Originally Posted by
Biker395
I would say this:
I see at least 4-5 ebikers on my commute every day. They are as numerous as bicyclers. They are all significantly younger than I, and none of them look to need any assist. And I have never heard anyone anywhere make the claim that someone who needs the assist should not have it. Never.
Rather than vilify people who wear kits and go faster, why not ask WHY the wear kits and go faster than everyone else? Maybe it is because what cycling means to them is pushing their body hard to go as fast as they can and working hard to see improvements in their speed. For someone like that, an ebike makes no sense.
It's back to my point. Their view depends about what cycling means to them. And what cycling means to them is as legitimate as anyone else's view.
I certainly belong to the cycling-makes-me-fit club. I'll wait a while before I purchase an e-bike. However, once I have an e-bike, it will be used to supplement my existing bikes, it won't replace them.
Currently, I ride 3 days a week. Most of my rides are 15 to 40 miles with 1500 to 4000 ft of climbing. However, I really need to include longer rides with zone 2 effort. That's really not possible where I now live, It's just too hilly. If I had an e-bike now, I'd use it twice a week for recovery rides and building base miles. That's added exercise time that I'm not getting now.