For me it's always been about mountain bike with slicks. Mainly because I like the non-hub motors versatility being that I live in an area with some decent hills. I prefer zero suspension just because in my budget range the suspension systems are junk. I'd go with a secondhand bike off craigslist for your first build, cheap and disposable. You should be able to get a really nice bike for around $50-75. I've had my cyclone 500W for about a week now and so far the only thing that has me down is the weather preventing me from riding more