How come the 2015 Pedego Interceptor (48V/10Ah) costs $645.00 > the 2016 Aerial Rider (48V/11.6Ah)?

[Christopher]

Happy Spring EBR Community,

How come the 2015 Pedego Interceptor (48V/10Ah) costs $645.00 dollars more than the 2016 Aerial Rider (48V/11.6Ah)? Nearly a 30% increase in price?

I was comparing the specifications between the two e-bikes and I can't seem to figure out why last year's 2015 Pedego Interceptor model is nearly 1/3rd more expensive, yet offering less value with all specs taken into consideration? The 2016 Aerial Rider is a newer year model, increased battery amp hours, and several new upgrades (including the integrated brake light feature).

It boggles my mind to see these new cruisers hitting the market with the same, if not updated components, improved features, upgrades, etc. due mostly to evolution/technology of e-bikes, yet Pedego's price point is still skyrocket high for not even the new year make/model vehicle? I'm not saying 5-10% overvalue, but based on specifications, we're talking upwards of at least 25-35% over market value?

What do you guys think? Am I missing something here..or does it make sense for me to call out Pedego for being overpriced?

Thanks for the EBR website Court, and I look forward to hearing from the community..


Cheers,
Christopher

 

[Christopher]

Happy Spring EBR Community, =)

How come the 2015 Pedego Interceptor (48V/10Ah) costs $645.00 dollars more than the 2016 Aerial Rider (48V/11.6Ah)? Nearly a 30% increase in price?

I was comparing the specifications between the two e-bikes and I can't seem to figure out why last year's 2015 Pedego Interceptor model is nearly 30% more expensive, yet offering less value with all specs taken into consideration? The 2016 Aerial Rider is a newer year model, increased battery amp hours, and several new upgrades (including the integrated brake light feature).

Am I missing something in comparison of these e-bikes or is the Pedego Interceptor overpriced?

Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you's guys..


Cheers,
Christopher

 

[pxpaulx]

Battery technology is becoming better and cheaper, and competition is growing in the market. The mid range is also shrinking because the cheaper ebikes are getting better. I don't know if there are other factors for the brand, but those are probably the primary drivers right now.

 

[Christopher]

Thanks for the input pxpaulx!

It boggles my mind to see these new cruisers hitting the market with the same, if not updated components, improved features, upgrades, etc. due mostly to evolution/technology of e-bikes, yet Pedego's price point is still skyrocket high for not even the new year make/model vehicle? I'm not saying 5-10% overvalue, but based on specifications, we're talking upwards of at least 25-30% over market value?

What do you guys think? Am I missing something here..or does it make sense for me to call out Pedego for being overpriced?

 

[pxpaulx]

Don't let msrp fool you, there are deals to be had. If your local shop isn't willing to deal, check out some of the online/national dealers.

 

[George S.]

I'm sure you would have told us if you were associated with the company.

Money and price... What does it mean? I built this bike for:

Mango Cruiser ........ 270
Smart Pie Hub..........350
Chinese Lifepo...........270

So under $1000. The components I can proudly say are bottom of the barrel. But you know, Shimano makes a pretty nice barrel, so the bottom is OK. Brakes and the transmission parts are something very tiny, wholesale. The motor means there is not so much shifting. The motor has regenerative braking. It all comes together? It's a really nice motor. The fork is CrMo, so good with a front hub. Very simple bike, but very pleasant. If you want to build a bike, you can pick a price and leave the folks at Pedego in the rear view mirror.

Pedego knows what they are doing. They have a huge network of dealers and rental facilities and name recognition and word of mouth. It's safe. I guess other brands are just not Pedego, for good, for bad, for indifferent.

I guess Court should have a Blog called Courtside, something like that. Yeah, he's the best.

 

[Christopher]

Thanks for sharing George!

In my opinion, and I may be wrong, (which is why I posted this thread..) Pedego's past success was due in large part to having a differential advantage over the market. This in turn, created as you stated very well, a huge network of dealers, rental facilities, name recognition, and word of mouth. Well, now in today's market, there isn't anything that differentiates there current line of cruisers from the competition? The market is now offering a 2016 model of the same (if not better) product for at least 25-35% less cost to the consumer.

Oh no! What do businesses do when there competitive advantage is no longer a competitive advantage in the market? Well, the business chooses between two options. Either, innovate and release a 2016 make/model of the cruiser product that differentiate itself from the competition to justify its very high price point. Or "switch gears" to comparative (or cost) advantage by lowering the price point of their older model cruisers to compete with the newer model cruisers coming out in the market.

Basically, sitting back keeping a 25-35% higher price point on an older product, while your competition is consuming your consumers from releasing newer year make/model products with the same (if not better) specifications may spell trouble for the business..

