T
Terry777
Guest
One thing I have found with the site so far is if you post a question you get loads of help from all manner of cyclists. It’s awesome!
I spoke with another company that said they had the 'patent' for the frame as well, Changzhou Zhihong. They sent a bunch of documents...in Chinese which I am not fluent in. All of these companies seem to have fairly easy access to the various frames which is great.Just want to say wow what a great thread and thank you to Terry777 for leading the way. Also looking to buy MD1000 on Alibaba. My wife intercepted my purchase of a Luna Fat Babe last spring and while I love Luna as a brand, I think I would have been underwhelmed.
Regarding MinjLA's find with the lower price, I texted with George at CN last night and according to George his company owns the patent on the frame design of the MD1000 and companies like Leili license use of the design...this MIGHT explain the pricing differences. I got a quote last night of $2,700 including shipping to Maine USA from George for an MD1000 with 2 batteries (Samsung cells) upgraded Minion Maxx tires 26x4.8, Gates Belt Drive with SA5 drive and a front light (racks and fenders out of stock). I think I can live with the default front fork. RST out of stock. I think the brakes are a slight downgrade from Leili (350 vs. 375?) but 375 are out of stock at CN. Quoted a ballpark of mid-April delivery.
Chinese New Year - For those considering purchase RIGHT NOW like me, we are kind of screwed beyond what you've read so far. I used to be marketing officer for a company called SteriPEN (we sold company), and we produced our product in ShenZen. It was always a nightmare. Might be worth writing a book about actually. Every year, workers go home and when they return to work following CNY, there's a lot of turnover at these facilities. Very mobile workforce. So there's a ramp-up period that adds to the delays. Keep that in mind when buying direct in China. It sounds to me like the MD1000 frames are on order and in production based on George's feedback.
Buying this way is not for the faint of heart for sure.
Now that I'm an activated user on the forum I look forward to being part of this thread. G''day.
Upgrade the brakes. Tektro 350 2 piston vs Tektro 725 4 piston. Heavy bike, rider, high speeds, more stopping power for an extra 1% of the purchase price or $30 bucks is wise.Just want to say wow what a great thread and thank you to Terry777 for leading the way. Also looking to buy MD1000 on Alibaba. My wife intercepted my purchase of a Luna Fat Babe last spring and while I love Luna as a brand, I think I would have been underwhelmed.
Regarding MinjLA's find with the lower price, I texted with George at CN last night and according to George his company owns the patent on the frame design of the MD1000 and companies like Leili license use of the design...this MIGHT explain the pricing differences. I got a quote last night of $2,700 including shipping to Maine USA from George for an MD1000 with 2 batteries (Samsung cells) upgraded Minion Maxx tires 26x4.8, Gates Belt Drive with SA5 drive and a front light (racks and fenders out of stock). I think I can live with the default front fork. RST out of stock. I think the brakes are a slight downgrade from Leili (350 vs. 375?) but 375 are out of stock at CN. Quoted a ballpark of mid-April delivery.
Chinese New Year - For those considering purchase RIGHT NOW like me, we are kind of screwed beyond what you've read so far. I used to be marketing officer for a company called SteriPEN (we sold company), and we produced our product in ShenZen. It was always a nightmare. Might be worth writing a book about actually. Every year, workers go home and when they return to work following CNY, there's a lot of turnover at these facilities. Very mobile workforce. So there's a ramp-up period that adds to the delays. Keep that in mind when buying direct in China. It sounds to me like the MD1000 frames are on order and in production based on George's feedback.
Buying this way is not for the faint of heart for sure.
Now that I'm an activated user on the forum I look forward to being part of this thread. G''day.
They all have the frame "Patent", will customize and will build and ship in 45 days or less ... (serious eye roll here).I spoke with another company that said they had the 'patent' for the frame as well, Changzhou Zhihong. They sent a bunch of documents...in Chinese which I am not fluent in. All of these companies seem to have fairly easy access to the various frames which is great.
