Exactly—it's unrealistic to expect everyone to be able to power up and down hills at Lance Armstrong speeds. I can travel very long distances up and down hills

Exactly—it's unrealistic to expect everyone to be able to power up and down hills at Lance Armstrong speeds. I can travel very long distances up and down hills under my own power... given the right balance of speed and gear ratio. I don't always have the luxury of that time. If I lived further up the hill, or had more hills that I regularly dealt with, I'd very much own an electric assist.