Lot of Nice Ebikes but still Very Weak on sales and support

[Bill R]

I see a lot of nice Ebikes online but no place to buy or try and I live in one of the top 5 largest metro areas in the USA.
I took a trip to Small Planet Ebikes Dallas and it appears to be going out of business as they where closed on a nice Saturday afternoon when web site says it should be open. A few other bike shops have one or two Ebikes but know little about them. Only option for Ebike is online so no local support. Very disappointing.

 

[Over50]

I see a lot of nice Ebikes online but no place to buy or try and I live in one of the top 5 largest metro areas in the USA...Very disappointing.

I'm with you on that. I'm also in a top metro area and e-bike dealers are few and far between. The couple of dedicated e-bike shops are small operators who don't have the capital to stock any inventory. The larger regular bike shops who represent the big players like Trek, Specialized, Giant, have pretty limited e-bike stock and knowledge. The independent guys who are regular bike shops seem to be anti e-bike. So I had to travel to an e-bike expo outside my area to try a lot of bikes and my first purchase was also outside my area.

If you're in the Dallas area I'd check with some Trek shops if you're interested in any of their offerings. And Ann M on this forum is in the Austin area and it sounds like Austin might have a lot more to choose from if you're willing to travel.

 

[Deleted member 4210]

Both of you are right about the lack of E-Bike shops in many areas. It's why I opened an e-Bike only shop here in Chicago metro area back in 2015, as unbelievably there were no other e-bike shops within 100 miles, and amazingly even the few regular bike shops who carried them, only typically had a couple on the floor at any given time. Even a major multi-location bike store in Chicago, who showed many e-bikes on a web-site would only have a handful at a couple locations, and none at some. You have to have more than a couple dozen at least for people to ride, try out, compare and contrast. I now get customers from as far north as Madison WI, to as far east as Grand Rapids MI, and as far south as St. Louis. St. Louis is a 4.5 hour drive. Trek stores nearby refuse to even carry e-bikes, despite them having two decent e-bike brands to choose from, the Electra and then Trek brand itself. From what I hear its a combination of capital risk, capital amount per ebike, terms, investment in training, and their perceptions that e-bikes don't yet represent enough consistent business to generate the inventory turns you need to remain successful and solvent. Trek stores too, are often not positioned well as many other bike stores aren't to handle e-bike test rides (busy parking lots in strip centers), their rents are super high being in high traffic areas, and their space is limited and often at a high premium. So effectively, they'd have to relocate, or decide which models of regular bikes to eliminate, and since they have been positioning for years with models they know sell well, and what the turn rates are, it is a huge risk to upset that experience. This is going to be true for more than just Trek shops, so the regular bike shop owner deciding to adopt e-bikes, is making a huge investment. Here in the midwest, we are hurt by short warm seasons too, complicating the decision to make investment. Lastly, many regular bike shops are hanging by a thread still, and the industry shake out (started in the 90's) remains on-going, with reports on Bike Retailing showing declines in every category this year (remember this is supposedly a 'robust' economy compared to 07, 08), except e-bikes. PS. None of the Trek bikes have throttles, and per a Trek rep I spoke with recently, likely never will. 'Conservative' and safety conscious brand I suppose.

 

[Over50]

Both of you are right about the lack of E-Bike shops in many areas....

That's good insight. I think in my particular part of the midwest we are also hurt by a lack of biking infrastructure. My decision to try bike commuting to work forced me to get pretty creative about route-finding and I also have to use some odd hours to reduce traffic risks. It would be so nice just to have a straight-shot to work with bike lanes and good pavement but that is far from reality where I live. It is getting better though and just since I started this bike commuting in February some new bike lanes have been added along my route - but still a long way to go. I still have to leave my house an hour earlier than I would otherwise and take a zig zag route, in order to be safer, that adds a few miles to my total trip. I can definitely see a lack of good infrastructure (trails for emtbs and bike paths/lanes for commuters) as a hindrance to e-bike adoption in my area.

