I bought one of these this week for my 60th bday present. Despite the price point this bike will allow me to bike till I drop. After 30 yrs of mt. biking in Marin co., the birthplace of mt. biking, I decided I needed some help to do the "epic" rides I can no longer physically endure. What a pleasure. Despite the critics it does NOT allow you to go faster and or create more wear on our trails. It does allow one to enjoy long rides with 1000s of feet of elevation without having to be 20 something with legs of steel. It rides like most any fully suspended bike. It is heavy and there is some resistance due to the motor when it is off but nothing unbearable.
Where it shined was those impossibly steep rocky ascents that I used to have to walk even in my prime.
What a pleasure. I will reserve it only for long and arduous rides by myself as it is such an advantage over any un-assisted bike/biker it would not be fare to them, but to be able to feel young again and really enjoy a long ride is priceless. There is no question this bike will be the beginning of a movement in mt. biking, opening up the sport to those who may be physically unable to enjoy it too date as we all have; that is only a good thing. The nay-sayers will go by the wayside just as traditional skiers did when first protesting the upstart sno-boarders!
Happy riding!
jkg
ps; I added a Fasst handle bar with dampening that while pricey offers a huge advantage over the front fork/shock alone to help improve riding comfort over rocky terrain and prevent repetitive stress issues.
Wish I had thought of it!!
jkg