"Someday" has arrived for us
Just as background, I've never approached bicycling primarily as a competitive or achievement-based activity; I just get enjoyment out of exploring the world on two wheels. After all, I spent 35+ years criss-crossing the country on motorcycles.
Anyway, I'm into the 70+ category here and my speed and range are definitely decreasing. My wife is younger but also not as strong a rider as she used to be, so when we occasionally go riding together, our range is about half of what I could do on my own, and shorter than we used to do a few years back when I first retired. We've seen older folks on e-bikes and said that “someday” we'd probably end up on them, but no hurry for now.
So a couple weeks ago we were at a local festival and one of the LBS's was there with some demo e-bikes. I asked my wife if she'd like to try one, but she was reluctant since she hadn't ridden at all this year and “didn't have her biking legs” yet. I said that she ought to give it a go anyway, so she got on one and took off. Well, one lap around the parking lot and she was back with a big “I'm loving this!” smile. And after we went out and sought out a couple of local hills that usually trouble her, she was ready to buy one on the spot! I've never seen her so eager to spend money...
So it looks like we'll be shopping e-bikes and will probably get one for her later this year or certainly by next season. This will really equalize our riding abilities for now, although I can see myself going that route in a few years (not as my only bike, but for riding around the area). It helps that our state legislature passed some bills clarifying some definitions and where these bikes can be used (Class 1 bikes are pedal-assist bikes with a top assisted speed of 20mph and are legal on MUPs etc. unless specifically prohibited).
I'm looking forward to taking some of the weekend trips again that we used to do to ride some of the other rail-trails around the state. And if any of you haven't taken a ride on an e-bike yet, I'd highly recommend it -- it can be a real eye-opener!