Ebike riding calories burned?

[al_yrpal]

I am trying to lose a bit of weight at the moment and am using the app My Fitness Pal which helped me lose 48lbs a few years ago. I always reckoned that an hours energetic cycling would burn 500 to 600 calories but now I mostly ride an electric bike I am looking for a new good rule of thumb? I do keep to the lower assistance levels Eco and Tour except on really steep gradients which make up only 10% of the hills around here.

I came across various estimates and reckon I probably burn about 50 percent on the Ebike... ie 250 to 300 calories per hour.

Whats your guess?

Al

[PH]

I haven't seen any of the guides, but I'd expect it to me more than your estimate.
For me - walking at an easy pace where I'm never short of breath is around 300 calories an hour, cycling at a steady pace around 600. Assisted cycling is going to be somewhere between those, depending on the level.

[Pebble]

500-600 calories per hour seems a lot. Would that be sprinting or hill climbing?

I have estimated that on a standard bike I use 30 calories per mile with a further 30 calories for every 100' of ascent (17 mile with 1,000' ascent would equal 810 calories and that would take me about 2 hours, so 400 per hour-ish )

I have no idea how much an e-bike helps

[PH]

500-600 calories per hour seems a lot. Would that be sprinting or hill climbing?

Using this suggests it's in the right ball park, though age and weight makes a difference. This for me it estimates 650 cal an hour at 12 - 14mph
https://keisan.casio.com/exec/system/1350958587

I use a heart rate monitor, which is a reasonable measure of exertion, taking it really easy I can get down to around 400 and If I push hard or do intervals it's closer to 1,100 calories and hour (Though I can rarely keep that up for an hour)

[Xbigman]

What power settings you use is another big factor. If you want a really vague rule of thumb I'd say it's 40% of normal cycling calories burned on the max power settings and 65% on the minimum setting. Adjust accordingly on the intermediate settings depending how many there are.

However, if we are talking weight loss and calories you are better off ignoring exercise calories and just living to a sensible daily calorie limit (about 2500 men and 2100 women) and the exercise is a bonus. I limit myself to 2500 but I include a couple of oat bars each day (128 each) in my meal plan so that I have something to munch whilst riding. Once a ride goes over 30 miles I take something more substantial to eat, like a pasty, but I count it as part of the 2500 daily limit.


Darren

[Pebble]

500-600 calories per hour seems a lot. Would that be sprinting or hill climbing?

Using this suggests it's in the right ball park, though age and weight makes a difference. This for me it estimates 650 cal an hour at 12 - 14mph
https://keisan.casio.com/exec/system/1350958587

I use a heart rate monitor, which is a reasonable measure of exertion, taking it really easy I can get down to around 400 and If I push hard or do intervals it's closer to 1,100 calories and hour (Though I can rarely keep that up for an hour)

Interesting site thanks.

I wish it included ascent for the walking and cycling, it makes a very big difference to how tiring a route will be.

[al_yrpal]

What power settings you use is another big factor. If you want a really vague rule of thumb I'd say it's 40% of normal cycling calories burned on the max power settings and 65% on the minimum setting. Adjust accordingly on the intermediate settings depending how many there are.

However, if we are talking weight loss and calories you are better off ignoring exercise calories and just living to a sensible daily calorie limit (about 2500 men and 2100 women) and the exercise is a bonus. I limit myself to 2500 but I include a couple of oat bars each day (128 each) in my meal plan so that I have something to munch whilst riding. Once a ride goes over 30 miles I take something more substantial to eat, like a pasty, but I count it as part of the 2500 daily limit.


Darren

As I said I lost 48lbs last time I strictly dieted and exercised with My Fitness Pal. I aimed at 1500 calories per day on food intake and lost 1.4 lbs a week over a period of 9 months. With MFP you can offset your exercise calories against your food intake but normally I dont do that. However, dieting can get boring and there are periods when a little extra food in the form of treats can make the diet bearable. This time my target is at least a stone which should be achievable in 10 weeks.

Thanks for the replys, as has been said somewhere between walking and cycling with a bit of welly!

Al

[al_yrpal]

500-600 calories per hour seems a lot. Would that be sprinting or hill climbing?

I have estimated that on a standard bike I use 30 calories per mile with a further 30 calories for every 100' of ascent (17 mile with 1,000' ascent would equal 810 calories and that would take me about 2 hours, so 400 per hour-ish )

I have no idea how much an e-bike helps

My normal rides are an hour or two and mostly I give it a bit of welly. There are loads of killer hills in some parts of Devon and Somerset. An Ebike can make your ride very easy indeed.

Al

[[XAP]Bob]

250W limit, so that's only going to contribute 1 food-calorie of energy every 16 seconds.

