I don't see Giant or Electra or Magnum on the list either and they all sold a lot more bikes through dealers than most DTC companies will ever sell. 2 cents.Here is some recent data from the Bicycle Retailer (US)... Lectric did not make the list.
Vosper: The e-bike brand map is shifting
It's amazing how much has changed in just one year.www.bicycleretailer.com
Five market-leading e-bike brands
According to Benjamin, the five leading e-bike brands (in no particular order) are Rad Power, Pedego, Trek, Specialized, and the Alta Group — Raleigh, IZIP, et al. These five collectively enjoy about 70% of the total e-bike market in 2020. (The reason for including all Alta brands as one is simply because that's the way the import documents are labeled; no further breakdown is possible.)
Breaking it down even further, Benjamin agrees the market falls into three basic price-driven categories.
- The bottom price niche is consumer-direct sales through Amazon, for well under $1,000, he says. "But these bikes are usually unsatisfying."
- Moving up from there is the price point of approximately $1,500 to $2,500.
- Above $2,500, and stretching all the way up to $10,000 or more, is where the majority of IBD brands play...but not all, as we shall see.
D2C - Direct to Consumer direct e-bike specialists
EBD - Brick and mortar E-Bike specialist Dealers
IBD - Brick and mortar Independent Bike Dealers
I don't see Giant or Electra or Magnum on the list either and they all sold a lot more bikes through dealers than most DTC companies will ever sell. 2 cents.
Probably closer to 25k, but that's a guess. Either way that's about 5% of the projected 400k ebike sales in 2020. That's a decent share of any market!20k.....really?
Only believe the reviews that involved spending their own money, maybe ...but it also takes time for owners to report problems and resolutions ...DTC companies that make it through the boom and still make quality bikes will be rare and wonderful things IMHO.It reminds me of Mark Cuban's quote,
" Everybody is a genius in a bull market"
So, the whole E-bike market is seeing exponential growth and it is easy to sell but a better metric of performance and growth would be longevity and customer happiness over the years.
How long they are in business ?
how's their customer acquisition cost?
how's their longevity ?
Have their weathered some tough times and come out ahead?
This applies to every company I believe. Having said all that, I have to credit Lectric XP for doing amazing marketing and selling over 20,000 units.
They went after YouTube influencers aggressively by sending free bikes and in return were able to catch a large share of the customer base.
I´m of the opinion that cheap bikes like lectric are a good idea for 1st time electric riders. They are going to make mistakes
& need to learn the basics of maintenance & operation. I´d hate to pay $5k for a bike only to screw it up out of ignorance.
My 1st ebike ran about $2700 to purchase & easily another grand keeping it operational. I have $1200 in my current ride
which is actually hands down more functional. I´m at 2100 mi., & thus far additional expense has been a couple tires I
tore up, tubes for same, & a couple spokes I already had. I´ve learned to stay on top of maintenance & keep it fine tuned.
Another skinflint, right?You hit the nail on the head. My incoming Lectric Step Thru is going to be my first ever e-bike and even though i can afford one of them fancy Riese & Muller the "equivalent-price-of-a-decent-house-in-a-3rd-world-country" bikes if i wanted to, i was content to wade into the waters at the price point of a Lectric. Ofcourse, as i judge my use-case and as i mature into it, i'd be ready to splurge for the big leagues in the future.
I brushed off the usual criticisms from the snobbish elite who are of the opinion that if you don't buy a Ferrari as your first car and instead start of with a used Honda, you're nuts. (I'm exaggerating a bit, but the point stands)