Add "built at home" category....

It doesn't matter what kit or anything that you choose, support is important. Some of us have a history of fixing and building bikes, some with electronics and repair, some with electronics in general. If you have none of those, you become dependant on the knowledge you can glean. I'm lucky to have those, plus experience with rebuilding large Uninterruptable Power Supplies (25Kva+)...

I have begun meeting people at work who have eBikes (Hi Miroslaw, will call soon after this thing is fully built), specifically couriers who put their eBikes to pretty heavy use. I am amazed at the lengths they have gone to perfect their bikes, but how little they understand about the batteries. I have had to pass on a lot of knowledge on care, maintenance and such. They were never told these things when they bought the bike, and it cost them..

All my parts (except the Cycle Analyst) we built in China but assembled by me here and I'm happier with the kit than I am for the bicycle I built it from.

One thing I can say though - it has cost a fair amount of money. So I have hit over $2000 on my budget and have much more to go, there is no such thing as "cheap" when you have expectations of reliability or perforamance.

BTW - A Nine Continent Kit weighs 28lbs, add 20lbs for the LiFePO4 20Ah batteries and you have close to 50lbs total.