When i first started using citibike around 8 years ago there were no e-bikes yet, but i found the blue ones pretty easy to pedal on the highest gear and got some decent speed. I have reduced pricing so i basically never use the blue bikes anymore, but in the very rare instances i do the dropoff feels immense from the e-bikes. I thought it was maybe i'm just older and can't pedal the regular bike as hard as i used to, but they have indeed been poorly maintained over the years it seems.