Another Sondors CrowdFunding Campaign.. Back to IGG with a Thin bike
- Thread starter JoePah
- Start date
George S.
Well-Known Member
@JoePah -- So what's the over/under on the sales at the end of the campaign? I'm hoping he sells 10,000++. I think the people who will be left in this industry by the end of the year will be the most efficient and the people who know what they are doing. Sondors qualifies. The big corporations will still be around but right now they are getting beat up.
A year ago Sondors just blew the socks off the industry, running something like $10,000 an hour.
I would have bought this bike two years ago, without much hesitation. Almost the perfect 'starter' bike.
A year ago Sondors just blew the socks off the industry, running something like $10,000 an hour.
I would have bought this bike two years ago, without much hesitation. Almost the perfect 'starter' bike.
vincent713
Active Member
He has good connections in China obviously. I just wish he wouldn't make his product more proprietary i.e battery, controller, LCD. His first IGG fat bike was a perfect bike for novice and even for experts who wants to "hot rod" the bike. His Kickstarter bikes had to use his specific LCD to work, we got around that by replacing the controller & LCD (aftermarket). Now this Thin bike has a unique battery made only for this bike. It's a good thing I'm not into this Thin bike but sure love and enjoying his fat bikes. One thing is for sure, he does not cut any corners when it comes to the motor and battery which are the most important components in an ebike.
I agree with Vincent.. He is making the controller proprietary, since he was losing aftermarket business to Wendy Xie.. She has sold hundreds of upgraded controllers and control displays for half of what Sondors was selling them for.
Now on the new thin bike he's make the battery proprietary.. Not sure what that means.. Can any battery still be wired to the controller or is there a wiring and control issue that would prevent it.
My guess is that the thin bike isn't nearly as attractive to casual eBikers.. It looks more like a commuter bike.. Good looking but not very distinctive.
@George S. Since he already sold 1000 thin eBikes on his website already, I"m guessing he will sell another 1000 on IGG.. Don't see the same kind of pent up demand like fat Bikes enjoy.
Now on the new thin bike he's make the battery proprietary.. Not sure what that means.. Can any battery still be wired to the controller or is there a wiring and control issue that would prevent it.
My guess is that the thin bike isn't nearly as attractive to casual eBikers.. It looks more like a commuter bike.. Good looking but not very distinctive.
@George S. Since he already sold 1000 thin eBikes on his website already, I"m guessing he will sell another 1000 on IGG.. Don't see the same kind of pent up demand like fat Bikes enjoy.
George S.
Well-Known Member
Not sure how Sondors might price a second battery on the IGG campaign. I'm thinking he goes with these small batteries partly for HazMat reasons. Just a guess.
I looked at the email he sent out and the latest video. He's basically creating a celebrity as much as he is selling a bike. No details on the bike. Lots of Sondors.
Thing is, if the guy ends up on Ellen for 5 minutes, what's that going to do for the sales? Celebrity, celebrity, celebrity. Look at Trump.
I like the bike but maybe the bike won't sell itself, being a competent commuter. But maybe they are selling Sondors.
I looked at the email he sent out and the latest video. He's basically creating a celebrity as much as he is selling a bike. No details on the bike. Lots of Sondors.
Thing is, if the guy ends up on Ellen for 5 minutes, what's that going to do for the sales? Celebrity, celebrity, celebrity. Look at Trump.
I like the bike but maybe the bike won't sell itself, being a competent commuter. But maybe they are selling Sondors.
Ann M.
Well-Known Member
How else do you meet the $499 price point? Smaller battery solves a few issues, shipping being a biggie next to cost. OEM components has been the issue with all manufacturers; however, if you want the bike serviceable in an easy fashion, then the original manufacturer can guarantee and warranty replacement parts; not so with non-OEM parts.
Yeah, certainly Sondors is capitalizing on his prior celebrity and crowd funding campaigns. We don't even know the exact resolution of his prior legal disputes. How many internet electric bikes do you see, every day that spout all sorts of promises about performance but there's little to no details. Same here. Quality counts. And yes, @George S. they are selling Sondors, the image. Deja vu all over again!
Yeah, certainly Sondors is capitalizing on his prior celebrity and crowd funding campaigns. We don't even know the exact resolution of his prior legal disputes. How many internet electric bikes do you see, every day that spout all sorts of promises about performance but there's little to no details. Same here. Quality counts. And yes, @George S. they are selling Sondors, the image. Deja vu all over again!
