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

[Gogogordy]

The unfortunate reality is that with a long declining range of brick and mortar shops selling "everything" for our beloved internet, no new, burgeoning technology, product or retail presence will likely gain a foothold standalone these days. Business is (always has been) tough enough and is compounded with people being able to buy anything a to z online.

That said, I recently bought my first ebike (a pair of them actually...his-n-hers) and despite having a pre-disposition for buying a particular model from a large, well-known brand with a great reputation for customer service online learned about during my online discovery process, the lack of being able to test, touch, feel and evaluate locally conveniently BEFORE buying delayed me pulling that trigger, and pointed me in a different direction.

So, a local-ish to me LBS had an open house, which we attended, and where met the shop owner, his wife and his son and of course the people behind many brands of ebike, and their products he invited there to display. Real people, running real businesses, establishing relationships to their prospects and their customers. Person to person....the old school way.

The result of that was us purchasing 2 bikes which had not crossed our radar previously. And a new trusted LBS to be our "guru" and go-to for personal support of the products he sells. The bikes we are happy with, and we are glad to be able to have patronized a "local" bike shop, and help support the family who owns it.

Even in this age of internet commerce and a global economy , it's still my preference to "buy locally" when possible, and establish relationships with local merchants who provide value to my purchase, and not just "the product".

 

[Jk512]

This is a pretty interesting thread. I guess it really depends on your location. I live in orange county, CA and just made the comment to myself, last weekend, wow there are a lot of electric bike sellers dealers. Seems like most bike stores in the area have at least a few electric bikes for sale. I was talking to a pure electric bike shop owner and he said his business has really started to explode in the last year... same with where I got my ebike. It's basically 30% ebikes on the floor.

A lot of it may have to do with the weather, biking culture, median income, annoyance of driving, etc. But I was almost thinking about looking into ebike companies to invest in haha. But this thread has been pretty eye opening.

 

[JohnT]

This is a pretty interesting thread. I guess it really depends on your location. I live in orange county, CA and just made the comment to myself, last weekend, wow there are a lot of electric bike sellers dealers..

Yes, in SoCal, we have a lot of stores compared to the rest of the country. Orange County is where Pedego corporate HQ is located, so we have a lot of stores there. Pedego is the biggest ebike company in the US, and our model is dedicated stores, but even at 130 (or something like that) of us and growing, there are many areas we’re not in. I say “we”, but my wife and I own just one store, as with most Pedego stores.

I think brick-and-mortar is important for ebikes. Despite Court’s great efforts, I’m sure most of you would agree that you don’t really know how an ebike feels until you ride one and that they can feel drastically different from each other. I can’t tell you how often someone has come into my store with an idea of which bike will be right for them and has changed their mind after riding a few different models. I’m not saying online buyers don’t pick great bikes, but riding first helps people decide which great bike is the right one for them.

 

[Jk512]

One thing that is causing quite a bit of confusion for potential buyers are the laws. There's way too much ambiguity in where and where they can't be ridden. To the point, I think store owners haven't been the most forthcoming on this issue. When I was looking into buying a bike, the majority of store owners pretty much said class 1 bikes can go anywhere regular bikes can go. Now that I own one and did my own digging, that's not close to being true. Example being, just found OC Parks has an ordnance banning e-bikes on the bike paths. Sounds like that rule will change eventually but it is somewhat annoying having to verify rules town by town. Mountain bike trails are even more contentious...

 

[JohnT]

When I was looking into buying a bike, the majority of store owners pretty much said class 1 bikes can go anywhere regular bikes can go. Now that I own one and did my own digging, that's not close to being true.

I genuinely believe that Class 1 and Class 2 ebikes can be ridden almost everywhere a non-electric can in California. There are exceptions, of course, but not many that I’ve heard of.

I went to the OC Parks website and checked the rules pages for about a half dozen parks and saw only one that prohibited ebikes. Granted, I didn’t check them all, but one out of six isn’t bad. Maybe some haven’t updated the site. But you’re right that parks are treated differently from most roads and bike paths, where the new rules apply.

Regarding Class 1 being allowed everywhere non-electrics are, but not Class 2, there are people fighting for that, or something similar, but it’s not a thing yet. I’ve heard that people near us are saying it, too, and it’s just not true. I haven’t heard of anywhere where Class 1 are allowed, and Class 2 are prohibited. I’m not saying it isn’t true somewhere in the US, but I’m sure it’s not common.

