Fun to zip around with. Great for people that want to bike to destinations but lack the physical ability/stamina.
I have several coworkers who have ditched their car commute to work who now do it by ebike or speed pedelec so that's a great development.
For a normal person who lives in a hilly city it's pretty much impossible to rely on a regular bike to get around, but with ebikes it's possible.
I'm conflicted about them.
They're great for extending your range as a bike rider (either distance or altitude) and helping you get to your destination a little less sweaty. They're great for pulling trailers or integrated into cargo bikes. The motorized assist gets people onto bikes who never would have considered them otherwise, ideally taking cars off the road and helping people get moderately more fit.
They're also very heavy and typically quicker than non-assisted bikes, which means wearing parts like brakes and tyres wear out much more quickly. The chain and cogs need to be replaced more often due to the much higher load the motor puts into them. It's another battery that uses valuable raw materials, only lasts a few years, and is very expensive to replace. Overall, ebikes are much more expensive than regular bikes both to buy and maintain.
Can't beat public transit, but they are pretty fun, you could daily it as long as the weather permits
They look cool and seem very useful especially in hilly cities. Unfortunately, I cannot ride a bike. 😃
Because they can be faster than manual bikes, it makes it easier to do long commutes or go to the emergency room. I worked out that my pedal-assist mid drive bike has 2000mpge. The efficiency is hard to beat, compared to an electric car. If you're going fast all the time, I find big tires, a suspension seat post, ergonomic grips etc become more necessary.
I live in an extremely hilly small town and I really love my ebike. Still, nothing beats human powered bikes in terms of satisfaction IMO.
