Yes, that is my opinion too as far as the better budget ebikes.
Lectric ebikes start at about $800, and in terms of quality I’d buy one of those before I spent the same on Amazon or WM. But they only have 20” wheels, and for an adult rider I think they look cheesy. Sort of like 13” wheels on a Silverado.
Generally the more you spend, the better the quality of frame, brakes, shifter, etc. Mine is probably lower middle end in quality: hydraulic brakes, the shifter is one step up from the bottom rung, an entry level air fork (still better than a spring fork), a pretty strong battery (672 Wh), a generic hub motor, and 27.5”x2.4” tires. Paid about $1800. It weighs a little over 50 lbs. I specifically wanted one that would be decent on pavement but also could handle some bumpy dirt trails now and then. I wanted a strong enough motor to conquer a steep hill if needed, so I got a 750W. And I wanted a torque sensor (the harder I pedal the more power it adds) instead of a cadence sensor (some of the latter merely sense IF, not even how fast, one pedals).
Ride1Up does have a street ebike with full size wheels and a small-ish battery, only 33 lbs, for about $1100; it even comes with a belt drive instead of a chain! Another lightweight street bike brand I like the looks of is Propella; they have a couple of single-speed models for less than a grand, and a 7-speed for under $1300, all with decent Bafang motors. It’s hit or miss on quality for anything cheaper, from what I’ve read. And if you want to add suspension fork, or mid drive motor, or more battery capacity, etc, you’ll pay more. Also if you buy a brand carried by a local sticks-n-bricks, you’ll pay more. Big name brand, still more. But there are some nice ebikes in those stores: Gazelle, Specialized, Trek, Townie, Giant, Momentum.
We live out in the middle of nowhere. All narrow back roads, and people drive WAY too fast on them, usually in pickup trucks. Walking along the road isn’t safe, as there’s no place to get off the road in many places, just steep banks up on either side of the road. Biking on the road here would basically be a death sentence.
@wle, you need a torque sensor instead of a cadence sensor.
Cadence = how much you pedal.
Torque = how much energy you put in.
That means the more effort you put in with a torque sensing setup, the more the motor will provide 
They are of course a bit more expensive, but they’re so worth it.
I think the nicer ebikes start at about $1000
That's what I'd go for, but there are of course cheaper alternatives.
Any simple front-wheel hub-motor conversions that’d be worthwhile?
While a “real” ebike might be nice, I was just looking for a manual-control (ie, no need for cadence/torque sensors) to just flick’n’go as needed.
Workable? Junk?
thanks for all the information.
please post more, especially
if you find a “budget” bike.
checking WOOT, $730 is as
cheap as they have today.
that is $400 too high for me.
news from France:
France’s government increased the size of the subsidy it offers to people who trade in their gas-powered cars
for electric bikes to as much as €4,000 (approx. $3,976) per person, according to The Times.
Not sure, I haven’t researched front hub motors for quality. Some people use them, though. Greenbikekit dot com has some affordable stuff. You have to be aware that a powered front wheel will induce some torque steer, and on sand or slippery surfaces it can spin out and cause loss of control since most of the weight is toward the rear of the bike.
There’s a company near me that sells a lot of them (I see them on the streets and multi-use trails). I’ve test ridden their front hub drive stuff. If you’re expecting it to be clunky and not very smooth, and have all the disadvantages of FWD on a bike, I guess it’s ok. But torque-sensitive mid-drive, even Tongsheng or Bafeng are soo much smoother, I wouldn’t bother with it.
Mid-drive is harder to install, but other than that, really isn’t that much more expensive that front-hub. I hear there are good quality front-hub drives, and you can get them with the same battery packs, and nearly the same controllers.
Ebikes and Scooters are unbelievably cheap in China: 1000 CNY ~ 150 USD will get you a decent one. With shipping to the US or Europe, it shouldn’t be more than 50% more expensive. The rest of the markups come from tariffs or other entry barriers.
yes this was a $399 [new, walmart.com] bike
not willing to go over $1500
it;s just a toy for me
i ride a regular road bike most of the time anyway
Your comments have made me laugh hard for years now.
[quote=Turby3Pots]
those are now called “Acoustic Bicycles”.
wle
I'm planning to build an Ebike. I had a 2000W scooter, i put about 700 miles on it, and frankly i'm was not liking it. I gave it away to a friend, and now i'm thinking of getting 1000w bafang mid drive motor. Anyone used that motor? I'm trying to stay away from hub motors.
Coming soon to Amazon Prime, a new series: Lord of the Ebikes: The Bikes of Power 
No personal experience, but I’ve read on an ebike forum that it’s a good unit. Bafang has been around long enough to develop a good reputation. And torque sensing (versus cadence) is the way to go; all the mid drives come with torque sensors and relatively few hub drive bikes have it.
And it’ll still get trounced by “She-Bulk: Biker In Low (Gear)”. 
I found that the Priority Current (available from the Costco Next program) chose cells that voltage sag enough that the bike will shut down under heavy load.
i agree cadence sensors are terrible
torque sensors need one other thing to be truly useful - a throttle over ride
otherwise you have to pedal hard to get the motor to do its best
sometimes you just want to lie back and let someone else do the work
talking about bikes here!!! mind out of the gutter!