Lee Hill
What is an Electric Bike?
With rapid strides of advancement in technology, everything is changing. Our old lifestyles and routine activities are becoming more automated than ever.
But can you automate something as basic and straightforward as cycling? It turns out you can. An Electric Bike is a gift of technology that does just that.
Electric bikes are similar to regular bikes. The one significant difference is that they are battery operated. Electric bikes have an integrated motor that uses the power of the battery to move your cycle forwards. E-bikes are eco-friendly and are quiet.
Electric bikes make hills seem flat and strong winds non-existent. They offer advanced features, including pedal assist and throttle mode to enjoy outdoors, health benefits, and ease of riding at the same time.
Why Electric Bikes “For Women”?
Most E-bikes on the market are unisex (unlike traditional bicycles). That’s why you might be wondering, why would women need special e-bikes?
The answer is partly yes and partly no. Most women riders don’t find it too hard to use unisex bikes. But there is a market for special “women-specific” bikes, which these manufacturers are catering to.
These bikes have narrower handlebars, women-specific saddles and are lighter than normal bikes. More importantly, the average height of women in the US is 5’4,” whereas that of men is 5’9″[1]. So, women, specific e-bikes are generally shorter in design, with a smaller inseam.
Based on anatomy, several other small differences (women may have longer legs, a lower center of gravity, and lower core strength, as per some people) based on anatomy.
Why Do Women Need E-Bikes?
Did you know that worldwide more women are obese than men? WHO says that 15% of women were obese in 2016 than 11% of men[2]. Obesity leads to a higher risk of heart disease[3].
Apart from obesity, women also need to worry about higher Osteoarthritis rates(13%) [4]. Genetic predisposition and the hormonal and physical changes associated with childbirth increase these risks.
One of the main reasons for this is the lack of physical activity in women. According to a study published in the Lancet journal, 31.7% of women are inactive. The number of men is only 23.4%[5].
E-bikes are a great way of reducing the risks associated with obesity[6] and OA by adding some physical activity to their daily lives. When it comes to exercising, nothing can be better than a few minutes of regular biking on your e-bike.
Electric bikes offer pedal-assist mode, due to which they are more suitable for women who might want to start daily exercising.
What’s Great About Electric Bikes?
E-bikes can be powerful and fast. They offer great features, which are designed to augment human beings but not completely replace them.
They are made to cater to the needs of modern times in smarter and quicker ways.
You can quickly recharge them or hop-on and ride them for long distances. You can avoid unhealthy emissions and save on maintenance costs. They are the biggest adoption of green transportation of the decade.
Electric Hybrid Bikes For Women
The term hybrid indicates a certain combination of different features that will improve the product’s overall performance.
The electric hybrid bikes are designed to offer the different rider modes of operating the bike. The rider can choose the bike to be driven entirely with an electric motor, the throttle mode. Typically this mode is excellent for long-distance travel.
The rider can also use the pedal-assist mode, where the motor increases the rider’s pedaling capacity and, therefore, helps to ride long distances.
Pedal-assist is more suitable for women who have to run around daily errands. It provides them with the flexibility to switch modes according to their convenience.
Best Electric Bikes For Women
Electric bikes are heavy and motorized, and therefore require more control from the rider. Therefore, finding the right bike to suit your age, height, and weight is essential. However, it is a bit confusing and challenging.
For instance, if you have a height of 5’2 inches, you should probably look for electric bikes for petite women, which are exclusively designed with flexibilities to suit shorter people. One of the options could be Rad Power Bikes as they are primarily folding fat tire bikes that can be used by people of different heights.
Similarly, if you are 60 and looking for a bike to go around and get groceries, select the bike with attributes to suit senior riders.
Some great e-bikes for women that you can consider are:
- Canyon Endurace: ON 7.0
- Lapierre eSensium 3.2 Women Series
- Colnago E64 Road Disc
- Yuba Electric Boda Boda
- Tern Vectron S10 Folding E-Bike
Buyers Guide: Electric Bikes For Women
It is essential to ride a bike well suited for an individual’s height and weight and even more important if that bike is electric. Also, a few points should be taken into consideration while choosing an electric bike:
Battery Life
Its battery type determines the life expectancy of an E-bike. It is essential to look into battery life before choosing an electric bike. Usually, lithium batteries are preferred as they tend to hold up to a higher number of charge cycles. Generally, electric bikes have a life of 3-5 years, but it also depends on an individual how he/she takes care of them.
Pedal Assist
Pedal-assist is the feature that will make you ride your bike to your favorite places with ease. Pedal-assist evokes easy mobility and helps your travel long-distances without putting in much effort. It boosts pedaling and also reduces the stressful impact on the knees and legs. Look for the bikes which provide an excellent pedal-assist for your convenience.
Throttle Mode
When you feel like taking a break, then you must sit back and watch the motor doing its work completely. It is similar to how a motorcycle operates. It needs initial acceleration, and then the motor provides the power to propel forward. This feature should be your top priority if you are looking for a fast-paced ride or if the bike is to be ridden by an older adult.
Mileage
Your speed and range depend on the mode you are using. You can pedal entirely like a regular bike, partially with pedal assist, and not pedal at all with the throttle mode. Along with this, the level of assist you use determines the range you can ride to a large extent. With relaxed pedaling, the electric tricycle bikes can easily go up to 22-50 miles on a single charge.
Final Verdict
E-bikes that are specifically designed for women have been around for ages. Some of their key features are shorter height, narrower handlebars, and women-specific saddles. They may also have a longer inseam to height ratio.
While many women are comfortable riding unisex bikes, a women-specific bike can be a better fit for some. It depends a lot on user preference.
Whichever way you choose, there is no denying that e-bikes are of great use to women for health reasons. With a higher predisposition to physical inactivity, obesity, and osteoarthritis, e-bikes can be a perfect source of light, regular exercise for women.
References:
[1] FastStats – Body Measurements (cdc.gov)
[2] Obesity and overweight (who.int)
[3] Obesity paradox in cardiovascular disease: where do we stand? (nih.gov)
[4] Epidemiology of Osteoarthritis (nih.gov)
[5] Worldwide trends in insufficient physical activity from 2001 to 2016: a pooled analysis of 358 population-based surveys with 1·9 million participants – The Lancet Global Health
[6] Association between active commuting and incident cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mortality: prospective cohort study | The BMJ