George S.
Well-Known Member
@Ann M.
He's at a cool hundred G's after a couple of hours (his goal). Ten minutes later he is at $136. Yikes.
The Sondors 'brand' seems to be worth more than, say, Currie or Haibike or BH.
It's a Bafang motor. I believe it is what a lot of people are using, from Juiced Rider to Dillenger to Voltbike, etc. He says it is a Panasonic based pack.
I get the Indiegogo newsletter. They churn so much stuff through that site, so many people get wrapped up in it, you'll never make it go away. So he's playing the crowdfund thing to the hilt, offering no services.
Who cares? Luna offers a replacement for the Bafang on the Fatbike. Slide one out, drop in the new one. Need a new battery? Plenty to choose from.
How powerful will Mr. Sondors be at the end of this campaign? You have to respect the doers.
He's at a cool hundred G's after a couple of hours (his goal). Ten minutes later he is at $136. Yikes.
The Sondors 'brand' seems to be worth more than, say, Currie or Haibike or BH.
It's a Bafang motor. I believe it is what a lot of people are using, from Juiced Rider to Dillenger to Voltbike, etc. He says it is a Panasonic based pack.
I get the Indiegogo newsletter. They churn so much stuff through that site, so many people get wrapped up in it, you'll never make it go away. So he's playing the crowdfund thing to the hilt, offering no services.
Who cares? Luna offers a replacement for the Bafang on the Fatbike. Slide one out, drop in the new one. Need a new battery? Plenty to choose from.
How powerful will Mr. Sondors be at the end of this campaign? You have to respect the doers.
Jolly
Member
@George S. , Storm is bringing ebike to the masses at an attractive affordable price point. Think of it like an introduction the world of ebike. It may not be top quality like BH, Stromer, Currie or the countless other brands, but eventually people will buy the bike, ride it, enjoy it and upgrade it with help of vendors like Luna Cycle to help fill the gaps again at an affordable price. Also, the cult like following of Sondors riders on Facebook that offers all sorts of advices. When people get comfortable with riding an ebike then they can always upgrade to other vendors out there.
I'm planning on building my 1st bike using BBSHD on a Trek mountain bike That I love riding and getting ready to pull the trigger on buying a White Sondors THIN for my wife so she can enjoys some rides with me here Toronto.
I'm planning on building my 1st bike using BBSHD on a Trek mountain bike That I love riding and getting ready to pull the trigger on buying a White Sondors THIN for my wife so she can enjoys some rides with me here Toronto.
J.R.
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Piedmont Highlands
The bike, for my money the Thin should have come first and my campaign would have failed. The Fatty gave Sondors game to go on, but this new Thin could make a good city commuter. If you live, work, play urban, you'll likely always be a couple of miles from a place to charge or a stashed spare battery. The battery the bike comes with should give 15-20 flat urban miles and the 350 watt geared hub will be more than enough power for that environment. It's a nice looking bike, even the triangle box that I and one other last year didn't like, but looks good on this black bike.
There's no tech info, but lets face it bikes aren't that complicated and this ebike should only have one complicated part: the battery/bms/controller unit. A lot of people don't care about the tech, as long as the bike goes varoom!
I worry about the 'campaign business model', from a business standpoint. If you make a lot of money and even employ a couple dozen people, you can almost put the taxman off indefinitely. That's not what we have here, we have a couple of people in the West maybe making a good living and a factory in the East that has a few months of work. The part of this that matters to me is I want to see these new ebike companies to survive and thrive! With a sole proprietorship business, or near to it, that's based on crowdfunding, they could likely keep the taxman waiting at the door for 3 years before the postponements run their course and then???
I don't know if this campaign business model is sustainable. I would have rather these companies get their kick start and run with it, without going back to the well for more. I'm not claiming anyone's being taken, there's plenty of information on just this site to be informed and if you don't know, just ask. I guess with that thought in mind I don't like the new definition of "pre-order". Pre-order, pre order, preorder, what does it mean to pre order something? Everyone should know with the warning when you hit a button that reads "Contribute" and you've just spent money. Most often I came across pre-order, it was to add my name to a list to buy a new model of car or motorcycle. That never cost anything, I just waited for a call "it" was on the lot, come give us money. This new meaning of pre order feels like an oxymoron, but I'm hoping it's always jumbo shrimp!
