To each his own. I find the very idea of e-bikes totally boring. I love the beautiful symmetry that exists between man and machine with a human powered bicycle. You are not a machine though, the bicycle is. Don't treat yourself like a machine by reducing everything down to gear ratios, cadence, heart rate, energy output. You're an animal with emotions and biorhythms and not every day is the same. Be sensitive to your feelings and find an enjoyable and sustainable pace. Depending on the day, you might want that pace to be quite aggressive. Some days I'm "working hard". But inside, I might be working hard in the same way that I would exhaust myself as a little boy on my bicycle, huffing and puffing but on the brink of a big smile that comes when I reach the top of the climb. But if you're not feeling like going hard that day, slow down and give yourself a break. Nobody is making you maintain a pace that's stronger than necessary besides you yourself (for me anyway, I ride alone).

I get satisfaction out of being fit and feeling strong. Sometimes I can be my worst enemy in that respect by pushing myself a little too hard, where I'm "behind the curve" - i.e. breathing ragged, and riding on the edge of what my legs can put up with. Then shifting up once and bumping up the cadence, I can dial in a feeling that I can sustain the ride comfortably all day and move across the countryside enjoying the scenery and the feeling of freedom I get from doing something that's good for my body and soul and costs little more than I would spend living at home.

There are so many subtle opportunities to make the most out of your effort on a bicycle and also make the most out of the cycle's momentum and find where your effort pays off and where you're better off resting. There's infinite refinement to be had of that - a life long lesson in having fun. When I was younger I pushed myself too hard. So hard that I didn't even benefit by being more fit! I eventually learned to not try real hard all of the time and smell the roses. And to ride in a way that I could get older in a healthy way instead of wearing myself down until I quit riding.

There was a post here about riding in the Appalachians. I live at the base of them and ride there frequently. It is very hilly - in quite a different way than the Rockies. These mountains do a whole lot of up and down steep climbs. Until you get used to it the climbs can be depressing because you climb for a while, then undo most or all of what you just gained by descending - that sounds nice but then you're faced with another climb that looks a lot like what you just did! It makes the climb seem pointless. It can be quite a mental challenge. But it's also a good training ground because if you stick with it the climbs start fading into the background and they become matter of fact. You slow down and find a sustainable pace without thinking to yourself about how slow you're going. You're just going. Your speed is not what's on your mind.

Maybe it goes without saying, but another important negative for e-bikes is that you have to charge them. That's inconvenient. And in my case, detracts from another thing I like about bicycles - the "greenness" of it.