Why use an ebike?
The electric bicycle, or ebike, made waves in 2020 as lockdowns and other COVID-19 measures changed the way people lived and viewed life. Ebike sales soared and many suppliers even ran out of stock.
But even before then, the electric bicycle was gaining steady popularity as an alternative to regular transport. These bikes come with so many benefits, even beyond a regular bicycle - they move with less effort but they are still great for your fitness, they save you money, they’re convenient, and they could be the key to shifting the world’s road travel sector from fossil-fuels to “green” power.
Here at Modmo, we are driven by the concepts of zero-emission travel, pioneering tech and ultra convenience, but these aren’t the only reasons to invest in an ebike. We put our heads together and came up with a list of 5 top reasons to make the switch to ebikes in 2021. Here they are…
The Saigon+
1. Fitness without the labor
You may wonder how an electricity-powered bicycle could be good for your fitness since by definition it is powered without you putting in much effort, but in reality ebikes do contribute to an overall healthier, fitter you.
Firstly, if you invest in an ebike as an alternative to your regular forms of transportation, you end up riding every day when you would otherwise be sitting down on the bus or in your car. That is a big part of why we have made the Saigon + and Saigon S modular, to cater to everything you would typically need in a car so that you have the option of moving entirely to e-transport.
However the riding itself is also a great way to stay fit. Research shows that elevating your heart rate even just a little bit will allow you to burn calories. In fact, lower-intensity exercise like the kind you would get from riding a pedal-assist ebike could be one of the best ways to burn fat!
It's all about the energy source your body uses as fuel for the exercise you are doing. This depends on the intensity of the exercise - typically, exercising at lower intensities requires less energy so the body takes fuel predominantly from fats, but as the intensity increases, fat can't be metabolised fast enough to meet the energy demand so the body uses carbohydrates. Since with an ebike you raise your heartbeat but not to an extreme level, cruising to work everyday on your ebike could be the key to losing those extra few pounds.
Ebikes are also particularly great if you are easing yourself back into fitness routines because you can rest when you need to and adjust the assistance power of your bike as you go. On our Saigon bikes, we have 5 power assistance levels plus the Enviolo planetary geared system, but as the bike is pedal-assist you can even ride without the battery - just you and your legs - until you’re ready to rest again.
Stay fit without working too hard
2. Great for the environment
It’s fairly obvious that if everyone made the switch from fossil-fueled transport to ebikes and other “green” transportation options, we would produce far less pollution.
At Modmo, we feel that this is one of the most significant benefits of riding electric bicycles, particularly given the urgency of environmental conservation in the face of climate change. Making the choice to ride an electric bicycle as your main mode of transportation goes a long way to making the world a cleaner, more eco-friendly place. This is your chance to be a part of the solution!
Added to this, producing less pollution is also a huge factor for peoples’ general quality of life - our air will be cleaner, our streets will be less dusty, our cities fresher, etc - and the more people ride ebikes, the less congested our roads will be. Imagine a rush hour with no traffic...
3. Speedy and sweat-free
This is a point that really separates ebikes from regular bicycles - you can ride a pedal-assist ebike to work without arriving sweaty and exhausted, because you control how fast you go and how much effort you put into going that speed.
Sleek and nimble, the Saigon+ can get you where you need to go without you breaking a sweat
We have designed our Saigon models with this in mind. Everything about our bikes is made to be as convenient as possible, with easily adjustable modular accessories, inbuilt lights and 5 pedal assist levels that can take you up to 25kms per hour and get you to work fresh, energised and with plenty of time.
4. Safer than regular bikes
One slight concern of riding a regular push bike in traffic is your ability to keep up with the movement of the cars and other vehicles around you. With a push bike, you have delays every time you start moving as your legs strain to get momentum going, and this can put you in difficult positions - at intersections, when making a turn, etc. But with an ebike the acceleration happens much more instantly so you can move in time with the rest of the traffic.
At Modmo, we have a few features on our bikes that make them even safer. One of them is our Enviolo planetarian geared system which allows you to shift gears more easily. This means that you can stop at traffic lights in a high gear and change gears all the way down to an easy low gear without having to move the wheels at all.
5. Save on expenses
Think about how much money you spend a month on petrol or bus or train fares. With an ebike, you save all that! Just plug the bike into the wall every evening or whenever is convenient - our Modmo batteries take just 3 to 4 hours to charge depending on the battery capacity - and you’re good to go. With our bikes you have two choices - either you plug your bike into the wall or you remove your battery in a few seconds and bring your battery with you to charge it separately.
NOTE: now that you’ve read all of that, if you’re interested in the ebike world but want to try it out before you think about buying a bike, you can book to test ride the Saigon+ at ListnRide stores in cities around Germany, with international locations arriving soon.