For years I have been at least internally mocking the hundreds of e-bike riders who whiz by my house on the bike path formerly used for bikes with pedals that weren’t used as stationary footpegs.

I’m sure I’ve told my like-aged friends countless times how I feel, and they always nod in agreement and often follow up with a “back in our day” story of pedaling up hills that were higher than they are now on bikes with no gears.

Last Sunday, however, I had a revelation about the e-bike craze, and now I get it.

From a kid perspective, I think I’m just jealous. I had a four horse-power minibike at age 10 that would do about 20 mph if I had it pinned. And it was LOUD.

The e-bikes these kids are riding get close to 30 mph and you can barely hear them.

I also “couldn’t” ride my minibike on the road because it was illegal, and that’s where the jealousy comes in.

These e-bike kids today have modern transportation to get them dozens of miles from home before needing a charge. I’m thinking back and realizing that in no time I could have easily made it from my home to my high school seven miles away – a trip that required a parent until I got my license.

So, while I argue kids these days have life flying at them way to fast in a world that is difficult to comprehend some days, damn do they have transportation on their side in comparison.

But for adults, I was still skeptical about the need for e-bikes. We have cars for transportation, right? And if we want exercise, shouldn’t we be pedaling?

I ride my non-e-bike around the relatively flat Glens Falls area a lot, and sometimes I’ll tackle hills – like going up Dixon Road to Aviation Road. That one makes you sweat.

But I don’t do that hill a lot, and that’s where my epiphany regarding e-bikes for adults came.

Old friends Rob and Heidi Lauricella stopped by Sunday on their new e-bikes. They road down Dixon Road through the Queensbury trails and to my house.

We visited, had breakfast and then Rob asked if I wanted to ride one. Initially I said, “No, I’m good.”

But he persisted.

The next thing I know I’m barely pedaling at all and the bike is basically doing it for me – and that was “Echo” mode. It went faster from there with a “Trail” mode and whatever the fastest was called, which basically snapped you like a Tesla with minimal pedaling.

You also can simply push the lever – like a snowmobile throttle – and ride it like a motorcycle with zero pedaling.

The epiphany, however, was that while e-bikes are not going to give you the workout that pedaling up Dixon Road hill will, they basically open up any road to you and never will exertion be an issue.

I see value in that as a couple. Heidi and Rob can take off from their Vermont home and explore anywhere on those things. They also bought a trailer, with a ramp, to haul them elsewhere, which makes anywhere basically their e-bike playground.

I’m not sure if I’ll be getting e-bikes for my wife and I to follow in the footsteps of our e-bike friends, but I have to say I’m more open to it now than ever. And not for exercise, really, but for a bonding thing.

But 12-to-15-year-old Dave Blow will always be jealous of today’s kids for the transportation options they have at their disposal.

Perhaps me not having an e-bike back then, however, saved my parents some trouble.