I live in a very, very flat area…imo, no need here for an electric bike. I have 2 regular bikes I use on our trails and to go into town, etc. However, I’ve rented ebikes several times when traveling - in hilly areas - and I love them. Like someone said upthread- you still have to work, can put it on low boost or whatever and it’s like a regular bike. When you need a boost that’s when you power it up.
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Love, love, love our e-bikes. We live in a very hilly area and had basically stopped bicycling because it was too strenuous. Now we are out and about multiple times a week and use the bikes for errands as well as recreation. Am definitely way more active with them than without them.
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For us, it was life changing! And it got us out and about so much more, and gave me, at least, a much more personal view of my neighborhood/nearby neighborhoods/city than I ever had while driving. And because the range is so much more than I could bike with a non-electric bike, I saw way more of my city than I had before.
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Me too!
I’m not looking forward to a world where e-bikes share the same sidewalk as the pedestrian. There’re too many silent e-bikes in cities (outside US) that pose danger, IMO, to pedestrians.
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I still have a regular bike, but I would not get an e-bike. I don’t ride the regular bike much either. We had a friend who was an avid cyclist who was killed on a bike ride. I just don’t think they’re safe sharing space with cars. People are too squishy when compared with a hunk of metal going super fast. I only feel comfortable riding my bike on dedicated greenways that do not go along the road. And honestly mostly I’d rather walk. My bike is a mountain bike and I really need a more comfort oriented bike if I’m going to bike.
E-bikes don’t belong on sidewalks any more than regular bikes do. I understand that people break the law regularly, but that, to me, is an education and enforcement issue.
Bad bike riders, E or regular, are the bane of my bike riding existence. They create bad vibes for the rest of us riders, not to mention endangering my life, like when they do things like riding on the left instead of the right, or riding side by side on a narrow bike path.
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A couple years ago I did an e-bike experience through Airbnb, on Big Island, Hawaii - it was along the Kapoho Kalapana Road Scenic Drive (Red Road) - it was a year after the volcano swallowed up parts of Pahoa and Kalapana, and created a new black sand beach - it was so much fun, absolutely gorgeous as well as informative, our “tour guide” is a high school teacher; there were only 2 of us (strangers, not traveling together) and our guide, we covered more than 30 miles, and when I came home I really wanted an e-bike. I haven’t splurged yet, but I really want one!
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Even though biking isn’t my thing, I’m really glad others like it and that e-bikes can help people enjoy their lives more. I like reading such stories
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Swytch…go look at this option. It swaps out the front wheel of any bike. It works really well. I really love mine…because I loved my bike!
The problem is that there aren’t dedicated bike lanes in most places around the world (or in the US). In such places, E-bikes have to share the road either with cars or with pedestrians. Neither is ideal.
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DH just bought one and is loving it. He is very fit, mountain bikes, but he wanted the e-bike because he surfs, he can attach his board to the side, and never have to worry about parking at the beach again. He has had it for about a month and is using it a lot.I think a lot of the times when he would have said that he wouldn’t go to the beach because he knew there’d be no parking, no he he just pops over.
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Specialized makes very good e-bikes, but they are pricey.
We went on a bike trip a couple of years ago and I can remember at least 4 on the trip opted for e-bikes. The Specialized one got the most attention.
We are going on another bike trip in September, and of the roughly 20 in the group, at least 6 will be riding e-bikes.
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Yes, I was looking at Specialized last evening. I like them a lot, but yes, quite expensive. However, I’m planning to sell my daily driver Toyota and this potential e-bike purchase would be a replacement for my Toyota.
This potential e-bike purchase is a fraction of the cost of a new EV. I also have an older MTN bike, which I only occasionally use for trail riding.
I’m very fortunate that in the Silicon Valley area in which I live, proximity to Stanford, Peninsula and South Bay, has an extensive network of dedicated bike lanes.
And CA and our local municipalities continue to make them better (newly paved, wider with separation from traffic, painted bright green, etc.) and extending them much further.
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I do know that potential e-bike owners have concerns that they might get outlawed from bike paths.
Our friend we shopped with only wanted Class 2 (20mph max), has hopes that it will be allowed even if Class 3 (28mph) no longer allowed on the bike paths someday.
FYI - terminology
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From my very preliminary understanding, CA law allows all classes of e-bikes on/in bike paths/lanes, but there are restrictions in some jurisdictions on using e-bikes on trails (unpaved) or in nature preserves, which is totally fine by me. I don’t even like regular bikes on trails when I run.
The plan for me would be the roadway hopefully with and preferably not without bike lanes. 
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I have had an e bike for about five years now. I am on my second one. The first one was a cheaply made one that I got at Menards. I love my bike. We live near a river and there are hills all over that seem flat from a car. I fell in love with an e bike when we did a biking trip in Spain. Two of us had paid extra to have the ebike. I would never had attempted that trip with out assistance. E bikes opened up my world!
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I’m pretty sure I want a class one. Don’t need a throttle.
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There are bike paths in my area that I want to be able to use if I get an ebike. So it’s an important consideration for me.
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There used to be restrictions on the booster board motorized skateboards in some parts of SV (can’t recall which areas). Not sure if that’s been updated as it would be similar to these issues with some other motorized vehicles.