Some of what you say about the Trek shops rings true to me - busy strip malls and parking lots, lack of floor space etc. My local Trek dealer is expanding its e-bike offerings and training employees. But yes, as a customer, if you expect to walk in and find the same model in several sizes to try you will likely be out of luck. I found e-bike shopping extremely frustrating when I saw so many makes/models that met my criteria only to find out there were either no dealers anywhere near me or if there were dealers they didn't stock any inventory. Bulls and Haibike come immediately to mind. For Bulls I had/have no dealers. For Haibike I had a couple of dealers with no inventory and no experience with the models Many other brands come to mind as well (Ohm, Focus, Felt, Stromer ...). I recall that frustration well of finding a good candidate bike through this forum or other Internet resources only to find out that the particular make/model couldn't be found within hundreds of miles of my home. It would have been awesome to be able to walk into a retail location to find multiple good quality makes/models to touch and ride. But in my case I had to pay for an airline ticket and a hotel room to be able to get close to that type of retail experience.

 

[Bill R]

Yes frustrating , After visit to Small Planet Ebikes Dallas only to find an abandon store I looked on line and found a shop that had ebikes on web site and found I had better selection of ebikes in my small apartment then they had which was one ebike in the store, he said he had 2 but sold one.

 

[rich c]

I feel very lucky. I do have to drive just over 3 hours to my dealer of choice. We have a 13 mile paved greenway rail to trail in the city, a 25 mile crushed limestone rail to trail north of the city, and a 10 mile paved trail in East Peoria. That lets me ride any time of the day. Then with a little driving; an hour away from the 75+ mile Hennepin Canal Parkway Trail, and just over an hour to the Great River Road Trail at Rock Island, Il. We also have 4 really nice MTB areas within 30 miles of my house. I hadn't thought of Peoria, IL as a major biking area, but then I wasn't an active rider. It's really a great experience for me over the last 2 years of active riding since I retired.

 

[Bill R]

Yes, very lucky but apartment made huge fuss over large package as they only deliver to office will not take it to apartment and it is 1000 miles away and still online for me. As Dallas Fort Worth metro area is now 3rd largest after LA and NY you would think Haibike, Bulls and Easy Motion would have some presence in DFW area.

 

[Captain Slow]

Hmmm, that's interesting as around Vancouver, BC we have some choices of bike shops that stock ebikes. I believe there are at least 3 or 4 choices, plus Grin is in Vancouver as well. I guess we have milder weather so it's easier to commute year round by bike. I'm guessing this might contribute, but really have no idea.

Mike, sure hope you do well with your shop!

I agree on the support. A conventional bike is a lot easier to deal with if something goes wrong. An ebike it's definitely more desirable to have a local shop. Perhaps that's what will save local shops. Some of my favourite shops have been going out of business. I think people just aren't buying the accessories, clothing and other higher margin items these days. I know a lot of people who buy from places like PBK and Chain Reaction. Kind of sad to see bike shops have such as hard go these days.

 

[Jeff Backes]

Have you called your local Trek or Felt dealers? Often they have e-bikes in stock.

Jeff

 

[elyhim]

I think what they mean are hub e-bikes are disappearing but certain mid-drives are not. In North Carolina it's not hard to find one to try.

 

[Jesse Arzola]

I see a lot of nice Ebikes online but no place to buy or try and I live in one of the top 5 largest metro areas in the USA.
I took a trip to Small Planet Ebikes Dallas and it appears to be going out of business as they where closed on a nice Saturday afternoon when web site says it should be open. A few other bike shops have one or two Ebikes but know little about them. Only option for Ebike is online so no local support. Very disappointing.

Hello Bill, I am the shop manager here at the Small Planet eBikes store in Dallas, and I am happy to inform you that we are open for business. The reason you stated that the shop looks abandoned is a mystery to me since an abandoned store would not have 30+ ebikes inside of it. We are terribly sorry we missed you yesterday, we had briefly stepped out to have lunch as most small businesses would do sometimes, and we left signage on our front doors to call and notify me if you needed us to rush back. we were having lunch in the area so it would have only taken us about 5 minutes to get back. Did you miss the signs and/or ebikes inside the store? We are not abandoned and are here to stay. Again I am terribly sorry we missed you.

