The Pros and Cons of Having an E-bike

How having an e-bike is beneficial

You've probably seen one in your neighborhood, or one going to school. Or while you were walking along your neighborhood, or riding your bike to your friend's house. 

At that moment, you probably wished that you were the one riding that e bike, or that their parents, or your parents would let you get one. As soon as you got home, you went to your mom or dad and asked them if you could get an e-bike. For some lucky people, the answer might have been yes, but for those of you who have strict parents, overprotective parents, or perhaps even parents who don't want to waste money, the answer might be different. If so, then this article is for you.

The pros of having an e-bike

1. Kids now don't stay indoors all the time.

 Okay, think about before e-bikes started trending all over social media. You wouldn't see a single child in sight. Everybody was always either on their phone, iPad, or just didn't come out of their house. But now, wherever you go, there are always some kids riding around town on their e-bikes with their friends.

2. Mental well-being

 It's even scientifically proven that leaving your house to go for a walk or a bike ride is good for your mental health. This is nice because now you can get some fresh air, to clear your head, and you don't have to do anything. You can just sit on your e-bike, turn it on, and it'll cruise around town for you.

3. Now, kids can be more independent.

Now you don't have to worry about driving your child to their friend's house or if they want some boba. They can just go with their friend and chill for a while.

4. It's fun and safe with the proper gear.

Some parents may think that riding an e-bike is unsafe, but then again, so is everything if not used properly. With proper gear, such as a helmet or safety pads, riding an ebike is just as safe as walking. If you ask any person who has ridden an e-bike before, there won't be a single person who will say that it wasn't fun. Even if they didn't have the best experience, they will still tell you that it was really fun.

Let's see what some students think about ebikes.

Maddi Arias says that “e-bikes are cool because they go really fast, and I love to double ride with my friends.  But I think they are unsafe if you are on your phone while you are riding, or you're going really fast, and not paying attention to what you're doing."

Michael Suh thinks that “it depends, if you use an e-bike safely, like not going too fast, and following all the rules, but if you use it carelessly, you could hurt yourself. Like if you don't follow traffic rules, you could put yourself and others in danger.”

Janelle Nulas says, “They're nice cause then you don't have to pedal a lot, but they can be expensive."

Allyson Truong thinks that ”they are really cool, cause they don't require as much energy, but they take a really long time to charge.”

Conclusion

In conclusion, an e-bike is an amazing purchase; it gets kids out of the house more, it's fun to ride, it gives kids a sense of independence, and everybody loves e-bikes. Another amazing thing is that, in the city of Brea, the Brea Police Department requires students who want to ride an e-bike to school to take a course to learn how to ride an e-bike safely, so now parents don't have to worry about their children riding their e-bike safely.

Writer: Zainub Amin

Editor: Alyson Gomez