Having spent most of lockdown number 3 sampling bars of white chocolate and red wine the thought of mountain biking in Swaledale on the bank holiday weekend, although with friends, filled me with dread. I felt overweight and utterly unfit, there was no way I could keep up!

So, I borrowed an e-bike.

I was instantly hooked on this magical bike.

What is an e-bike?

An e-bike is an electric-assist bike. This means it is pretty much a normal bike, but with a rechargeable battery mounted on the downtube. There is a small LCD computer screen in the centre of the handlebars, this is how you turn-on the magic. There is a choice of 4 levels of power – eco, tour, sport and turbo. To get the power to kick in, all you need to do is to start pedalling, and away you go! I realise this may sound a little like a moped, but it is nothing like a moped, like it or not, for safety reasons, the power will switch off when the e-bike hits 15mph.

Is riding an e-bike cheating?

No way is it cheating! An e-bike is still very much a bike, and you still need to pedal. It will require a certain level of fitness to pedal the bike. But the good news is, it is so much easier to pedal, and requires a lot less energy! This is a good thing, as with an e-bike it will mean you can go further and faster than you could potentially go on a conventional mountain bike…at least uphill anyway.

 Are there any health benefits of riding an e-bike?

Yes of course! You will see the same physical and mental health benefits of riding a conventional bike when riding an e-bike. You probably won’t be using the same amount of energy pedalling an e-bike, due to the electric-assistance, but this will probably mean that you will cycle further. So, the greater distance will outweigh the effort of pedalling a conventional bike.

I also found that the e-bike gave me confidence that I never had on a bike before. I wasn’t looking ahead at the hills panicking at what was about to come. In fact, I didn’t even bat an eyelid. I was too busy enjoying the ride, I was flying up the hills and I wasn’t out of breath!

Is riding an e-bike for you?

If you are not used to riding bikes, then riding around the Yorkshire Dales may seem a little daunting as there are some fairly intimidating hills. Especially in Swaledale, we are in a valley after all!

With an e-bike there is no limit to the hills you can climb (other than the battery life of course!), it will allow you to go further and see more of our beautiful dale. So, if you want to explore more, an e-bike is definitely for you.

Can I hire an e-bike?

You sure can! The Dales Bike Centre has a fleet of quality e-bikes to hire, visit their website to find out more or to book.

I highly recommend exploring Swaledale on an e-bike, stop thinking about it and get out there and do it, I’m confident you will love it!!