Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco Is the Newest E-Bike Devotee

From Bicycling

E-bikes may still be a somewhat controversial topic in the U.S., but they’re steadily growing in popularity.

They just gained one more devotee, too: comedian Sebastian Maniscalco.

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Maniscalco took to social media on Monday to share a video of his new ride, a Specialized Turbo Como 3.0 e-bike, received complimentary of the company. In his post, he says he rode a Specialized bike—presumably electric—this past summer, and that his father-in-law also owns one.

“I had such a blast on it,” he said.

In his usual (humorous) fashion, Maniscalco went on to explain exactly why he likes riding an e-bike so much.

“People go, ‘Why do you need an electric bike? It defeats the purpose of riding a bike.’ Well, when you’re going up hills at a 90-degree angle, you need a little assistance, alright,” Maniscalco said. “I’m not Lance Armstrong, this ain’t the Tour de France.”

There are many reasons to ride a bike: Fun, fitness, transportation, and more. And you know what? E-bikes tick all of those boxes.

[Want to fly up hills? Climb! gives you the workouts and mental strategies to conquer your nearest peak.]

Sure, e-bikes make riding a lot easier—seemingly effortless at times, especially when going uphill. But that doesn’t mean e-bike riders aren’t putting in any substantial work on their end. It’s still a good form of exercise, albeit a usually less vigorous one at that. (Unless you’re competing at the E-Mountain Bike World Championships. Yes, that’s now a thing.)

One study found that e-bike riders still burned roughly half the amount of calories of regular bike riders by comparison. And lowering the pedal-assist setting on an e-bike will have you burning more.

Even better, a study published last year in Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives found that e-bike riders tend to ride both longer and farther than regular bike riders.

And who can blame them? Maniscalco is right, we aren’t all cut out for the Tour de France—or even that hill back to our house.

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