Considering purchasing a slightly used Hollandia Evado e-bike... couple minor questions

1. Is it true that this is a unisex bike?

Every bike is a unisex bike. I think you'll find that most high quality bikes have a diamond frame whether used by a male or a female. The reason is that diamond frames are light in weight and extraordinarily durable.

A step through frame, in contrast, is heavy and will fail easily for all but the lightestweight riders riding on low pressure wide tires who never ride over harsh obstacles at high speeds.

The reasons for creating a step through frame can be divided to two:

1. It's easier to mount the bike
2. It's possible to ride in a skirt

Only reason (2) would make it a female bike. For example, for someone who has a physical disability making it hard to lift a leg over the diamond frame, the only option might be to use a step-through frame. For some people, the disability might make it impossible to ride the bike, but for many people, the disability might only make it hard to mount a traditional diamond frame.

2. Is the make and model considered a "hybrid," or, if not, can I at least ride it on pavement as well as the bike trails?

Every bike, even a mountain bike, can be ridden on pavement. Most mountain bikers have to ride quite a lot on the pavement before finding their way to the mountain bike trail. A mountain bike would not be ideal for only riding on pavement, though, due to the inoptimal aerodynamics and the high rolling resistance tires.

Every bike, even a road bike, can be ridden on bike trail. However, for gravel trails that are wet it might be a good idea to use 32mm wide tires. Some road bikes make it impossible to fit a tire wider than 23mm or 25mm -- but such bikes should be ignored anyway. The rest of the bikes, the ones having reasonable tire clearance, can be perfectly finely ridden on gravel trails.

Looking at the Hollandia Evado bike specs, it looks like a comfort/utility riding oriented electric hybrid bike. The main features that make it not suitable for most active cyclists are the riding position (too inaerodynamic for high speed), the step through frame that weighs a lot and fails in no time, the front electric drive (it will make it hard to fix a front puncture and will spin on steep hills with little traction, causing you to crash -- most quality e-bikes have mid-drive), and the cheap suspension fork. Most active cyclists avoid cheap suspension forks, either using a rigid fork or a very high quality suspension fork when suspension is absolutely needed (expensive!). Also the saddle on this bike looks heavily inoptimal for active riding (too wide), but it's an easy job to change it to a reasonable saddle.

Is it true that this is a unisex bike?

Step-through frames are indeed considered unisex as they are mostly seen in bikes used as 'way of locomotion' rather than 'sport device': if you are not wearing clothes that are suited for cycling (not only skirts for women, but also tight trousers for men or suits), you gain a lot in comfort by having a step-through frame. They are also popular among people who do not are not "flexible enough" to step in a classical frame (typically older persons).

For other kind of frames, the difference is mostly linked to cultural norms/marketing than physical properties of the bikes. Bikes were introduced in a time where women were required to wear long skirts, so different frames were designed for that reason. Nowadays, if you take a bike of the same size and the same model in men and women version, besides the frame and the colours, at best you'll have a different saddle and smaller handles on the handle bar on the women bike (which are very easy to change).

Is the make and model considered a "hybrid," or, if not, can I at least ride it on pavement as well as the bike trails?

It seems from the pictures (and the name) that it would a bike that would be perfect in a "dutch environment": on a flat environment and paths on a good state. There are several elements that will make it unsafe/uncomfortable on uneven/rough surfaces:

• The general geometry is more tuned towards comfort than control.
• There are elements that are not designed for rough terrains: frame (not only because it's a step-though, but also because of the sizing of the tubes), the adjustable stem.
• The motor in the hub of the wheel is not optimum in rough terrains, and can make punctures repairs more difficult (they are less efficient at low speed, have lower torques as they cannot take advantage of the gearing);
• The gearing that might not have enough range for steeper hills
• The tires don't have the right profile;
• V-brake don't perform well in wet conditions and in sustained brakings;
• ...