Originally Posted by kickstart

I'm now getting more, and better exercise when commuting.

Really.

I live in a valley, and work in a valley with a rolling plateau in between, meaning I have steep climbs in both directions, the worst being in the pm at a mile long and 15 to 18% grade.

My normal mode of commuting has been taking it easy to save energy for the upcoming climb, mashing up the hill in granny gear, then recovering from the hill. After a hard day at work handling freight that means often getting home totally knackered and sore.
With my new Radwagon e-cargo bike I'm working less on the hills using assist level 3 of 5, but pedaling harder the rest of the time using assist level 0 or 1 of 5 which basically evens out how hard I pedal for the entire commute.
The workout I'm getting is now more cardio. I'm feeling much better when I get home, and my knees are much happier.

The difference is readily apparent when riding my regular bikes on the weekend, which is a good thing as I was concerned it would have a negative effect on my ability when riding without e-assist. It's also returned my interest in pure recreational riding as I'm not feeling burned out from commuting every day.

Another plus is that its actually as fast or faster than my motorcycle as I can still use the bike lanes and MUT to avoid the gridlock through downtown, and I'm going up the mile long hill at 6-7 mph rather than 3-4 mph.