We all love to get out and ride our bikes. But as anyone who lives in Minnesota can tell you, those nature trails can take a lot of you. Thankfully, e-bikes are here to let your desire for adventure flourish, without putting excess strain on your body.
With it predicted that in the UK alone as many as 1.5 million e-bikes will be sold by the year 2050, it’s perhaps no surprise that people all across the world are turning to these electrically-powered appliances. Let’s take a closer look at why someone in The Gopher State might want to invest in one.
- Less strain on the body
Kicking off with an obvious one – an e-bike will take a lot of the work away from your joints and muscles. While you’ll still need to do a little bit of pedaling yourself, research has shown that an e-bike can amplify your total maximum output by up to five times your normal rate.
In layman’s terms, that means if you’re able to ride 5km before needing to stop on a normal bike, you should be able to travel as many as 25km using an electronic one. This helps you widen your horizons, and provides the opportunity to discover more areas of immense natural beauty.
- Easier to ride uphill
Nobody who rides a bike likes hills. And if anyone tells you otherwise, they’re lying. The motor of an e-bike makes it considerably simpler to power yourself up hills of any incline, with most of the work being done by your trusty steed.
It should again be noted that this doesn’t mean you won’t have to do any work at all. Riding up any slope is still going to require the pumping of your calves and thighs, and is likely to result in a little bit of lactic acid build-up. Theoretically, this will just be less than what you’re used to.
- E-bikes are tax-efficient and well regulated
Riders of e-bikes will benefit from healthy tax deductions. Those deductions are 100%. That’s right – there’s no tax whatsoever for anyone looking to buy one. What’s more, in August of 2021, Minnesota became one of 36 States to introduce bonafide legislation on the use of electric bikes.
Part of this new set of laws was the introduction of a three-tier system, which laid out how different types of bikes could be categorized:
- Class 1 – A bike that goes up to 20mp, which provides assistance to manual pedals
- Class 2 – A bike without pedal assist, but a throttle that goes up to 20mph
- Class 3 – A bike with a model that provides pedal assist, that goes up to 28mph
Make sure to work out what class your bike falls into. This will have an impact on how much it costs, as well as where you’ll be able to ride it.
Inspired to try an e-bike for yourself? Just remember to always have somewhere safe to store it, and to regularly service and maintain the electric engine. Also, be sure to check out any of the following Minnesota routes in the future:
- Cuyuna Lakes Big Tour – Crosby | 20.8 miles
- Minnesota River Bottoms – St. Paul | 11.9 miles
- CJ Ramstead Trail – Tofte | 42.3 miles
- Big Aspen Trails – Virginia | 21 miles
Happy riding.
Author Bio:
Hubert Day is a Freelance researcher and content creator. He is an advocate for climate change and environmentally friendly transportation. He participates in numerous conferences and events on corporate marketing, SMEs, moral standards, and sustainable tourism in addition to his projects.