I love my ebikes, but I wouldn't recommend making purchasing decisions based on this article.

His complaint with the Trek bike is that it hurt his ass to ride on it compared to the one he preferred. This probably mostly comes down to the saddle, which is something you just change out if you don't like it. It's silly to purchase a whole bike just because you like a particular kind of saddle (though it's a common beginner cyclist mistake).

Also: > BMW (yes that BMW) makes an Ebike ($3,430) featuring Bosch motors with a 400 watt battery

I mean, I realise that many people don't understand the difference between Watts and Watt-Hours, but it again underscores that the writer doesn't really understand the things he's reviewing and comparing, so how can his other information be reliable?