A couple of observations.
1 - My Panasonic unit has been utterly trouble free so far and shows no signs of ailing. So electric bikes are not intrinsically unreliable.
2- If you want anything of high quality and reliability, electric bike or anything else, it cannot be cheap.
3- Tesco may not sell electric bikes but Carrefour on the continent do and have done for several years - and they are bigger than Tesco. Just because something cannot be done in England does not mean it cannot be done.
4 - The social issue in developing countries. It has taken a long period of affluence, maybe 40 years for cycling to become 'cool' (how I hate that mind-shrinking word) in the UK. Even now, as we know, many car drivers treat us as inferior road users.
When I was a kid an adult riding a bicycle, or a motor-cycle come to that, was regarded as poor because they it meant they couldn't afford a car. Two wheelers were utilitarian, dirty, cold, greasy transport for the worker.
A long period of affluence means that most can afford a car so it loses its cachet. Mountain bikes, racing bikes, of late traditional style bikes, become flashy, colourful, hi -tec...'cool'. Most know now that a good bicycle is expensive, that a big Suzuki or BMW two wheeler costs as much, if not more than car. So now they are not for the poor and thus they are socially acceptable.
The Chinese, Indians,Indonesians will have to go through this process before bikes are acceptable to them. If they become affluent faster, maybe it will take less time.
As we read on this forum there are still some people worried about what other people think when they ride an electric bike, so the old feelings of half a century ago are by no means dead yet.
