I will admit it. Years back, when ebikes first started to appear in the mass market, I was one of those who said, "that's cheating". Now, in my defence, I was riding 100-mile Grand Fondo's and mountain biking a lot at the time, which I accept doesn't defend a daft opinion, but there you go!

Roll forward ten years, and things have changed. I no longer work in the bike trade but now work from home doing web design, consulting and digital marketing for a pool of clients. I'm also (obviously) ten years older (now mid 50's), and while I still have a good fitness level, my health has suffered several setbacks in the last few years.

I also no longer have a car. I can access my wife's car when she's not at work. But I'm not keen on driving so I don't use it much. And then there is the fact I live in the sticks. It's a few miles to the nearest shop, and there is no public transport. If I need to get anywhere, I take the bike (which is a PITA as you arrive sweaty and in riding gear), or I walk, which makes a quick trip to get milk a two-hour affair!

The obvious solution to this was to get an ebike, but the insane cost of them put me off, mostly because I didn't know what they were like; before buying one, I'd never ridden one!

However, shopping around one day, I spotted a Cannondale Canvas Neo in XL on clearance on one of my client's websites. It seemed to fit the bill: It was a big strong frame, with clearance for big fat tyres and guards etc. It also had a crazy long wheelbase, meaning it would be stable at speed when loaded with luggage and looked super robust.

A few calls later and I'd scored a great deal on it: The dealer was super glad to get rid of it as no one liked the colour (I loved it!).

After getting lost by the carrier for two weeks, the biggest, heaviest box I'd ever seen arrived unannounced at the door one Saturday morning. It was my ebike :-)

A few hours later it was built, and the first test ride was done.

"My god, this thing is fun!"

Anyone who has ever ridden an ebike knows how they work, but for those who haven't, they don't have a throttle. You don't hit a button and they go. You have to pedal it, just like a regular bike, and depending on the mode you have it set to, the motor "assists" you by putting in multiple amounts of effort that you do.

On the easiest setting, it'll put in roughly three times your effort. Whereas, on the lowest, it puts in about half. So while you have to pedal, you don't have to put in much effort if you don't want to. Just put the Bosch motor into "Turbo" mode via the bar-mounted display and pedal gently. The bike does the rest to get you up the steepest hill with ease.

On the first day, I took it for a quick 20-mile ride around one of my usual "regular" bike routes. Usually, I'd be in full roadie gear, head to foot. But this time, I went in what I was wearing: a pair of jeans and a hoodie. It was a blast! I got around the route faster than usual, but I got back only slightly sweaty and with a big smile.

For someone who has ridden all their life, ebikes really put the fun back into biking.

The great thing about an ebike is they are heavy. So, within reason, it doesn't matter much how much stuff you bolt to it. So I've kitted the bike out with all the stuff I'll need day to day; mudguards, rear rack, bar bag (for spares), and so on, and I've used it as my sole means of transport to date.

Is It cheating?

There is still a BIG school of thought that says ebikes are cheating. And looking at things from a biking enthusiast, in some instances, it is. Road riding is all about fitness and stamina. So if you get a helping hand from a motor, it's cheating yourself and anyone you ride with. But not as much as you might think.

I've done rides on my road bike and on my ebike over the same length of time on roughly the same terrain and elevation. And on average, my heart rate on the road bike is only about 10bpm higher than on the ebike. So there is less difference than you'd think in terms of effort and workload on the body.

But let's put all that nonsense to one side for a moment and look at ebikes, not through the eyes of a blinkered die-hard biker but those of a regular person.

For 99% of the people riding electric bikes today, the whole issue of cheating doesn't come into it. Most people new to ebikes haven't ridden a bike for decades. Knowing they had some assistance to make the hills easier got them back on one.

Likewise, the fact you don't arrive at your destination hot and sweaty and looking like a Tour De France reject means people are finally using electric bikes not just for leisure but as a genuine car replacement. And that is only good for everyone, especially car drivers, cus one more ebike on the daily commute means one less car in front of them.

Pictures in the Bikes gallery.