In Europe you find excellent normal bikes for about €300; you can also find them used, for less. Then you can convert those to ebikes with kits that cost €500-

In Europe you find excellent normal bikes for about €300; you can also find them used, for less. Then you can convert those to ebikes with kits that cost €500-800 depending on power of motor and range of battery. That's what I did; I transformed a regular Btwin Rockrider bike to an ebike 3 years ago, and have now ridden about 10k km with it. Couldn't be happier. It changed my life. I used to drive a (big) motorbike; it's now been a year since I used it; it just doesn't make any sense to use a motorbike instead of an ebike for rides under 15 km, which are most if not all rides. I built a second ebike for travel by train. Some trains have special "seats" for bikes but most don't, and they are in very limited supply anyway. But you can put a folding bike in the luggage compartment without a problem. So I bought a used folding bike for €50, still in excellent condition, added a (low power) hub motor and a battery for €400, and I can go almost anywhere without worrying about finding a cab at my destination. It's exhilarating.