How to lose weight on an e-bike
“After all, the motor is pedaling for you.” A sentence e-bike owners hear suspiciously often. But reality is completely different.
The e-bike can be one of the most effective weight-loss tools we have available today. This is confirmed by international studies as well as by the experience of professional athletes. And the reason is surprisingly simple – an e-bike keeps you moving exactly as long and as intensely as your body needs in order to burn fat.
Let's clear up one basic thing: riding an e-bike is still riding a bike. Without pedaling you won't get anywhere. The motor only doses out assistance according to your activity, the terrain and the mode you choose. How hard you work is entirely up to your legs.
“An e-bike won't carry you. It just doesn't make you struggle needlessly where a lot of people would simply get off the bike,” says former professional cyclist Michael Kolář, a Bosch eBike Systems ambassador, who has Tour de France stages in his legs and spent years helping Peter Sagan in the toughest races in the world.
Why is the e-bike so effective for weight loss?
The answer is surprisingly simple: because it keeps you in the ideal heart rate zone. And that is the key to burning fat effectively. When you move, your body burns two main “fuels” – sugars and fats. Which of them it burns more of is decided by the intensity of the effort, that is, the level of your heart rate.
“If you are moving at roughly 60–70% of your maximum heart rate, your body reaches primarily for its fat reserves. This range is called the fat-burning zone and it is the most effective one for weight loss. And this is exactly where the e-bike has an edge over a classic bike,” explains Kolář.
When you're burning fat, you can chat
How do you recognize the so-called fat-burning zone, where fat is being burned? You ride at a pace where you break a light sweat and can still speak in short sentences. You feel your body working, but not suffering.
“The ideal is to keep going for at least 30 minutes. And that is exactly the advantage of the e-bike, because most people have no problem riding it for an hour or two. The duration of movement plays a crucial role in weight loss,” says the Bosch eBike Systems ambassador, and adds: “International research, for example from Germany and Switzerland, repeatedly shows that people on e-bikes spend more time in motion than on a classic bike. As a result, they burn a similar or even higher amount of energy in total.”
Riding “flat out”? You're burning off sugars, not fat
The truth is that the higher the intensity, the more calories. But the catch is where they come from. Under a load above 80% of maximum heart rate, the body switches to quick energy, that is, sugars. They are great for performance, but not so much for burning fat.
“You can work like a horse, but if your goal is fat loss, it's not the most effective way. Higher intensity improves your fitness, but fat plays a supporting role at that moment. The e-bike, on the other hand, keeps bringing you back to the pace at which fat is burned,” the expert clarifies.
How do you know you're in the fat-burning zone?
If you want to know where your fat-burning zone is, try this simple calculation using the following formula:
220 – your age = maximum heart rate
Take 60–70% of that and you have the range in which your body burns fat most effectively. It is exactly in this range that riding an e-bike is surprisingly easy.
Not just weight loss, but also muscles, mood and sleep
“If you ride 3–4 times a week, ideally for 30–60 minutes, you'll start noticing changes within a few weeks. Not only on the scale, but also in energy, sleep quality and mental well-being,” adds Kolář.
This is also confirmed by international data – people who switched to an e-bike often report a better mood and lower stress, because exercise stops being an obligation and becomes a natural part of the day.
“You probably don't feel like a hard workout every day. But the e-bike gets you outside even at a moment when you would otherwise stay home. You switch on the assistance, set off, and suddenly you have dozens of kilometers in your legs. And that is exactly why the e-bike works where other weight-loss methods fail. It doesn't exhaust you. It doesn't hurt. It doesn't put you off. It's simply fun. And if you enjoy exercise, results show up sooner than you expect,” adds Michael Kolář, a former professional cyclist and Bosch eBike Systems ambassador.
