On Feb 16, 2017, my wife and two oldest grandchildren (ages 20 and 22) went on an electric bike ride in the Sonoran Desert just north of Scottsdale, AZ.
We had never experienced riding an electric bike, let alone riding one on desert trails. What a trip!
After a brief, but thorough, explanation on riding an electric bike, we had a little ride up a dirt road. It was easy to maneuver this machine and the electric assist made the going amazingly easy! Yes you have to pedal this bike a little, but mostly to keep the battery charged as opposed to having to exert a lot of energy pedaling up hills.
Now for the real test, riding along narrow trails in a desert loaded with cactus, trees with needles, rocks and sand. It was a no brainer! The operative phrase is "momentum is your friend." As long as you are moving along the ups and downs are relatively easy. The trails are narrow but wide enough for this activity.
The scenery of the late afternoon desert is magnificent, and what a way to get in the middle of it without a lot of noise or over exertion! These little machines did most of the work so going up the inclines was easy as well as exciting.
Our guides, Brandon and Keith, were supportive with their overall guidance and extremely knowledgeable about the desert terrain and plant life.
Spills or falling over was almost a given with the terrain but in reality, they were mostly associated with a little loss of traction and very infrequent. Remember, momentum is your friend! :)
I would highly recommend this tour group for any desert trip, be it on an electric bike or just a walk-about!