All that business aside, folks are getting and riding ebikes and that's the best of it. This Thin Sondors is a lovely looking bike and good luck to all that sail on her!
There's no tech info, but lets face it bikes aren't that complicated and this ebike should only have one complicated part: the battery/bms/controller unit. A lot of people don't care about the tech, as long as the bike goes varoom!
I worry about the 'campaign business model', from a business standpoint. If you make a lot of money and even employ a couple dozen people, you can almost put the taxman off indefinitely. That's not what we have here, we have a couple of people in the West maybe making a good living and a factory in the East that has a few months of work. The part of this that matters to me is I want to see these new ebike companies to survive and thrive! With a sole proprietorship business, or near to it, that's based on crowdfunding, they could likely keep the taxman waiting at the door for 3 years before the postponements run their course and then???
I don't know if this campaign business model is sustainable. I would have rather these companies get their kick start and run with it, without going back to the well for more. I'm not claiming anyone's being taken, there's plenty of information on just this site to be informed and if you don't know, just ask. I guess with that thought in mind I don't like the new definition of "pre-order". Pre-order, pre order, preorder, what does it mean to pre order something? Everyone should know with the warning when you hit a button that reads "Contribute" and you've just spent money. Most often I came across pre-order, it was to add my name to a list to buy a new model of car or motorcycle. That never cost anything, I just waited for a call "it" was on the lot, come give us money. This new meaning of pre order feels like an oxymoron, but I'm hoping it's always jumbo shrimp!
All that business aside, folks are getting and riding ebikes and that's the best of it. This Thin Sondors is a lovely looking bike and good luck to all that sail on her!
one4torque
Active Member
Jr- Could the tax man go after the crowd funders? Got me thinking.
Hey guys, I've created a placeholder with all of the specs I could find and some opinions based on past Sondors campaigns. I'm open to corrections and feedback on this, trying to be objective and create a resource for those considering the bike: http://electricbikereview.com/sondors/indiegogo-thin/
George S.
Well-Known Member
I think it's available in both colors in the USA. Maybe I'm missing something. On the pre-order it was around $200 shipping, but they showed you that when you went to PayPal. You don't have to buy, at that point. I'm sure you could get it if you went through the form. Thumb throttle?
Not much to review. It's nice looking.
Not much to review. It's nice looking.
@Court
Looks good.. I would amend the pricing field "Including USA Shipping. International Pricing is higher."
International bike prices are higher than USA prices, plus shipping is unknown.. I get the feeling Storm lost his shirt on international sales on the first IGG campaign.
The international delivered priced is $911 if I read the orders correctly off the IGG website.
Looks good.. I would amend the pricing field "Including USA Shipping. International Pricing is higher."
International bike prices are higher than USA prices, plus shipping is unknown.. I get the feeling Storm lost his shirt on international sales on the first IGG campaign.
The international delivered priced is $911 if I read the orders correctly off the IGG website.
J.R.
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Piedmont Highlands
I know what you mean, it makes one wonder. I wouldn't be worried about it though. If it was considered a return on investment or a consumer related tax, it would be a very small liability on an individual basis. The whole story is very interesting to watch and I can't help but be impressed at the quantity and speed Sondors gets things done from the East to the West.
I've been following this forum for some time, but now am an official member, so Hi to all. With the belt drive being a $150 upgrade to the May deliveries, I was wondering what folks thoughts are on this? Also, if you are familiar with Daymak's offering of their carbon EC1, what is the bottom-line comparison between these two economically priced e-bikes?
Welcome to the community! I enjoyed the EC1 but of course it was priced a bit higher when crowd funded and then the price jumped substantially after. The EC1 has 21 gears which is great for pedaling at a range of speeds and also offers an LCD display where you can adjust assist level as well as a thumb throttle like the Sondors Thin. One other thing I liked about the EC1 was the suspension fork because these city bikes tend to be a bit more stiff and the body position was forward so it could get uncomfortable riding over longer distances. Hope these insights help, here's the full review on the EC1 http://electricbikereview.com/daymak/ec1/
Thanks George! I was focusing in on the belt drive option and missed the other details... really appreciate your keen eye
TenBlinkers
Member
The vast price range astonishes me for ebikes. It's not unusual for them to be well over $3,000, yet several are now coming out under $1,000. Is it still a true 'get what you pay for', or are the distribution channels so different that they're simply avoiding giant amounts of markup?
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