Maybe you're being; "super high" when you wrote your message was the problem. Your friend, according to you said; "When i get up in the morning, i have to decide which mode of transportation to take to my destination, which is usually my work."
Perhaps a better way of saying it would have been "which is usually my place of employment"
I was not talking about such limited use. And regardless of your friend's or your logic, or what both of you are attempting to pass off as logic, the point is, regardless of your reasons, when you remove much, most or all the peddling you also remove the main benefit for riding a bike.
15 minutes to work, 15 minutes home on lunch, 15 minutes back, and then 15 minutes home. That's 1 hour per day. I wouldn't call that "limited use".
If the only point in transporting oneself on a bicycle is to get exercise, the "main benefit", than i would say there are better forms of transportation, like walking and jogging. You would burn off more calories in a given mile jogging than you would riding a bike, and you would be very fit. Why not jog everywhere you go? You can go many more miles in a given amount of time on a bicycle than you can by jogging, even though the "main benefit" of jogging is greater. Exercise is not the only benefit to transportation via bicycle.
Roughly a year ago, slightly more I believe, the U.S. Army, and possibly military as a whole, altered it's long standing physical fitness program because over the last decade the average level of fitness of recruits has dropped lower and lower. Their core body strength is not nearly that of the past. Why? Because many people avoid as many things as they can that requires real physical effort, unless it is something really fun. If there is an easier way, they take it.
I agree with you there.
The more of these sorts of abominations that are marketed the more the average level of physical fitness of anyone who uses them will fall. That could very well equate to a shorter life span. But even if it's a shorter life, if it's easier and you don't have to sweat as much, than it must be a better life and well worth giving up the additional years you otherwise might have had.
I disagree. Going back to my daily commute example, that is 1 hour a day of commuting. I could spend that time transporting myself in a number of ways:
OPTION 1: I could walk to work. It takes one hour, one way. Going home on lunch would not be an option. I'd have to set my alarm extra early.
OPTION 2: Public transportation. Not really an option for me, but i had to list it to be fair.
OPTION 3: I could jog to work. I'd show up sweaty, and it would take at least 30 minutes. Going home on lunch is not an option.
OPTION 4: Regular bicycle. 25 minutes one way. I show up sweaty, but a quick hobo shower in the bathroom takes care of it. I need to allow an extra 10-15 minutes for cool down and hobo shower before shift. When i pedal to work, i leave 45 minutes before "clock in" time
OPTION 5: Drive my car. Takes 8-15 minutes, depending on traffic and stoplights. Easy. NO EXERCISE WHATSOEVER. I can go home on lunch and hit the volcano!!!
OPTION 6: Electric/Pedal hybrid bike. Takes 13 minutes. I get some exercise, more than driving a car, less than riding a regular bike. I can go home on lunch and hit my vaporizer!!!
Now you see with just a few more factors included, (i didnt even throw in cost of operation) the only real options are bike, Ebike, and car. With bike, i have to wake up extra early, AND i dont get to go home and hit the volcano on lunch.
When I was a kid it would be nothing to ride my bike 50 miles or more a day. Shortly before retiring I bought a mountain bike and rode it for a number of years until an old back injury started flaring up each time I rode it. Before that I rode it almost every day other than in the coldest portion of winter.
Electric bikes are PERFECT for older people that like riding bikes, but can't due to back/knee injuries. Remember, you can pedal as much or as little as you want.
I also had a Yamaha YZ 250 I could have ridden instead, going much of the same places, and enjoying the heck out of it if I would have ridden it instead, and in case you have never ridden a bike like that, you will get some exercise riding it unless you ride it like an old lady ..... but the whole point was the much higher amount/level of exercise of riding the bike.
Your friend would be better off driving his car to work, or whatever destination he is headed to, and doing 30 minutes of aerobics or some sort of workout program or play racquetball or something just two or three times a week, heck, maybe even only once a week would top the exercise he will get riding an electric powered bicycle.
I suggest you test drive an electric bike. Are you under the impression that the electric motor does ALL the work? It can, if you want it to, but you can choose to pedal along with the motor, and get as much, or as little, exercise as you want.
That is an attempt at rationalizing his decision, especially since the regular bicycle option was conveniently left out of the equation.
The only options that don't require setting the morning alarm earlier, and allow for lunch, and allow me to head straight to the gym or school straight after work are: Car and Ebike. The only real options are listed. I also "conveniently" left out jet-pack.
)