If you ran the motor at max power constantly you would therefore be getting a contribution of 225 Calories/hour.

Adjust according to your actual usage

[saudidave]

The power level you use on an ebike is irrelevant to the calories you burn. If you are pedalling like a lunatic up hill on an ebike in eco mode at 15 m.p.h., or putting in the same amount of physical effort but going slower or in a lower gear on a non powered bike you will use the same calories in both cases from the same power input. On the assisted machine you will go faster for the same power input

It's how hard you are working that matters not the assistance you are getting. On my Dawes galaxy I used to average about 10 m.p.h, now I average 14-15m.p.h.with the same effort whilst riding my ebike in eco mode and that provides about 40% assistance, so same difference, give or take.

[hjd10]

The power level you use on an ebike is irrelevant to the calories you burn. If you are pedalling like a lunatic up hill on an ebike in eco mode at 15 m.p.h., or putting in the same amount of physical effort but going slower or in a lower gear on a non powered bike you will use the same calories in both cases from the same power input. On the assisted machine you will go faster for the same power input

It's how hard you are working that matters not the assistance you are getting. On my Dawes galaxy I used to average about 10 m.p.h, now I average 14-15m.p.h.with the same effort whilst riding my ebike in eco mode and that provides about 40% assistance, so same difference, give or take.

I have found similarities with my E-bike riding, I put in the same effort but go faster. A good way to work out the calories is to use a heart rate monitor. Mine seems to work well and wasn't expensive, I use a MyZone but there are loads of others available.
I know that calories used and different heart monitors are very subjective but as an aid to my riding, I do like having the feedback.

[saudidave]

The power level you use on an ebike is irrelevant to the calories you burn. If you are pedalling like a lunatic up hill on an ebike in eco mode at 15 m.p.h., or putting in the same amount of physical effort but going slower or in a lower gear on a non powered bike you will use the same calories in both cases from the same power input. On the assisted machine you will go faster for the same power input

It's how hard you are working that matters not the assistance you are getting. On my Dawes galaxy I used to average about 10 m.p.h, now I average 14-15m.p.h.with the same effort whilst riding my ebike in eco mode and that provides about 40% assistance, so same difference, give or take.

I have found similarities with my E-bike riding, I put in the same effort but go faster. A good way to work out the calories is to use a heart rate monitor. Mine seems to work well and wasn't expensive, I use a MyZone but there are loads of others available.
I know that calories used and different heart monitors are very subjective but as an aid to my riding, I do like having the feedback.

I use my Apple watch and the "Map my Ride" app. Both the app & the fitness function in ios provide all the stats I need. It's basically the only reason I bought the watch in the first place, although I have to admit I've found many other uses for it in the two years since then.

[arnsider]

I could not comment on Calories burned as I am lazy and leave my monitor at home.
Well then, why comment here you may ask!
Looking at my ride logs over the last ten rides, I averaged 43 miles per ride. My View Ranger recorded an average of 2700 feet of ascent over seven rides and I weigh 106 kgs. I'm lazy because although I have a chest band heart monitor, I forget to put it on!
The monitor is an entry-level model with a rudimentary calorie burned readout.
Coffee stops normally involve a sticky chocolaty cake and I don't seem to lose much weight!
One thing I can comment on is the battery charge longevity on my Whyte Coniston.
Yesterday, I rode sixty miles over hilly terrain, taking in Barbondale, Dent, RiggMaiden Hall, Lupton and Hutton Roof.
Being range cautious, I started to ride a lot with the controller in the "Off" mode. Once my legs were working well, I found more and more that I could ride the flat and gently ascending sections without power. It took a bit of thought because I had hitherto tended to indulge the motor!
Well, I got home with 2/5 bars left on my battery.
My point is, E-bikes are capable of giving a very good workout especially if you consciously switch off assistance wherever possible.
I knew this pretty well from the start on long flat stretches, especially with a tailwind, but I'm beginning to ride more intelligently over undulating sections.
My bike is really a hybrid. It is sturdily built and I carry a pannier with spares and often with brewing gear. A fit older person on one of these lightweight drop-bar E-bikes should be able to stay tip-top fit.

[arnsider]

As a humorous aside and quite a few years back, four of us rode a round of Dinas Mawddwy, Dolgellau, over the Arrenigs to the south end of Bala Lake and then over the Bwlch-y-Groes and back to Dinas.
On the long ascent of the Bwich, we pondered our heart rates. One of us was a medic and came up with the adage that it should not exceed 220 minus your age. I can count mine as my BP rises with collar work and my head thumps with the effort. I remember thinking that at that rate I should have been stone dead!! LOL
Three of us now ride E-bikes. The fourth is a tightwad (Yorkshireman).

[Jdsk]

220 minus age:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_rate#Maximum_heart_rate

Jonathan