It felt like a slight gamble buying this as I had not test riden one. I did as much research as I could. And a few weeks in I must say I am impressed and it does what I wanted. I'm in my forties, but am a seasoned cyclist and pretty fit, but I wanted something to take the edge of a very long commute into London. (30 miles each way !) I was considering this pre-COVID but the panemdic forced the issue. I certainly won't be doing this commute every day. Once a week might be a sensible target. Perhaps twice if the weather is good and I feel like it.
My concern as a capable cyclist was : Will this bike require more energy than a regular bike because my average speed on a light road bike is usually above 15.5 mph ? (SIgnficantly more on the flat) Will the weight and the fact that I will be pedalling up over the threshold much of the time on flat ground actually put me in worse position than riding a light weight bike without a motor? (especially as the route is not super hilly) Are e-bikes that are limited to 15.5mph only good for amatuers and less fit people?
Thankfully it is proving to be a great move, it pedals easily up to 20-22mph on the flat and the extra weight is really not that noticable - surprisingly. Even slight( or short) false flats are ok. But it is the hills (and there are a few steep ones on my commute) where it just does what you need. The effort required by continually pulling away from junctions and lights is also mitigated, which is a fairly significant benefit too. I've done the big commute once only. but it definitely helped & it is great fun to ride . On the final miles of the return journey I was getting a little tired, primarily as I hadn't eaten and the motor did help out nicely on even more gentle slopes when my energy was low and speed dipped. Good when hitting headwinds also!
Also great for spin if I am feeling lazy, on the day after a long cycle on one of my other bikes. It just allows you to enjoy the ride without putting in so much effort. Battery life (ok, its brand new) was good as well. I did 62 miles with it on green (and orange for the hills) with a tiny bit of red and I got home with 38% left. I should use the motor a bit more obviously! Hope this review helps