It's a hard urge to suppress, I have to admit. Many of us pride ourselves on being able-bodied, and to add a mechanical boost feels like it would be cheating.

That said, there are times when I'm riding in traffic, up a hill, into a wind, and wishing I had a little more power to keep up with cars. From what I know of electric-assist bikes, the battery life is dependent on how much/often you use the assist, so a strong rider may be able to save up that boost for rare occasions when it's absolutely needed. The problem, of course, is that you're lugging around that weight the rest of the time, and for long-distance or fast riding, you want as few things robbing you of energy as possible.

- Scott