I can guarantee that the bikeforums gerontocracy would be in an uproar if we criticized any of their standard practices: such as hoarding one or two dozen bikes at a time collecting dust in their garages, spending 20 or 30 or 40 hours a week scouring craigslist for bikes to flip, spending $300 on "Italian" jerseys made in China, posting 400 or 500x on dry vs wet lube, etc.

There's no introspection or insight on priorities or how to assess what's of actual importance. E-bikes make a REAL WORLD difference to commuters, people who work on their bikes, and especially to people who face mobility problems and can't ride a standard bicycle without great difficulty.

E-bikes are a solution to practical real world problems. Not to mention, e-bikes will save the bicycling industry: take a look at sales figures. The goofs who have been trolling this forum have completely lost any perspective on the importance of bicycles: they are toys. They are for fun and recreation. For an extremely tiny portion of even the bicycling population in the first world, they serve as basic transportation or as a means to make money. In those instances, e-bikes are far superior.

As much as I enjoy riding my standard bicycles, e-bikes are a far more enjoyable experience. I have no financial stake in any of this, just tellin it like it is