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Steamboat Springs — It almost feels as if someone's pushing, whether the terrain is Lincoln Avenue or a steeper road elsewhere in the city.

That's what the crew at Steamboat Ski and Bike Kare call the "wow" effect, and they say nearly every rider who's climbed aboard the Giant-built Twist Freedom hybrid bicycle has had the same reaction.

"The first word out of their mouth is 'wow'," said Ski and Bike Kare's Bill Kipper, who pushed to have the bike included in the store's inventory.

The trick - the wow power - to the Twist Freedom is in a lithium ion battery that makes every push of the pedal just a little easier.

The shop started carrying the Twist Freedom this spring and so far, the bike has played to rave reviews.

"Everyone that comes in, even hardcore bikers, loves it," Kipper said.

In many ways, it looks like just another in the horde of commuter bikes that are all the rage. Ease of use and comfort have been sought-after characteristics among the bikes.

They appeal not to someone who wants to crash down Lupine's on Emerald Mountain, but to someone who wants an easy way to get around town - a way that leaves the car in the garage.

"I started looking into it when gas prices were still at $4.50 a gallon," Kipper said. "At first, they weren't even available in the U.S."

The bike comes with three settings and seven speeds. The "sport" setting offers the most assistance and quickly turns even a long ride up a hill into a manageable, sweat-free trip.

"Normal" falls in the middle, and the "economy" setting offers the least resistance and the longest battery life.

It takes about 5 hours to charge the battery.

Kipper said to this point, much of the interest has come from older riders, disabled riders or those hoping to try to get into shape.

While it doesn't require nearly the level of exertion a regular bike does, it's still far from riding a motorcycle.

"A conventional bike puts you at your optimal heart rate 48 percent of the time. A power assist bike keeps you there 93 percent of the time," Kipper said, citing a 2003 Australian study. "Conventional bikes also put you over your optimal heart rate 48 percent of the time.

"It will definitely still get you some exercise."

The lack of a throttle and the fact that the motor helps only when the bike is being pedaled keep it from being a motorcycle and also help separate it from previous models of electric bikes.

The Twist Freedom comes in two sizes each in men's and women's styles and retails for $1,850.

It also has two sister bikes. The Twist Freedom DX ($2,250) features two batteries, doubling the average distance between charges from about 40 miles to nearly 80. The Twist Express ($1,625), meanwhile, more resembles a mountain bike than a traditional commuter and gives riders a little more aggressive stance in the saddle.

"There have been electric bikes for a long time, but they usually used lead-acid batteries. There are some real tanks out there. One of the advantages of this is that it weighs less than most electric bikes in the same size range," Kipper said.

It's not for everyone. Even if it's lighter than similar products, it still weights in at a hefty 55 pounds.

"The top speed is 15 miles per hour," Kipper said. "That's when the motor stops helping and you aren't pedaling it over 15 unless you're just an animal. People that will be riding this aren't animals."

For some, though, it might be just right.

"There are people out there who would love to ride, but they really can't because they have a disability or don't have the strength to ride," Kipper said. "If they can get on something like this, they can get back out on the road and get back to exercising. That's an important part of what this is all about."