I didn?t set out to be all cutting-edge environmental, but apparently that's where I ended up. All I knew was that I wanted an electric bike for Christmas so I'd at least stand a chance of keeping up with my husband when we go cycling together. According to the friendly folks at Alien Scooters, though, I may be the first person in Austin to own the model I chose.

Well, not so much chose as fell head over heels in love with.

Meet my new heartthrob, the A2B from Ultra Motors.

First of all, it looks way cool. Almost like something you'd need to wear a leather jacket to ride. There are plenty of other electric bikes at Alien but once I spied this one, I couldn't take my eyes off it.

Secondly, it is incredibly easy to operate. I still can't work the digital wristwatch I got to keep track of my lap times for 5K training, but there's nothin' to learning how to ride this bike. Just hop on and go.

Thirdly--this should actually be #1, I guess--riding it is FUN! The A2B is an all-out blast to ride! And the trip sure is a smooth one: the suspension is so springy this bike just glides over bumpy pavement.

Did you notice how I casually tossed out the word suspension, there? Yeah, that's the new cutting-edge, environmental, technically savvy me talking. But I'll try my best to keep it simple for all the lay people out there.

Hills? No problem! With the tiniest flick of my wrist, the electric motor kicks in to send me sailing up slopes. I can't wait to finally be able to tackle the road up to Mount Bonnell, one of my husband's favorite little excursions!

I'd like to stick around and tell you more about it, but you know what? With this bike on the premises, a person's got a lot less incentive to sit in front of a laptop all day. I think I'll go ride through town for a while and see whether or not anyone else in Austin has an A2B yet.

That is, if I'm not going too fast to be able to see what they're riding.

P.S. #1 This photo was taken before we installed the accessories: a top-loading rack bag, water bottle cage, brass bell, headlight, and taillight with a 7 red LED and QR bracket. Oops, sorry. Didn't mean to get all technical on you, again.

P.S. #2 My favorite accessory is the big brass bell, which is quite similar to the one I had on my very first tricycle.

P.S. #3 Yes, I always wear a helmet. When cycling, I mean. I don't wear a helmet when I'm sitting in front of the laptop. That would just be silly.