 

[Ann M.]

@Bill R, I just spoke with the manager of the Dallas location of SmallPlanetEBikes and they are definitely in business and offer many of the ebike brands that you are interested in. Perhaps you didn't see the sign on the door indicating that they had stepped out for a couple of minutes to pick up lunch. As an owner of a small independent electric bike shop for 16+ years, you do occasionally have to lock the door for a moment and leave a sign in the door. We had to do that from time to time to accompany a customer on a special test ride while other team members were on break.

Given that this shop is totally ebikes, you have access to more comprehensive service and better trained staff to work with in person. Purchasing where you can test ride first is the best way to experience an electric bike and make a choice that is right for you, not just based on a list of specs or a phone call.

BTW, the Dallas SmallPlanetEBikes phone # is 972-773-9611, store hours: Wed. thru Sunday 10am to 6pm.

 

[bob armani]

Both of you are right about the lack of E-Bike shops in many areas. It's why I opened an e-Bike only shop here in Chicago metro area back in 2015, as unbelievably there were no other e-bike shops within 100 miles, and amazingly even the few regular bike shops who carried them, only typically had a couple on the floor at any given time. Even a major multi-location bike store in Chicago, who showed many e-bikes on a web-site would only have a handful at a couple locations, and none at some. You have to have more than a couple dozen at least for people to ride, try out, compare and contrast. I now get customers from as far north as Madison WI, to as far east as Grand Rapids MI, and as far south as St. Louis. St. Louis is a 4.5 hour drive. Trek stores nearby refuse to even carry e-bikes, despite them having two decent e-bike brands to choose from, the Electra and then Trek brand itself. From what I hear its a combination of capital risk, capital amount per ebike, terms, investment in training, and their perceptions that e-bikes don't yet represent enough consistent business to generate the inventory turns you need to remain successful and solvent. Trek stores too, are often not positioned well as many other bike stores aren't to handle e-bike test rides (busy parking lots in strip centers), their rents are super high being in high traffic areas, and their space is limited and often at a high premium. So effectively, they'd have to relocate, or decide which models of regular bikes to eliminate, and since they have been positioning for years with models they know sell well, and what the turn rates are, it is a huge risk to upset that experience. This is going to be true for more than just Trek shops, so the regular bike shop owner deciding to adopt e-bikes, is making a huge investment. Here in the midwest, we are hurt by short warm seasons too, complicating the decision to make investment. Lastly, many regular bike shops are hanging by a thread still, and the industry shake out (started in the 90's) remains on-going, with reports on Bike Retailing showing declines in every category this year (remember this is supposedly a 'robust' economy compared to 07, 08), except e-bikes. PS. None of the Trek bikes have throttles, and per a Trek rep I spoke with recently, likely never will. 'Conservative' and safety conscious brand I suppose.

Hello Mike's Ebikes- FYI-
I live in the Chicago Metro area and I have found PLENTY of ebikes in close proximity. For example: A Superstore and their affiliates (3 locations) have an entire floor dedicated to mostly ebikes for test rides indoors and out. Then there is an Ebike store that sells Faraday, Bionix etc. Then in Crystal Lake, there is an Ebike store that sells many major brands of ebikes to test ride and a new location in Deerfield, IL has opened up: An ebike shop that was at the Chicago Ebike Expo showing in store models for test ride . Another store in Skoike IL (Volton brand) that is dedicated to ebikes only.
A Trek dealer in the downtown area is beginning to stock them as well.Not sure what you are alluding to but we have plenty of choices nearby. Madison WI is the next best place to shop for over 200 selections which is incredible for shopping in the Midwest.

