My commute is 12.5 miles each way, part urban, part rural, including everything from urban cyclepaths to a stretch of rural A road. It's going to work out at 5000 miles a year (currently 4000 miles into my first year). There's a fairly significant hill at each end. E-bike 1hr, car/motorcycle 0.5hr, public transport 2hr+ (bus, train, bus, £20 each way). A colleague with a similar commute claims 45min for unassisted road bike, but he is very fit (and exaggerating a bit?). There's not enough traffic hold ups for a motorbike to be faster than a car.
Before the e-bike I had a 250cc motorcycle which I only used for commuting. That's been sold as the e-bike has replaced it. My family owns a car, which my wife uses. I cycle all year round, avoiding the need for a second car. Next summer I might give unassisted cycling a go, building on the fitness gained on the e-bike, but for the winter the e-bike's got better lights, better weather protection and will cope better with studded tyres (having come off the motorbike on ice I like the idea of those, but haven't tried them yet).
I'm male, 44 (does that make me one of the younger e-bikers?). 16 years motorcycle experience. Are we all ex-motorcyclists? Perhaps the only ones who will tolerate the homicidal traffic and miserable weather day in day out...
The main advantage of e-bike over motorbike for me is cost. I was putting about £50 a month in the tank of the 250, plus a further £20 for insurance. The e-bike costs about £2 a month in electricity (estimated) and £42 a year for CUK membership (insurance). Tyres, clothing etc cost a lot less as well. I was looking at replacing my motorcycle clothing (including the mandatory helmet) as it was approaching end-of-life and had been in a minor crash (ice). Building my e-bike cost a similar amount. Without that and the sale value of the motorbike the e-bike wouldn't have paid for itself yet, though.
