Originally Posted by
Kindaslow
Like you, I have been totally a surprised by the good workout, and needed to do this to save my knees. A friend who raced MTBs on the world circuit level was loaned an emtb, he was surprised by the workout and how fun it is I got to ride that bike, and agreed with him. Being able to use 4 levels of assist make it possible and practical.
The issue with my knees had gotten so bad I actually laid off from bike commuting for several months, and I started gaining weight because only doing recreational riding on weekends was insufficient.
The decision the get an e-bike was difficult for me. Besides being a major purchase for our budget, I was really concerned I would still be getting less exercise than I need, but I really didn't want to give up bike commuting completely so I took the leap.
It was a real revelation that not only was that concern unfounded, it was 180 degrees off. Getting an e-bike has been one of the best transportation choices I have ever made, and feel a little bit foolish that I let misinformation and peer pressure put it off so long.