Originally Posted by
RubeRad
Yes, with an e-Bike you get those options. But you also get the liabilities of having to monitor your battery's charge level (more often than you already have to monitor your tire pressure or chain lubrication), and if you miscalculate and are out on a ride while your batteries die, you have a substantially heavier bike that you have to ride home with no assist. And that bike costs a lot more than 2-3x a non-electric bike.
It all depends on what you're doing with your bike. If you're just commuting, then it should be pretty simple - charge on one or both ends, depending on how big a battery you have, and size your battery to your commute. But if you have a variety of uses, then of course you'll need to plan a bit more. Still, you can always vary how much assist you get and, if you need longer, range, plan for less assist. This is not much different than with a regular bike - you shouldn't plan on biking 50 miles if you've never biked more than a mile at a time.