Might fine question, and honestly, I don't know. I'm old-school, still riding an acoustic bike. If I were to buy an electric bike, I think I'd spend the money to stick with the long-time brands, mostly for availability of parts and quality battery packs. There are a lot of cheap bikes with obscure brand names, and occasionally, I see news articles about their battery packs starting apartments and houses on fire. But, also, since the battery packs are generally custom-fit to the frame, having a source of replacements available is a good idea. That brings to mind a suggestion: If you have a local bike shop nearby, it's worth stopping in to talk to the mechanics (not the sales staff) about what's good