This Average Austin Cyclist has been off the bicycle for a little while, though I never stopped riding. I’ve been on my bike for many years, and many more miles. I know what a bicycle is. What I’ve been riding is not a bicycle.

It is something new.

An example: my girlfriend and I, avid bike riders, were pedaling easily up a fairly steep hill we normally sweat over. We were unconcerned about the fair amount of traffic, or the lack of bike lanes on this climb, even though these concerns usually interrupt our rides. Tonight, we were laughing and joking our way to the pinnacle, barely noticing the effort.

“This is terrible,” I said to her. “This is really bad.” She waited for me to finish as she whizzed up the incline.

“Now I’m going to have to spend $2,000 bucks,” I said, ruefully. Because this thing that was making our ascent so joyous instead of painful? I had to have it.

I was asked to test drive one of the demos for a week at Rocket Electrics, this cool new bike store on east Riverside that opened quietly just before Christmas. As a way to introduce us to Austin’s first all electric bike store, owner Nicole Zinn and general manager John Dawson invited us to spend a week on a couple of Pedego electric bikes — see how they fit into our lifestyles as cycling enthusiasts with busy lives and a commitment to leaving the car in the driveway.

Hell yes, I said.

I was truly curious to know if a machine that isn’t 100 percent powered by my own effort would find a comfortable place in my life as a cyclist.

Short answer? Hell yes, again. These bikes emphasize pleasure and comfort and ease over hardcore efficiency and fitness. In both its mechanics and its spirit, these bikes push you up the steep inclines.

They are, actually, life on motor assist.

Now these aren’t 100 percent electric bikes. Rocket Electrics focuses on what I would call electric-assisted bikes. Or pedal-assisted motorcycles. So what is that, exactly? Not to be too technical, but some smart dude figured out how to mount an electric motor inside the hub of a bicycle’s wheel. Easy as that. Subtle and simple and brilliant.

The model I rode was the Pedego Interceptor. It has the look of a classic beach cruiser, but the soul of some Acme-mail-order-rocket-roller-skate-helmet. For someone whose legs have powered his wheels through nearly 10,000 miles, the sensation is a thrill.

For the cautious among you, don’t get scared. I assure you that you are not certainly doomed like our old friend Wile E. Coyote (speaking of Acme...). With a simple throttle and pedals like a normal bike, take-off and cruising speeds are easy and well governed. Safety measures, such as a kill switch, are built into the brake. The motor doesn’t go without your thumb on the throttle, so it’s hard to lose control.

Without the throttle in use, the Pedego is your typical beach cruiser. The bike is weather proof, so as long as you don’t ride it underwater, you can ride it in the rain (and I did, very easily). Disc brakes get you stopped quickly. And the weight, around 50 pounds for this model, becomes an issue only in transport. You have to buy a special rack for it.

So, who do I think this hybrid vehicle is for? Any big dog or cat out there with a little extra cash who knows how cool riding a bike can be and how much hills suck.

This is no free ride — for your wallet nor your legs. The model I was riding was around $2,400. Not cheap, but also worth the extra push up the hills if you have some financial breathing room. (And it’s still cheaper than a car, healthier than the bus and gets you to work without sweat stains. So there’s that.)

As for the legs, you will have pedal to get up that hill, even with the motor. After an hour on the bike running errands, we still felt the workout in our legs when we were done. And the motor assist did make carrying home the heavy bags of pet food a lot easier.

Just like any bike, you can push it as hard as you’d like — but you could very easily stay cool as a pickle and let the motor do most of the work. With a fully charged battery and 200-pound rider, the bike will go for 15 to 30 miles max before you have to recharge it, depending on how often you throttle. But batteries are getting better. This limitation is only a drawback for people who plan to be in the saddle for more than 30 miles without stopping to recharge for a few hours. And that isn’t exactly a) the target market nor b) the point of these bikes.

The point is not extreme sports. It’s extreme fun.

This would be great for a company to own for employees to use, or for someone who has all the other kinds of bicycles already, or for someone with a relatively short commute, or who doesn’t like to show up in a sweaty shirt at the bar.

Mountain bike enthusiasts can enjoy these, too. The balloon tires were smooth, but sturdy enough for the rocky, hilly path behind our house that neither my road bike nor my girlfriend’s hybrid would dare tread. We went slow, but there are also truly knobby-tired e-bikes that can handle hard terrain even better.

It was hard to say goodbye to the Pedegos when John and Nicole came to pick them up. Because it’s tempting, if not irresistible, to spend some of my cycling days in cruise mode and with a throttle to help me through the difficult moments.

Even a cycling fanatic like me sometimes enjoys life with a little motor assist.