hey friend. here we advise against premade ebikes for a number of reasons - over priced, lacks customizability (stuck with their proprietary motor or integrated battery system), weak performance, less range etc. we also advise against rear hub motor ebikes (the power doesnt match a mid drive). furthermore repairs and service on a premade bike are more of a pain to deal with than a custom bike you mod yourself.

Ill tell you a quick story. I came across ebike stuff last year as I wanted to get into it. It seemed a slightly daunting task to research ebikes....Overwhelmed with the plethora of bikes, brands, specs, where to start, didnt want buyers regret, and there were too many ebike choices, none seemed to have the perfect specs I wanted for a value price. Then I found out you could custom convert a MTB into an eMTB... So I looked into that. Someone on a ebike forum saw what I was after, a high quality folding MTB, long range, etc, so he recommended I look into a Montague Paratrooper folding bike and look into converting it. Then I found Johnnys videos on youtube, saw his bafang install guide, and another video where a guy modded a Paratrooper w a BBSHD. I looked into every part and accessory I could for the bike. Ended up pulling the trigger and it was the best decision ever... see final post here https://www.johnnynerdout.com/forum/general-ebike-forum/victory-best-performance-e-mtn-bike-best-decision-ever

So I went with a relatively high end setup, more expensive than most custom ebikes. Although the bike stock is $1400 its totally worth it for the quality, for me. All the other parts, motor, battery etc bring the total to $4000 total. Seems like a lot. But when you look at giant, trek, specialized bikes ranging from 4k-15k per bike, and my custom bike dominates 99% of those in terms of performance, range, value... Its a no brainer. You save $1000s, your performance is waaay better. Go custom. Hope that helps. Its not hard to convert a bike, at all. I did it smoothly the first time, you will hit snags, just work through them. All worth it in the end. Also you become a bike expert in the process, no relying on some premade repair service u gotta send the bike to potentially leaving u without a bike for weeks. Good luck