"Is it as easy to start
"Is it as easy to start riding as a conventional bike?"
-In my experience, the learning curve is the same:
I learned to ride a conventional bike when I was a little kid, in an afternoon.
At first, wobbling all over the place and finally (mostly) pedaling in the desired direction.
By the end of the Summer, I was pretty good.
It was the same with the MBB Cruzbike, for me.
To sum up, it's a different bike to ride than a 'normal' bike.
It takes a while -longer or shorter- to learn to ride it.
"How does it handle in a crash?"
-In my experience, like any other bike: the incedent occurs which upsets the bike;
the bike ends up on it's side.
Seriously, when I hit the dog with my feet, the bike stopped and we all fell down.
The Cruzbike, being lower to the ground than a 'regular' bike, means that there is
not as far to fall.
My sister, who hit a dog on her 'regular' bike, flew over her handlebars when her bike stopped.
Her face hit the ground first.
To sum up, the ground is hard and it hurts to hit the ground.
Don't do it.
(but if you must hit the ground, why not start off closer to it... fall less far; hit it less hard?)