Pl it I spoke with another company that said they had the 'patent' for the frame as well, Changzhou Zhihong. They sent a bunch of documents...in Chinese which I am not flat but in. All of these frames which is gre
Your eye roll must be contagious because I got it when I read that too. LolThey all have the frame "Patent", will customize and will build and ship in 45 days or less ... (serious eye roll here).
I hate being such a cynic especially around the holidays but I just can't help it. An MD 1000 tracking number might moderate the cynicism and cheer me up ...Your eye roll must be contagious because I got it when I read that too. Lol
They will tell you anything to get a sale. I think we’ve all had a wee (or big in some cases) lie from them. More flippin Li’s than a Chinese phone book!
Yeah. These are unique cultural differences. Leile noted CN as "their friends". They are competitors that share resources.I spoke with another company that said they had the 'patent' for the frame as well, Changzhou Zhihong. They sent a bunch of documents...in Chinese which I am not fluent in. All of these companies seem to have fairly easy access to the various frames which is great.
The lady I dealt with at Leili pushed for me to get on “this” batch of frames as the next order of 500 frames would push my order back 2 months. I take it they get 500 frames every 2 months. I wouldn’t take her at her word for it as they’ve all been known to tell the odd “whopper” now and then. Going by the dates and times others have been given though it just about adds up. The electric bike boom of late has every bike builder going full pelt just now it seems.It appears they are all essentially finish (paint, branding) and assembly operations. As for the design, it seems that many claim this capability but in contracting with a frame manufacturer, you either pony a very large commitment for an exclusive frame build contract or, give the frame builder the right to sell the frame blanks to whomever. The latter option seems the most common and that was clearly the case for the Bikonit brand and subsequent iterations.
In any case, they are all competing with large bike manufacturers for parts (guess who gets order priority). I find it very amusing that they all seem to use the same stock photos of the components and sometimes the photos don't even match the actual bike config. It is really pick your poison as far as whom to deal with company wise. The inside the assembly operation photos of the Leile factory were impressive with all the Bikonit, Biktrix and unbranded versions of the MD 1000 on display. That indicates for this specific model series (MD 1000, MD 750 and HD 750), Leili has a good volume of product going through their operation and that is a good thing at least as it pertains to this model.
From a pure product support standpoint, I think buying the Biktrix Juggernaut Ultra Beast (that's a mouthful) would be the best option. They have a good name and actually do some controller modifications and some customizations as a value add. Bolton adds even more margin than Biktrix, but is a pure reseller of the Bikonit brand. I guess Bolton leverages their good reputation and loyal user community as the "value add". I don't care about the Facebook group or Youtube videos (well, I kinda like the Youtube vids) so I'm a good candidate to be frustrated by this cost effective, "factory direct" pandemic buying experience.
Tykoehn1 You got your bike?
You’ve taken delivery?
Nope! I saw that on reddit. Looks like people who ordered through bolton are getting their bikes! The boat my bike is on is a few days out still. Had some delaysYou’ve taken delivery?
Did you have the GUNHILDE MAERSK on your bill of landing ? Mine has a different boatNope! I saw that on reddit. Looks like people who ordered through bolton are getting their bikes! The boat my bike is on is a few days out still. Had some delays
Yes I didDid you have the GUNHILDE MAERSK on your bill of landing ? Mine has a different boat
I suppose it means they are starting to come through. Anyone here ordered from Bolton?Nope! I saw that on reddit. Looks like people who ordered through bolton are getting their bikes! The boat my bike is on is a few days out still. Had
FFS! I thought... never mindNope! I saw that on reddit. Looks like people who ordered through bolton are getting their bikes! The boat my bike is on is a few days out still. Had some delays
Did you have the GUNHILDE MAERSK on your bill of landing ? Mine has a different boat
Hopefully you don’t have any delays at the port. How is the COVID thing where you are? You foresee any problems with delivery bro?
I shouldnt have any issues besides the upcoming holidays delaying the shipment. The boat was supposed to be in Baltimore yesterday but it was delayed going to Newark and now being delayed going to Norfolk so maybe a few more days to get to baltimore and unload.Hopefully you don’t have any delays at the port. How is the COVID thing where you are? You foresee any problems with delivery bro?
Yes,