Originally Posted by
mobamoba
The biggest problem I've found is that, even living in NYC, it borders on impossible to find folding bikes by any companies other than the ones I mentioned in my initial post even though, for instance, I've heard Pacific Cycles and Mobot are good companies but unfortunately there's no way for me to test their products before purchasing. It's the unfortunate appeal of buying off of Amazon - I can test it an return it for nothing but I'd rather get some guidance before doing so.
You need to be realistic. Eventually something will break in the bike you get and you will need to get some specialized part or dealer to fix it. It can be harder to get that specialized part than the whole bike. If the bikes are only available somewhere else in the world, so will be the parts or worse. Of course you can be a pioneer for a brand at your location, but then you better have knowledge and skills comparable to a dealer.