Originally Posted by
xroadcharlie
I ride a bike not only for adventure and fun, but for excersize. My concern is with an e bike I'm going to get lazy and use the motor too much. Since neither time nor speed are factors on my rides I choose to forgo the electric assist at 65 years old. Perhaps later.
Doesn't usually happen, if you're a cyclist.
First, get a pedelec, no throttle. Second, realise that as big as those batteries are, you can burn through them very quickly if you use the top level of assist. The longer, or harder, the ride, the less you can use assist. My bike has three levels of assist, and 99% of the time I leave it on the middle setting. One of the rides I am working up to is the LL Bean ride. It totals a bit over 35 miles, and I don't think I will be able to use the high level of assist at all.
I have been using it from the beginning to do things I couldn't without it. No rush, but when you're ready, you're gonna love it.