Ebikes helping with anxiety strange question?

[Leemi1982]

Hi I suffer with anxiety and often find cycling helps me relax and de-clutter my mind abit.

Just wondered if anyone has the answer to this, I Also ride a regular bike as well as a ebike, and find my anxiety and stress level reduce more on a ebike than on a regular bike, I can cycle a distance on a regular bike but don’t feel as chilled afterwards as that I would do on a ebike.

Are ebikes better for stress and anxiety?

 

[KnittyNorah]

I would imagine it would depend on what triggers the stress/anxiety.

My neighbour seems to think I ought to be stressed about 'what will happen when you get exhausted' when I go out on my bike, and keeps suggesting that having an e-bike would reduce both the risk and the stresses that she is certain I must suffer from. Except that I'm not stressed about it at all, and don't consider it a risk. She's stressed about it, though!
If you are very sensitive to the levels of adrenaline in your blood, I suppose it's possible that there might be some extra adrenalin production engendered in using a normal bike and that might overwhelm some of the effects of the endorphins - the 'feel good' stuff - also produced by exercise, whereas riding your e-bike allows the endorphins to come into greater effect.
Or it might be a type of placebo effect - everyone, his dog and his advertising had emphasised to you how relaxing it is to ride an e-bike, and so you get the experience that you are expecting.

Just a few thoughts ...

 

[Sharky]

Exercise of any sort helps stress. I used to find that my daily commute put me in a good mind set before getting to work and on the return home, allowed me to forget the office pressures before reaching home.

There is one scenario that stresses me when cycling. Should I leave my pump at home, which have only done very occasionally and not realise until into my journey. I usually have to abort the planned loop and take the shortist route home. I cannot cycle knowingly without a pump!

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Hi I suffer with anxiety and often find cycling helps me relax and de-clutter my mind abit.

Just wondered if anyone has the answer to this, I Also ride a regular bike as well as a ebike, and find my anxiety and stress level reduce more on a ebike than on a regular bike, I can cycle a distance on a regular bike but don’t feel as chilled afterwards as that I would do on a ebike.

Are ebikes better for stress and anxiety?

I think this is the key:

I would imagine it would depend on what triggers the stress/anxiety.

Do you cycle the same routes? Distances? On both bikes? What are the differences for you as a rider between both? Is the regular bike more of a "performance" thing and the E-bike more of a relaxation thing? Do you ride solo or with other people?
Is one bike more comfortable than the other?
Does the E-bike have puncture proof tyres and the other one scares you in case of a puncture?
Then there's the self fulfilling prophecy:
If you set off with the intention of being relaxed........

I will regularly stop on the bike if I find that my "head" is not in the right place.

I've met people who went touring on Ebikes and said that they'd never have thought of such a holiday on regular bikes.

But here's a question for you - if you prefer the E-bike what's the problem? Just ride that?

 

[ianrauk]

Exercise of any sort helps stress. I used to find that my daily commute put me in a good mind set before getting to work and on the return home, allowed me to forget the office pressures before reaching home

This...in spades. My daily cycle commute is the best part of my day. It totally helps me to get ready for the working day and to de-work at the end of the day.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

The thing with stress and anxiety is that it often doesn't make logical sense. That is sometimes a lot of the problem.
But if it causes stress and/or anxiety then it is real.

teh actual reason could be anything
are you worried about range of the battery?
do you have a device on the ebike that shows data such as miles done, range remaining, charge - but nothing on the normal bike so the numbers are causing the problem
Are you, probably subconsciously, thinking that other people might think you are 'cheating' (you are not - it is just a different type of bike)?
or something else that maybe you don;t even recognise?

AT the end of the day if the ebike rides are not giving you the same amount of 'good feeling' as the ebike rides thenstick with the normal bike for a while
or maybe use the ebike for just the rides with big hills when you don;t have the enthusiasm for them on a normal bike


Whatever happens - I hope you move forward - I had thing like that for a long time and it takes a while to work out what is best for you

Oh - and have you tried counselling - it really helped me and a lot of other people?

good luck

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I own an e-bike, although I haven't seen it for well over 2 years, it's been on loan to an injured friend, then my son got it to try to give him the encouragement to ride, he's now got a 'normal' bike, now my daughter has it for the same reason.

But back to the question, for me it depends on what & where I was going, I built myself up to 40 mile rides on an MTB, but when I was doing that I would get anxious that I wouldn't be able to get home, especially when exploring new routes. The e-bike took away all those anxieties (possibly falsely) that I would always be able to get back home, I used the e-bike to push my distance away from home, I then knew what I could expect on the non e-bike.

Unfortunately anxiety is a very irrational issue, I get anxious & stressed about the most stupid (according to my rational brain) things.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Initially on my Orbea Gain on a number of particularly long hilly rides I had considerable stress regarding possible battery depletion - range-anxiety - as my leg muscles are no longer strong enough to ride even the lightest e-road bike far without assistance (that's why I now ride an e-bike!). It actually happened two or three times, and was extremely painful! Purchase of a range extender battery has mostly solved the issue. So, in fact, I found riding an e-bike more stressful than an unassisted one used to be.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

So - range anxiety seems to be a 'thing' sometimes
Personally I don;t get it because I don;t ride far enough (25-30 miles is the max) in one go - but I only go that far on a full charge

I did have problems on my wife's folder when we went to Cornwall and I used up the battery on a load of steep hills - then had to ride back to the accommodation in normal mode. I was lucky that it was mostly level for the last bit but I can understand people getting anxious if they are 30 miles from home and the 3rd bar goes out!

 

[HobbesOnTour]

@ebikeerwidnes
The OP is fine on the E-bike - it's the regular bike that is less satisfying

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

@ebikeerwidnes
The OP is fine on the E-bike - it's the regular bike that is less satisfying

Ah
correct - I miread

 

[richtea]

Are ebikes better for stress and anxiety?

Might it be that the ridiculous ease and of feeling rather fitter than you are? It is a little magical, as well as still being exercise.
Certainly the amazing 'strong wind behind' feeling lightens the mental load, and makes me chuckle inwardly.
My legs are like pistons, etc....

 

[Phil Fouracre]

You’ve answered your own question - of course they’re better for stress and anxiety! they’re absolutely fantastic!👌😂😂

 

[frazzled]

The E-Bike for me has been more relaxing.

I ride a regular bike too and enjoy it, but the E-Bike I've relied on for commuting and after doing it for over a year, it's been fab. Only prob I had was flat battery once (it's a heavy bugger to pedal without assistance) but now I know its range very well.

It's been so reliable. Mine has pedal assist and twist-grip throttle so I can exercise or relax.

Love it.

 

[ColinJ]

Are ebikes better for stress and anxiety?

They obviously are - for you!

I don't ride an ebike, but if I did I would be constantly worried that I would run out of battery power on the wrong side of some big steep Yorkshire/Lancashire hill and be left with a heavy bike to drag over with just leg power. Obviously, if you never get close to running your battery flat then that would not apply.