To all who are wondering if they now live too far to commute, or who need a break once in a while:

Get an electric kit for your current bike (even recumbents)! They can add 20 or more miles per charge, at speeds up to 17 mph without pedalling. (More range and / or speed if you pedal as well).

The US Congress is currently changing the law so that an e-bike is considered a "bicycle", not a "motorized vehicle" or "motorized bicycle", which means the DOT does not have a say, just the CPSC. This means you ride the bike wherever you want, even where it says "no motorized vehicles"!

(BTW I don't sell them, but I am a big supporter of them)

I ride 24 miles each way to work (Schwinn Hybrid), and I don't smell like sweat when I get there!

I recharge batteries at work, and on my way home, I pedal more than on the way in so I get a workout, because it is OK to come home a little sweaty.

Drivers aren't always that friendly, but I found bike paths, sidestreets and sidewalks for most of the route (pedestrians are not an issue in Detroit, cars are).

Search on "Electric Bike" on Yahoo, and you will see what I mean.

And to all the "purists" who think a bike should not have an electric motor, it is high time we all start thinking "outside the box" and actually DO SOMETHING to solve congestion, not just talk about it. E-Bikes put otherwise unreachable destinations within range, and you can always pedal as much as you want, for both your health and your conscience.

Search yahoo, and see the links below, and start planning your own route to places you never thought you could ride to.