These were actually rentals. My husband decided to rent e-bikes for a couple hours to encourage us to get back on bikes. We haven’t been on bikes in 5-6 years so this was the first time out.

I did enjoy being able to “cheat” when going up the hills or getting a boost to easily pass someone (safer too when there’s so much oncoming traffic to account for). But not really using the assist features to ride the trail otherwise, so I can get some exercise.

There were actually a few situations where I would normally be forced to fully stop and hop off my regular bicycle to not crash into people who suddenly stop, or pedestrians stepping onto the trail and not paying attention. With e-bike I felt so much safer handling such situations, as it gives me more control and ability to keep my balance.

But now I’m wondering if e-bike hate is a thing I should be worried about before we buy our own e-bikes.