BE AWARE-IF YOU WANT TO BUY AN AVENTON

[stompandgo]

How hard was it to get a couple of demo bikes? The stats are all really good. They look so cool. Dual power meters built in! I recall when that just an aftermarket feature was like $2200, not installed. No range extenders for them yet. Don't name margins but to sell them you must be okay. Some say dealer assembly required. That is good. Everything is as proprietary as hell to the devil. Dealers must love that too.

Not hard at all. It was part of the dealer agreement at signing.

Distribution is another matter. X-Lab prioritizes DTC. Most bikes are in stock through that channel. The way they release product to dealers is via the "drop" method. AMFLOW does this, too. We get an email that X number of model Y will be available tomorrow at 10:00am. Place your orders at 10:00 or risk losing out. It's a totally crappy way to treat their dealers. X-Lab, for us, is very much a secondary brand. So if they want to play that way, we play. We only spend our capital on models that fit the niche where other manufacturers are not as competitive. We do not sell anything that will jeopardize our main lines, at least until the whole industry collapses to Big China.

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

A bunch of brands are selling wizz-bang gizmos that require stuff like pairing to a phone, instead of selling solid reliability. I think you are correct. Simple is better.

suspect you are right! i'm tempted to go non-electric on my next bike and get a single speed for a little more meditative commuting experience and i don't really have any hills and am not ever really in a hurry.

 

[PedalUma]

suspect you are right! i'm tempted to go non-electric on my next bike and get a single speed for a little more meditative commuting experience and i don't really have any hills and am not ever really in a hurry.

Why not an IGH with a five speed? I have a three speed that is super simple, light, and comfortable.

 

[PedalUma]

Not hard at all. It was part of the dealer agreement at signing.

Distribution is another matter. X-Lab prioritizes DTC. Most bikes are in stock through that channel. The way they release product to dealers is via the "drop" method. AMFLOW does this, too. We get an email that X number of model Y will be available tomorrow at 10:00am. Place your orders at 10:00 or risk losing out. It's a totally crappy way to treat their dealers. X-Lab, for us, is very much a secondary brand. So if they want to play that way, we play. We only spend our capital on models that fit the niche where other manufacturers are not as competitive. We do not sell anything that will jeopardize our main lines, at least until the whole industry collapses to Big China.

This is very good to know. Yes, that is no way to build relationships with dealers. REI sells them. I do respect them for not just making bikes for 30 years for the majors to profit from, but to bring it all in house and bringing their work directly to the market. They were exploited for too long. And it does not matter to me what side of the Taiwan strait a bike is made on as long as it is good and a value. My conversions can't compete at that sort of price point. $1899 for a new mid-drive bike with tons of features is tough to beat. I need to work on specialty custom bikes such as for the disabled.