What value do I receive for paying nearly 30% ($645.00) more for last year's 2015 Pedego Interceptor vs. this year's 2016 Aerial Rider? Very curious, because that is quite the difference in prices.

Pedego really should reconsider justifying its current price point on cruisers..

 

[pxpaulx]

Hmm. @Christopher if you are associated with that rider bike in any way, you do need to say so. The marketing speak is a little over the top...

 

[Christopher]

Thanks @pxpaulx,

Full disclosure.. I am not associated with Aerial or Pedego in any way, shape, form, or fashion. As Spring is now in full swing, I am an everyday e-bike consumer asking a cruiser e-bike question, looking for answers, by asking why the latest cruiser e-bike addition to EBR (Aerial Rider) is nearly 1/3rd ($645.00) cheaper in price than last year's 2o15 Pedego Interceptor model cruiser?


Cheers,
Christopher

 

[Va. Bch. Electric Bike Center]

Pedego ebikes are virtually bullet proof with many years of customer testimonial to back it up..
Can Aerial say that? Quality customer support which many brands don't have has a definite value.

 

[Christopher]

Thanks Va. Bch. Electric Bike Center!

I think it's important for me to note that I do agree with you, Pedego does offer quality customer service with many years of customer testimonials. With that being said, I can't say that it justifies paying nearly a 30% markup for a 2015 make/model, weaker battery Ah, no 2016 upgrades, etc.

I'm sure that I am not the only consumer that would prefer to invest the increased 25-35% of my money into the product I am buying, versus for customer service. Reputation and customer service do offer value, but not 1/3rd of the price kind of value, especially for last year's make/model in today's growing competitive market, where the competition offers more value in the product.

No offense to Pedego, they will do as they see fit. I'm a consumer with a valid question, looking for an answer besides customer service and reputation. In my opinion, there current price point on cruisers doesn't justify today's market.

Cheers!

 

[RealDeal]

Christopher, you are just looking at MSRP. Shop around and you might be able to find a Pedego priced much closer to that other bike you are taking about. What you should really be asking is why anyone would buy an EBR (Aerial Rider) when you can get a much better Pedego by just shopping around.? Demo bikes can be had at a significant discount.

Full disclosure, I am not associated with any bike companies or the biking industry.

 

[Va. Bch. Electric Bike Center]

Completely understand the desire to get a good deal and save some money, just be careful not to over shoot your savings with unfortunate repairs or reliability/customer service issues (not picking on the Aerial specifically).
I'd gladly pay more for a Toyota than a Mitsubishi any day.
Best thing to do is ride them both and then be able to make an informed decision.

 

[Joe Remi]

I keep seeing the same author using the same talking points to promote one bike over another.

 

[Jack Tyler]

Don't overlook the fact that Pedego has an established dealer network, apparently has a U.S. based parts distribution system, and has brand recognition that in part indicates warranty support and build quality. There is some cost associated with these factors and also some perceived value (at least as seen by Pedego). For another example of perceived value, look at the pricing of the same Raleigh vs. iZip models despite both of them identical and under the same Accell umbrella. Raleigh thinks their brand identity is worth a bit more, tho' I'm not sure consumers necessarily feel the same way. The Aerial reviews Court just did was in part with the owner and probably designer/engineer/chief cook and bottle washer of a new company with zero brand identity or track record. That doesn't mean the bike isn't good value or a competitive product. It's just hard - at least for someone like me, who' now shopping - to evaluate the longevity or customer support available from the seller in a year or two. There are a lot of examples like Aerial in this increasingly crowded ebike industry, where the importer is the distributor is the provider of after-sales support. E.g. look at the Magnum reviews and comments from pleased owners like @Nirmala. It's just a different business model, while we buyers place different weights on track record and brand longevity.

 

[Christopher]

Christopher, you are just looking at MSRP. Shop around and you might be able to find a Pedego priced much closer to that other bike you are taking about. What you should really be asking is why anyone would buy an EBR (Aerial Rider) when you can get a much better Pedego by just shopping around.? Demo bikes can be had at a significant discount.

Full disclosure, I am not associated with any bike companies or the biking industry.

Thank you @RealDeal , I appreciate your response,

Yes, you are correct, I am looking at the MSRP for both bicycles. I am a consumer that shops for brand new, not used products. The question I am posing pertains to purchasing a brand new cruiser, not a used, demo, or rental bicycle.

When you stated that the question I should be posing is, "why anyone would buy an EBR (Aerial Rider) when you can get a much better Pedego by just shopping around.?" The original question posted in this thread pertains to learning what makes the 2015 Pedego Interceptor (48V/10Ah) "much better" (the nearly $700.00 higher price point for Pedego that I am trying to justify) than the 2016 Aerial Rider (48V/11.6Ah)? Based on the EBR reviews, the 2016 Aerial has the same, if not newer 2016 components, several upgraded features beings its a newer year model, stronger battery, etc.


