>>There are always going to be throwbacks, slow adopters. In this case it's especially disappointing given that this guy is a salesman. Doesn't he realize he is needlessly driving away customers with outmoded attitudes? That's money straight out of his pocket. But over time those people will continue to wash out of the system.
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>And actually I was almost willing to buy, based on the information I got from him, but wanted a second opinion. And she asked two pretty good questions of rather technical nature: what's the weight of the thing and how do you fix a rear tire? The answer to the first was 60kg - of course, with steel frame and three 12V batteries, plus the engine. The other one, about 80% more expensive, had aluminium frame and lithium-ion battery. But the tricky part is the tire - "the guy who would fix the tire would have to come to me for instructions". Ouch. Which opened my eyes to a serious flaw: the engine is in the rear hub, or rather around it. Which means the electricity to it must go through some kind of sliding contact, for which I don't trust the Chinese to make it sufficiently resistant to dust and water. And wear and tear.
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>And ordinary bike is much healthier :).

True. Part of my new regimen is getting more regular exercise, which might include biking, walking, running, even yard work; anything that keeps you moving for a while. The recommendations I am seeing say a minimum of 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. I have become quite sedentary. Many of the recommendations I am now trying to follow are not for the diseases per se but for general good health. Exercise, avoid unhealthy foods (fatty, high in sugar, starchy, etc.), eat smaller portions -- like that. Who knew? ;-)