Ode to my e-bike (Guest post)

Sam here. I’ve been back and forthing on the blog about e-bikes. See Sam is sorry she was a bit of a fitness snob about e-bikes and Women and e-assist bikes… Sam has some worries and Sam is feeling grouchy about e-bikes. After sharing the recent post on Facebook some friends who are e-bike riders and lovers came out of the woodwork rushing to their defense. I loved their happy stories and their enthusiasm for their e-bikes and asked if I could share their stories. Here’s the first. There will be more to follow. Enjoy!

By Alisa Joy

Samantha asked why women ride e-bikes, and I totally get why she would worry that women might be getting the message that they are just never going to get up whatever hill-of-doom exists on their bike ride. Because she asked, I’m here to tell you there are so many great reasons to consider an e-bike.

I think to answer the question of why an e-bike, I first have to answer the question of why I bike at all. Biking for me is a mode of transportation. I will use the bike to get somewhere and, most often, that somewhere is to my job. It’s hard to fit exercise in at all as a working parent; if I can ride my bike instead of driving the car, then that’s exercise I can sustainably get.

As a social worker, my job can be pretty stressful, and I find the immediate and substantial mental health benefits of biking are my greatest reward for overcoming saddle-but every spring. I’m so lucky to live in Ottawa where my bike commute is largely along the river and is often peppered by reflections of sunlight on the water poking through the gaps between the plentiful trees.

Biking home from work provides an effective transition period from work to home, a stress hormone dump, and a nature bath. When I first got an e-bike, I worked 26 kilometers from my house. I would bike once or twice a week, at most, and it took me 75 minutes of medium-to-hard exertion. And, yes, there was a killer hill on my path behind the parliament building. I would arrive at work drenched in sweat and any hope of having good collegiate relationships required that I immediately shower. That meant I had to pack an entire change of clothes, which was just one more thing.

One day, it was windy and fighting that wind meant it took me over 2 hours to cycle home; shortly after that, the e-bike was purchased. What was better? My commute went from 75 minutes of medium-to-hard exertion to 45 minutes of light-to-medium exertion. That meant I had an extra 60 minutes a day. Fit is a feminist issue, and part of the reason feminism and fitness go together is that many women just have less access to time. I need every minute I can get, so 60 minutes is huge. Because I didn’t have to work as hard physically, I can skip the at-work shower and its complementary change of clothes. Less hassle. Less things that topple over my fragile exercise routine.

I have lots of polyester dresses that I wear over bike shorts that are good enough bike wear and good enough professional wear. If I am tired and got a serious case of the I-don’t-wanna-bike, I tell myself that I will just use more of the assist and take it easy on the e-bike. Sometimes I actually do take it easier on the bike but often I wind up biking with the same e-bike support as usual. People who keep anti-anxiety meds in their pocket tend to actually take fewer pills, so it’s the same thing. The e-bike is my “in the pocket” support so I get on the bike more often.

The above factors meant that I was often biking 5 days a week which is a huge increase in actual minutes on the e-bike. In terms of my mental health, this is absolutely amazing because I get to work off extra cortisol way more often. I’m sure it’s also good for my physical health, but those are not the benefits I am thinking of day to day. The bike is actually feasible as my primary mode of transportation nearly 8 months of the year. I will hop on it to bike 20 kilometers to meet a friend for dinner at the pub. (You winter bikers have my utmost respect.)

And, fine, I admit it. I enjoy passing the bro-dudes in the spandex suits on the tiny lightweight bikes. I’m taking up space, literally and figuratively. So, yeah, I can get up that hill eventually because I’m fit-fat, but it isn’t about getting up the hill. It’s about being in a committed relationship with my e-bike as a mode of transportation. On that front, I am super successful.

Alisa Joy McClain spent the first half of her life thinking she couldn’t do cool exercise-y things because she was fat and is now spending the second half of her life enjoying the body she has and all the cool things she can do with it like rock climbing, cycling, and scuba diving. When not trying to be a fat athlete, she can be found reading books, playing pinball, hanging out with her family and children, and ranting about various social injustices.