I might get some crap from the purists around here, however, my last bike was stolen, so I moved my plan to buy an electric bike up by about 3 months. I wouldn't have bought it except it is now my main form of transportation and Raleigh is extremely hilly, and starting next year (wow 2017 is only 2 months away) i'm going to be going up some major hills.
Presenting my Cannondale Kinneto:
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A commuting cyclist for over 50 years, I wanted to check out the electric power assisted bicycle concept, so rented this one when I was in Hua Hin, Thailand, a couple of years ago. Nothing fancy, just a single speed regular commuter style bike, with the battery and electric motor added. It had a range of about 50 km (30 miles) under electric power alone, using the boost button. When peddling the amount of assistance varied depending on the terrain and effort put in. Perfect for a day of exploring within about ten or a dozen km from where I was staying.
After using it for a day my feelings were mixed. In the end, from my point of view, while there were some benefits and a novelty fun aspect to it, overall the electrically assisted bicycle was a solution in search of a problem.
Over regular, flat to undulating terrain it was easy get along at regular cycling speeds with very little effort. Around town it was easy to keep up with other traffic. The boost button made for a fast get away and up to cruising speed. Nice, but did it do it better than my regular commuter (similarly equipped to carry a load with a basket and carrier)?
Other than less sweat, not really. As a practical means of getting around carrying a bit of stuff, they were about equal. Where I live at present, electric assistance would offer no significant benefit.
Benefit accrued, however, as load size increased and terrain got steeper. This is about as I could practically manage on the bike when pedalling with electric boost.
However, pushing the bike on up with assistance from the boost made reaching the top of the hill a doodle. If my regular commute and getting around involved quite hilly terrain, an electrically assisted bike would defiantly be favourite.
For recreation, it depends.
Heading off somewhere carrying a bit of stuff for a picnic, fishing, taking photos or whatever, an electrically assisted bike could be nice, especially if there was some hilly terrain involved. However, if the joy of cycling, or going hard for exercise were the main objectives, the weight of the bike would make for a less enjoyable experience.
