Sir Bradley Wiggins, five-times Olympic Gold cycling champion has told Pocket-lint for our weekly podcast that he doesn't think electric bicycles are "cheating" when it comes to getting out on your bike and in fact they are a good thing.

"I think it's brilliant. A lot people enjoy the benefits of cycling, and the outdoors and freedoms it gives them, but they just aren't able to do it for heath reason sometimes," explains Sir Bradley.

"It's a shame if someone has heart problems or are obese through illness and they simply can't get up a hill or something. For those people they can enjoy the freedoms of a bike without the health risks. It just gets them out the door."

Sir Bradley believes that for many, electric bicycles could be a way of taking away some of the more frustrating parts of cycling, like going up hills: "Half the reason a lot of people won't get on a bike is because they can't stand going up hills.

"With electric bicycles it starts you off. You are still active by riding an e-bike, it's not like riding a moped. Rather than having to walk up a hill and feel terrible because you can't get up a hill, there is still a sense of achievement of getting out of the house."

Along with winning five Olympic Gold medals, Sir Bradley Wiggins has also won the Tour de France and numerous other races. He hasn't announced an e-bike himself, but he has launched a new range of children's bikes with Halfords that is coming out in September.

The new range starts with the 12-inch Wiggins Pau Balance Bike for youngsters and quickly progresses through the ranks to The Wiggins Rouen Adv Jr 700 with 16 speed Shimano Claris gears for the budding racer.

Of course, there is one caveat to owning an electric bike according to the cyclist, you shouldn't use them to beat the "blokes around Richmond Park," but for most, Sir Bradley feels it helps those that "just want to get out of the house."

You can listen to the full interview with Sir Bradley Wiggins in the latest episode (ep.16) of the Pocket-lint podcast out on Friday 23 August.