Cheers,
Christopher

 

[Christopher]

Completely understand the desire to get a good deal and save some money, just be careful not to over shoot your savings with unfortunate repairs or reliability/customer service issues (not picking on the Aerial specifically).
I'd gladly pay more for a Toyota than a Mitsubishi any day.
Best thing to do is ride them both and then be able to make an informed decision.

Thanks for sharing @Va. Bch. Electric Bike Center,

Agreed, it is safe to say most consumers do have a strong desire to save some money and shop for a good deal.

More importantly, my question was posed to locate the $645.00 increase in price for the 2015 components and specifications of the Pedego Interceptor, versus the 2016 components and specifications of the Aerial Rider. We're not talking about an increase in price by an extra buck or two for brand recognition, but we're talking about a large chunk of your money NOT going into the components/specifications of the physical product being purchased. We're talking about an increase of nearly 1/3rd of the price being charged by 2015 Pedego in comparison to today's 2016 market.

Unfortunately, the comparison between Toyota and Mitsubishi is quite misleading. A brand new 2016 Mitsubishi does not have even the slightest quality components and specifications as does a 2015 Toyota. The 2016 Aerial has the same brand, yet year newer and better, components, upgrades, etc. than the 2015 Pedego. Your in essence comparing apples to oranges when comparing prices vs components of Toyota vs. Mitsubishi for the question being posed. If 2016 Mitsubishi was built with the same (if not better..) and newer quality components and specifications as 2015 Toyota, then it would be a similar comparison for the question in this discussion.

A better automobile comparison to the question being posed would be:

Why is the brand new 2015 Toyota 25-35% priced more expensive than the brand new 2016 Lexus?

As an e-bike consumer/enthusiast, this is an interesting debate, and thank you very much for offering your thoughts from a dealer's perspective. I look forward to continuing a constructive and informative topic debate for the EBR community to discuss.


Cheers,
Christopher

 

[Christopher]

I keep seeing the same author using the same talking points to promote one bike over another. Tis fishy, me-thinks.

Hi @Joe Remi,

As stated previously in this discussion and I will state it again:

"Full disclosure.. I am not associated with Aerial or Pedego in any way, shape, form, or fashion. As Spring is now in full swing, I am an everyday e-bike consumer asking a cruiser e-bike question, looking for answers, by asking why the latest cruiser e-bike addition to EBR (Aerial Rider) is nearly 1/3rd ($645.00) cheaper in price than last year's 2o15 Pedego Interceptor model cruiser?"

I am not affiliated with any bicycle companies or the bicycle industry. Again, I am an everyday cruiser e-bike consumer/enthusiast posing a question to the EBR community.

Your false accusations stating that I "promote one bike over another" really should be reviewed by the administrator. My interest is only on what is in the best interest of e-bike consumers, like myself. I posed a question based solely on facts and figures available via EBR, and would love for you to elaborate on what is so fishy about this?


Thank you,
Christopher

 

[J.R.]

Christopher,

You really need to stop looking at this as 2015 vs 2016. Most of bicycling doesn't work that way. What makes a bike a 2015, the frame? The all important components? The chainrings may have been stamped 3 years ago. Cranks may have been cast 5 years ago and machined 6 months ago. It's not a good idea to compare bikes to cars and ebikes the most important components are the battery cells. Not the pack, that may have been assembled last month with 3 year old cells. That's where reputation comes in. The two bikes you are attempting to compare, aren't comparable in any measurable way.

 

[Joe Remi]

Hi @Joe Remi,

As stated previously in this discussion and I will state it again:

"Full disclosure.. I am not associated with Aerial or Pedego in any way, shape, form, or fashion. As Spring is now in full swing, I am an everyday e-bike consumer asking a cruiser e-bike question, looking for answers, by asking why the latest cruiser e-bike addition to EBR (Aerial Rider) is nearly 1/3rd ($645.00) cheaper in price than last year's 2o15 Pedego Interceptor model cruiser?"

I am not affiliated with any bicycle companies or the bicycle industry. Again, I am an everyday cruiser e-bike consumer/enthusiast posing a question to the EBR community.

Your false accusations stating that I "promote one bike over another" really should be reviewed by the administrator. My interest is only on what is in the best interest of e-bike consumers, like myself. I posed a question based solely on facts and figures available via EBR, and would love for you to elaborate on what is so fishy about this?


Thank you,
Christopher

I don't need to elaborate on anything. You've stated the exact same thing about one bike being about $700 more than another one numerous times. It sounds like an ad for the cheaper bike, and if you haven't figured out by now that the answer is "buy it", I can't help you.