I respectfully disagree, but as I've pointed out before with a 4.5 Kw Bomber between your legs it's no wonder you feel this way. Throttle on a common e-bike might as well be a push button, like watered down nitro, a fairly weak boost. You may be aware I removed the Dash throttle for a better grip, that might help you understand how meaningless it is on most e-bikes.
BTW - The PAS on the Bosch is freakin amazing, never lags, stops very quickly and puts me in control of my workout, heart rate and range. Holding a throttle at just the right spot seem unlikely and therein lies the beauty of PAS, preset power in response to pedal action, a HUGE advantage in my lifestyle.
If I owned a electric motorcycle with pedals I like to think I'd still want to experience pedal assist, keep in shape et all. I'm watching the high end DIY marketplace for torque sensing and control systems similar to the PAS experience.
BTW - I'm not saying you're not able to get the same workout with conservative throttling, I just think it is less probable.
-S
The bike I have is throttle only (Prodeco X3). I'm not sure why I would ever want a pedal assist. In fact, I increasingly dislike the idea. It's not really an argument, it's a personal preference. I like starting out with the throttle, just to get going. And then I start pedaling until I find the exact amount I want to pedal. I use the throttle to set a speed, the extra power on top of what I do. Mostly I am on horribly rutted roads, not serious trails or anything. But power is important, and I feel like I am in control.
I can't speak to assist. I've never tried it. I can say that throttle is not a switch. Not even close. It's an infintely variable pedal assist, most of the time. And when you don't want to pedal, maybe because you are picking your way through obstacles, you don't have to pedal.
I don't know how this split got started, but clearly the Europeans don't like throttles. But it's silly. I remember mopeds with pedals that were toys, totally worthless. My bike has pedals that work exactly like my carbon road bike and my hybrid.
I like the idea of keeping it simple. A throttle is just a manual assist. You learn, over a month or two, to use it very precisely (or you don't). When you hit a hill, you get what you need to get up the hill. When you want to go a certain speed, you pedal and add the amount of power you need. When you want to slow down, you release the throttle. I can pick anything I want. How hard to pedal, how fast to go, how to start from a stop, anything. And do it with pedals and throttle.
Some people say you have to force people to pedal, so it's 'healthy'. Really? Why not force people to pedal really hard, so they get really healthy? Or they say it's only a bicycle if people have to pedal. They all have motors. No one is any purer than anyone else.
I really hope we don't end up with the Euro standard, that everything has to be pedal assist. It's just a nutty idea where you pretend a certain kind of assist makes an electric bike still a bike, and another kind of assist does not. I don't think these people, making the rules, have experience with a throttle.
Again, I'm not arguing, I'm explaining why I am passionately for throttles, and probably throttles as the only form of setting power from the motor. I may be forced, down the line, but I can't see any downside to just using a throttle.