Update for Chicago buyers: Just found another awesome ebike dealer in Evanston and Oak Park IL that have been in business for a few decades. They carry many brands and are very informative about setup and fitting everyone who purchase from them. I also located 2 more Trek dealers and a Tern ebike store that is Certified in Bosch motor repair. They have a full line of ebikes and are located in the Chicago Metro area as well. Looks like buying options are increasing at a rapid pace. Kudos!

 

[Bill R]

Hello Bill, I am the shop manager here at the Small Planet eBikes store in Dallas, and I am happy to inform you that we are open for business. The reason you stated that the shop looks abandoned is a mystery to me since an abandoned store would not have 30+ ebikes inside of it. We are terribly sorry we missed you yesterday, we had briefly stepped out to have lunch as most small businesses would do sometimes, and we left signage on our front doors to call and notify me if you needed us to rush back. we were having lunch in the area so it would have only taken us about 5 minutes to get back. Did you miss the signs and/or ebikes inside the store? We are not abandoned and are here to stay. Again I am terribly sorry we missed you.

Called the phone number on web site no answer. No "We will be back in... " sign like most business. No sign of having been open that day

 

[Bill R]

Time for me to sell Accell Group shares if in a 10 plus million population area dealer network is so weak only one guy who is out to lunch has your product that is bad news for investors. I will right up ebike investor report to to include some other publicly traded brands it looks like it will be bad news for ebike investor market as a whole.

 

[Sonoboy]

Time for me to sell Accell Group shares if in a 10 plus million population area dealer network is so weak only one guy who is out to lunch has your product that is bad news for investors. I will right up ebike investor report to to include some other publicly traded brands it looks like it will be bad news for ebike investor market as a whole.

Gee, Bill, don't be so harsh on an emerging industry and its vendors. I'm sure in the early days of the automobile industry, they could only afford to keep a limited number of models on the display floor, and with a limited number of employees would close up shop at lunch to grab a bite. Maybe they forgot the sign that day. Chill, dude.

 

[TrevorB]

When ebikes are x2-3 value of normal bike, that is lot capital sitting on shop floor especially for small business that is struggling
Ebikes are changing so quick that being stuck with too many of last years bikes could be expensive mistake.

 

[BernieS]

I live in a small town 40 miles south of Missoula, MT, which is a college town of about 100k population. When I was shopping for an ebike I found several at the Trek and Raleigh/Giant dealer in Missoula where I was able to try out bikes and talk with knowledgeable people. I did try the Specialized dealer but they refused to deal in ebikes and wouldn't even consider ordering me a Specialized ebike. I didn't try any of the other LBSs in Missoula. I ended up going to my Hamilton LBS, a Giant dealer, and they ordered me a Quick E+ which I had within about 5 days. I preferred dealing with an LBS that was 6 blocks away, despite their limited experience with ebikes, rather than one 40 miles away.

 

[Over50]

I know absolutely zero about bike shop economics so I write this with full acknowledgement that it may be ridiculous: but if a major metro area doesn't have any operator with sufficient capital to fully represent some of the major brands, I wonder if those brands could pool resources and set up their own retail outlet - maybe for a limited time until some dealers emerge. Imagine, just for example, Bulls, Haibike, Focus/Kalkhoff and Riese and Muller (all German I think) under one roof with all their bikes and sizes represented. Yes, I know they compete against each other but it might lead to more sales for each other over the long run. And might prove to be a magnet store for folks willing to drive in from other areas. If that is a really dumb idea, then dumb idea # 2 is that maybe the manufacturers need to provide some startup/seed money or work better deals with some local dealers such that the latter can fully represent the brand by stocking all their bikes and sizes for demos.

 

[rich c]

Gee, Bill, don't be so harsh on an emerging industry and its vendors. I'm sure in the early days of the automobile industry, they could only afford to keep a limited number of models on the display floor, and with a limited number of employees would close up shop at lunch to grab a bite. Maybe they forgot the sign that day. Chill, dude.

Hell, as late as the early 1970 it was very common to order your car at the dealers. Maybe one or two cars of each model were at the dealer. It was as simple as not liking he color and you had to order one around here.