Whether you are looking for an enjoyable way to shift a few pounds before summer, searching for a more environmentally friendly way to travel to work or contemplating a new way to enjoy seeing the Lake District, cycling offers something for everyone.

Anybody who has taken part in a spinning class at a gym will appreciate just how tough a cycling sprint or hill climb can be. It is difficult to find a better cardiovascular workout and experts agree that the only types of sport that trump cycling for calorie burning are running and cross-country skiing.

If you prefer to get some fresh air while you work out, cycling is a great way to spend more time outdoors. Living close to the Lake District, cycling is a fantastic way to take in the panoramic views of lakes and mountains available on our doorsteps.

Now that the lighter evenings and milder weather are finally making an appearance, this spring could be the time to join the cycling movement; and the latest in electric bikes offer the perfect way to ease yourself into cycling - without pushing yourself too hard, too soon.

Family-run cycling and watersports shop Topmark, in Greengate Street, Barrow, has an extensive range of mountain and road bikes but recently have been impressed with the interest in electric bikes. These bikes look pretty similar to a normal bicycle and you can ride them like a push bike but they have a simple touch pad on the handle bars, which enables you to switch on a battery powered motor to assist your pedaling.

Although this sounds as if it may defeat the object of going out for a hard cycle, it is really an ingenious way to enable people to get more from their workout. The battery-powered motor only works if you are pedaling and the harder you pedal, the more energy you will get from the motor.

Topmark proprietor Bill Nickson, from Barrow, said: "You don't have to turn the motor on all the time, you can use the bike as normal but if you come to a hill or a steep section of your journey it can give you that extra boost to ride longer.

"We have had great feedback from people who have taken the bikes. They are fantastic for people who are eager to get into fitness but are wary about pushing themselves too hard at the beginning. They have also been a hit with families, if a husband or wife is really into their cycling and their spouse wants to get out and spend time together but is worried they won't keep up, the electric bike is the perfect answer.

"The bikes are run on a simple lithium iron battery which takes around two to three hours to charge up. When they are fully charged you can get about 60 miles out of them and the batteries last for roughly 1,000 charges."

The government is set to spend £316m over the next five years on encouraging people to do more cycling and walking. Cycling to work is great for your mental and physical well-being, as well as for the environment and Mr Nickson hopes that the electric bike can make a difference to commuters in the Furness area.

Topmark customer Lynne Chilton, 56, from Barrow, has found her electric bike has helped change her life over the last year. She said: "I Have lost eight-and-a-half stone over the last year due to a combination of my electric bike, healthier eating and joining Slimming World.

"I now ride my electric bike to work every day, I ride from Barrow to Dalton and it's great exercise, but with the arthritis in my knees I need to use the battery motor when cycling up Mill Brow.

"I have been using the motor less and less as I have built up my fitness and I took part in the 23-mile Tour de Furness, which raises money for St Mary's Hospice, and this year I hope to take part in the 50-mile Tour de Furness.

"When I first went to Topmark to buy my bike I don't think I looked like the type of person who would ever buy a bike or do any sort of exercise but the transformation has been incredible and the last time I went in to see Mr Nickson and his brother Paul and son Mark they were amazed at how much fitter I was."

The electric bicycle that I tried out on my visit to Topmark is called a Whyte Coniston which was a special ladies bike and was incredibly comfortable. Going up hills felt very zippy and the whole experience of cycling was just more enjoyable.

Cyclists in The Netherlands, the bicycle capital of the world, have already wised up to the electric bike. Forty per cent of bicycles sold there are now electric and their example should encourage many more people to try this new form of environmentally friendly transport.