, stamina improvement, or overall cardiovascular fitness. Many heart rate monitors will interface with your electric bike display, giving you quick feedback and tracking. A team member at the shop can help you pick out the right monitor and/or display to get started.
Plan a Social Ride
Social rides with friends, family or other groups is a great way to have fun while being active. We are fortunate in the Bay Area to have so many wonderful places to ride to, all right out of our door. Check out our Bay Area ride guides for some inspiration. There are many local group rides that you can join. If you need help finding one, please reach out.
Discover Other Types of E-Biking
You may enjoy your daily commute ride but how about a weekend trail ride? There are so many different types of riding to enjoy and branching out can offer new adventures.
