Father’s Day is coming up on June 19 and now is a good time to start planning a gift or two. Why not an electric bike?!
This is also a good time to consider an eBike as a gift idea for a new college student or recent high school graduate. Riding an electric bike is a fun and economical way to get around campus and town.
In this article we will take a look at how the gift of an electric bike can make a big impact on someone’s life.
Why eBikes are a great gift idea
Riding an electric bike is just a lot of fun. That’s it, enough said. Just kidding!
Fun is really the top of the list but there are many other reasons to give the gift of an electric bike that include physical and mental health benefits, a new way to get around town for commuting and errand running, exploring new places, and saving money on transportation.
The gift of an eBike can be a big financial commitment but the value and fun they bring to someone’s life can be very significant. It might make sense to buy an electric bike as a collective gift by pooling money together from the whole family.
But watch out because other members of the family might end up wanting an electric bike too! It is common for one family member or friend to get an eBike with another family member or friend “needing” an electric bike shortly thereafter.
Health benefits of riding an electric bike
Riding a bicycle has always been a good way to get regular exercise and clear your mind when starting your day or winding down a busy day.
The physical exercise from an electric bike may not be as intense as a hard climb on a conventional bike (some are calling those "analog" or "acoustic" bikes now) but the regular moderate exercise from an electric bike can be the perfect type of workout for burning some calories and getting a good sustained cardiovascular effort.
The variety of pedal assist levels and/or throttle modes allow you to fine tune how much of a workout you want to get. This can be helpful for those that want to minimize strain on certain joints and muscles.
It can also be a good strategy for the commute to work. You can use the higher assist levels to get to work with little to no sweat. Then on the ride home you can use the lower assist levels and more of your pedal power to get a good workout; arriving home invigorated with good mental space between the work life and home life. Using your commute for exercise is a great way to fit an exercise program into your busy life.
Many eBike riders ride longer and more often compared to riding a conventional bike because eBiking takes the edge off of hills, headwinds, and longer rides. Riders can also enjoy zipping around on an eBike even if they are not feeling fully energized like they would need to be for a conventional bike ride.
And these rides are not just pure joy rides they can also be for commuting, errand running, taking the kids to school, and other utilitarian uses. This all adds up to more time riding at a moderate exercise level. In addition to getting some good exercise there are the mental health benefits that are huge.
Most of our lives have been pretty stressful dealing with the many tough times during the pandemic. Many people got into electric bikes because of the ability to socially distance themselves and get outside for some fresh air and connection with nature.
Starting or finishing a busy day with some exercise and enjoying the outdoors is a great way to help clear your mind and focus in on the important things in life. It can certainly be a lot better than dealing with the stress of traffic jams.
Finding new places to explore and ride with Dad
There are a lot of good resources for finding riding routes to enjoy a great ride with your father. Google Maps is a good one to start with by using the bicycle directions mode. These routes are focused on safe bike routes that are generally on lower traffic neighborhood streets.
Here is an article with a lot of other ideas and tools for finding great eBike routes. You may be pleasantly surprised to find new places to ride and explore with your father.
If your Dad is into exploring the countryside there are a lot of gravel roads to explore. An electric mountain bike or electric fat tire bike is a good eBike type for those rides.
Riding an electric bike with your dad is a great way to spend some quality time and experience some new areas together.
Electric bikes are great equalizers
One of the great benefits of electric bikes is that they can help riders of different ability levels enjoy a ride together. With conventional bikes, there is usually a rider that is faster than another, and that rider is waiting for the other or both riders are not fully enjoying their rides. The slower rider struggles to keep up, taking all the fun out of the ride.
An electric bike can help riders of different ability levels enjoy the ride together because the electric assist bridges the gap, so both riders can enjoy riding at about the same speed.
In some cases an electric bike rider can set the pace for the other rider to chase on a conventional bike!
College Students
While electric bikes are great for fathers, they can also be a great vehicle for college students.
Getting to school on a conventional bike is a classic mode of transportation for a lot of college students. At college campuses like the University of California, Santa Barbara, bikes of all types are everywhere! But with an electric bike it can make that ride to and from class more fun as well as much more feasible, especially if it is a challenging route with hills and long distances.
Electric bikes are also super versatile and utilitarian for use as a car alternative or replacement. With the right cargo carrying options a college student can pick up groceries, take the laundry to the laundromat, study at a coffee shop, ride to work, and run many different errands around town.
This article has a lot of cargo carrying options like baskets, boxes, bags, racks, backpacks, messenger bags, trailers, and more.
Realizing that college students tend to be on budget, the true car replacement with an eBike along with other transport options can be a great fit for college life. Taking a car to college can be expensive - not only the cost of a car payment, insurance, and maintenance, but consider the cost of parking - a huge expense on many college campuses. It may not make sense to park a car 99% of the time when an eBike could do most of the job. Here is an article with tips on going car-light or car-free with an electric bike.
And while we are on the topic of saving money there are some electric bike incentive programs that are available (or soon to be available) in more parts of the country.
Here is a look at some of those programs that make electric bikes more affordable and accessible.
Recent college graduates could also benefit from keeping expenses low while starting their new careers. With an electric bike they can show up to their new job with little to no sweat. The gift of an electric bike for a college student or a recent graduate can be a significant gift during a pivotal time of their life.
A big impact gift
An electric bike as a gift is a big commitment but it can have a very big impact on someone's life. For the joy of giving a gift, electric bikes are just a lot of fun to ride so there is the excitement of that!
Giving a father or student an electric bike is also an experience you can share by riding and exploring new places together.
In addition, there are all the other more pragmatic reasons like the health and financial benefits. While the cost of an electric bike is significant it can be a great gift for the whole family to share.
While we have focused on eBike gifts for fathers and college students you can see why the gift of an eBike can be a great fit for almost anyone. For example; birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, Mother’s Day, Christmas, Hanukkah, and other holidays.
Just something to keep in mind for an upcoming gift.
Enjoy your rides!
-Pete
