Electric bikes are really cool and I think that it if gets you into biking for exercise then it is good. Personally these bikes are very expensive and when the battery dies you now have a really heavy bicycle. For $2k you can get a low end electric bike or a really solid non-electric bike. The non-electric bike will last longer and never runs out of batteries.

For someone with a disability these bikes are life changing. They can ride places they could not have before. This is truly amazing and is who I think should be considering an electric bike.

For someone who wants to exercise more I do not recommend an electric bike. This is going to reduce the effectiveness of the workouts and require more time spent exercising. Just get a regular old heavy bike and it will get you into shape quickly. 4 week of 3 rides a week at 30 to 60 minutes at a talking pace and you will improve your fitness, guaranteed.

For someone who needs a bike for commuting this is a tough decision. An electric bike is a huge improvement over an internal combustion car. If that is your option then get the electric bike. If an electric bike is replacing a non-electric bike cause you are lazy then you may want to explore the lazy part there. Do you need to eat better, wear better cycling clothing, or get more sleep? One or all of those things can make cycling more enjoyable.

Electric bikes are expensive. Canyon’s ebikes start at over $5k. The VanMoof starts at $2k and looks ultra proprietary. Wired has a good article here covering a lot of ebike options.

Personally I know that an ebike would not benefit me as much as a non-electric bike does. I can ride just about anywhere I need to already. If I need to carry more supplies than I can comfortably carry on my bike then I probably need my car.

However I realize I am a bit of an outlier. I wish I wasn’t but this is the USA and while everyone talks about exercise, most do not. If an ebike gets more people out of the house then that is a plus for them. It also means that there is potentially one less car on road if they run an errand.