This Advice Will Change Your Life
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Imagine a version of you that is much better at cycling. You find it a total breeze and can cover miles and miles at a leisurely pace without breaking a sweat or feeling an ache in your legs – a smile plastered over your face at all times.
That is you on an e-bike.
It sounds nice. But it feels even better, which is why we beseech you to try an e-bike this summer, because along with that unbeatable feeling of breezing along with the wind in your face at minimal effort, there are other benefits that can make a significant difference to your quality of life.
We realise that sounds a bit much, but bike and e-bike manufacturer Ribble has given us the opportunity to wax lyrical about e-bikes, as well as introduce the excellent Ribble e-bike range, and we are only too happy to do so.
Riding An E-bike Is Great Exercise
No matter what type of e-bike you ride, you’re moving and pretty much any movement – surprise surprise – is good for you. Riding an e-bike is light exercise, which is fantastic if you’re not that active at the moment as it’s an easy and achievable first step to moving more.
If you are more active, adding extra movement is still beneficial, especially as it won’t tire you out so you can still participate in the exercise you already do. If you are training hard, perhaps for a marathon or fitness competition, riding an e-bike will most likely see your body working in heart rate zone 1 which is ideal for active recovery. Consider it the smart way to get to and from the gym or the running track.
Cycling Outdoors Is Great For Your Wellbeing And E-bikes Make It Easier To Get Those Benefits
There are also benefits for your wellbeing. Being outside is widely regarded as being good for your state of mind, and we’ve found the act of concentrating on the road helps to focus the mind and be in the moment, leaving the worries of the day behind. Being outside when it’s sunny, incidentally, will also help your body produce the vitamin D it needs.
You can, of course, get the same benefits on a regular bike, but knowing you won’t get sweaty or expend much energy makes riding more accessible in our opinion. We’ve certainly chosen to get to work via public transport rather than cycle at the end of busy week, while a commute on an e-bike can easily be done on tired legs.
You Can Keep Going On An E-Bike
As we get older and slow down (happens to us all), we’ve found that e-bikes have allowed us to cycle distances we wouldn’t consider otherwise. If you’re a road cycling or gravel aficionado and are looking for an extra helping hand, Ribble’s options are well worth looking at. The R&D put into Ribble’s pro team is put to good use across the range and especially in the Endurance SL e electric road bikes – one of the lightest e-bikes there is at a mere 10.5kg. For bike-packing adventurers, the off-road Gravel AL e puts in an extra powerful motor and can take a battery extender to help the assistance last over weekend-long rides.
E-bikes Are Unbeatable For Local Journeys
An e-bike is not just good for leisure rides; you’ll quickly discover it’s a very convenient way of getting around your local area. There is a major push to promote active travel in the UK and worldwide, and some policies are creating a compelling incentive to choose a bike instead of a car for short journeys.
Often you’ll find doing these journeys by bike either takes the same amount of time or are in fact quicker, and you save on the cost of petrol. You can also load up the bike with shopping in panniers or your child in a child bike seat and let the bike’s motor take the strain.
Ribble has a great range of bikes that will suit wherever you live, whether that’s in the middle of a city or down a rural lane. The easy choice is the Hybrid AL e, the most affordable e-bike in the range and stylish to boot – it was the first Ribble we rode and it impressed us by being far lighter than the competition.
Since then the range of options has been expanded to include the Hybrid Trail AL e which is equally at home on town or trail, while the practical Urban AL e is a workhorse with swept-back handlebars for an easy riding position.
We’re also big fans of the CGR AL e all-road bike, reviewing it in 2021 and awarding the sporty-yet-comfortable ride an Editor’s Choice badge.
That’s a lot of bikes to consider and as a direct-to-consumer manufacturer Ribble can customise dozens of aspects to get the exact build you want – although there are also popular set-ups to choose from.
Ribble has showrooms across the country where you can find the bike that fits you. If you’re not able to get to a showroom, you can also schedule a one-way video call with a Ribble expert who can talk you through the range and help you work out which Ribble e-bike is best suited to where and how you’d ride it.
Whichever Ribble bike you go for, you’ll get a Mahle e-bike motor and battery, which is light, discreet and intuitive to use, with most models featuring just one button on the crossbar to operate. (There is, of course, an app for people who like to customise and track performance.)
E-bikes Don’t Cost As Much As You Think
We mentioned how using an e-bike for local journeys can help you save on petrol, although that may not seem a bit rich when quality e-bikes cost four figures. The good news, however, is that Ribble accepts Cycle To Work scheme vouchers which will save you at least 25% and as much as 39% for higher rate taxpayers, and help you spread the cost. If you don’t qualify for that benefit, Ribble also offers finance so you can pay in affordable monthly instalments, which most likely will cost less than how much it costs to fill up a family car nowadays.
