I got a Trek Verve+ about a year ago, to use for commuting. I have gone on a few recreational rides on it, with my husband on his road bike. It's nice to be able to give him a good workout on hills. Unfortunately, I am not liking the super upright position of the Verve+ when riding more than 20 miles. Right now, this is working better for me than riding our Santana tandem.

I am thinking about either getting an e-bike kit for my road bike (maybe from Calfee) or looking at an e-gravel bike. I like slightly relaxed road geometry, and rack and fender mounts - that's what my road bike has.

My captain and I have combined age of ~115. I've had a below knee amputation on 1 leg for many years. That Verve+ is a revelation for me - at the low assistance setting, it's less effort to cruise at 13mph on a 50lb bike than it is to pedal at 12mph on my light road bike.

I agree completely with the original post. Personally I think a light assist is even BETTER on a tandem than on singles. Being that they tend to be poor on watt to weight, it suits them well. To the OP, I would reconsider it.