 

[Curt Gerston]

As some have said, it really must be a regional thing: I'm in Seattle, and after reading other's input, I feel like I'm in an e-bike rich area. We have (at least) three full e-bike only shops. And we have (at least) two local manufacturers (Rad and Evelo), so I guess that helps. Several of the local "regular" bike stores have at least a sampling of decent e-bikes (though a few still don't), including the Trek shop which has all of their recent models, with salesmen who like them and ride them. It's mind-boggling to me that (as someone reported) a Specialized shop wouldn't even order a Specialized e-bike in their community. That's crazy.
Maybe it's all the caffeine we're on, but Seattle's a great place to explore e-bikes. I had a lot of fun trying a bunch out this spring before buying my first one.

 

[Jk512]

As some have said, it really must be a regional thing: I'm in Seattle, and after reading other's input, I feel like I'm in an e-bike rich area. We have (at least) three full e-bike only shops. And we have (at least) two local manufacturers (Rad and Evelo), so I guess that helps. Several of the local "regular" bike stores have at least a sampling of decent e-bikes (though a few still don't), including the Trek shop which has all of their recent models, with salesmen who like them and ride them. It's mind-boggling to me that (as someone reported) a Specialized shop wouldn't even order a Specialized e-bike in their community. That's crazy.
Maybe it's all the caffeine we're on, but Seattle's a great place to explore e-bikes. I had a lot of fun trying a bunch out this spring before buying my first one.

I think the key question is: was that specialized shop rejecting a levo or vado? From reading mountain bike forums, emtb are basically the spawn of Satan. You actually have some shop owners posting on there they won't carry them. Interestingly most are for other types of ebikes used for cruising or paths. Just stay off the trails is the message I got.

Funny you mentioned Seattle. Somebody on the mtbr forum was citing Seattle as an location where the us forest service has straight out come out and said ebikes are motorized vehicles and therefore banned from their lands. Including ada usage...Which was surprising.

It seems like after calling some national parks and local parks...Prob officially considered motorized vehicles but if you aren't obnoxious about it, they won't fine you for being on a path. (That's the feeling I got from talking to Yosemite and oc parks) there is also hope they are revisiting the definition. But for now they are motorized vehicles.

As for mountain bike trails, prob run into more problems from hardcore bikers than rangers.

 

[Curt Gerston]

Yeah that is interesting, and a little frustrating...I’d like more access without concern for annoying the powers-that-be. I did a lot of riding this summer with an emtb, most of it on forest service roads (no issue obviously) and several mtb trails put in unofficially by locals on forest service land that, I guess, is ignored and/or tolerated by the USFS. So again, I guess not really an issue. I tried not to draw attention to myself, but I’m looking forward to a time when I don’t have to feel like I’m trying to ride under the radar. Meanwhile, I’ve found that not only the state, but the local cities and counties all have different rules for trail riding...I can’t ride in King County parks (Seattle) but I can in Pierce County (Tacoma). So I’ve tried to abide by that...with a few early morning exceptions ;-)

Most of those bike stores I mentioned are selling urban/leisure/comfort/hybrid e-bikes, and Seattle seems to be fine with that...WA state is essentially following CA's rules on classifications, though I don’t think it’s been as officially codified into our laws yet. At any rate, I don’t feel I have to hide what I’m doing while riding in the city streets, and most people are curious and friendly. Seeing more and more ebikes in Seattle. Feels like just a matter of time before they seem common here.

 

[Deleted member 4210]

I only go by what many customers tell me, and my own eyes when I have visited those places. I was only mentioning the few ebike shops in comparison to the plethora of bike shops here, ebike only shops are still very few and far between and this area is about the same situation as the guy who started this thread, so I was agreeing that what he is seeing is not unusual in this early stage of ebikes in the US. My shop is the only true e-bike only shop in a population and metro area of over 10 million people, so that's pretty slim pickings for would be ebikers. Nobody should have to drive 2 or 3 hours to another state. Nearly every one of my customers have told me they were glad to find my shop after searching the area over, and so visiting those places you mentioned that apparently didn't satisfy their needs in terms of appropriately available product, and I have heard many mentions by people who visit my store, at the other locations lack of expertise about their own product. In due time, more e-bike only shops will come on the scene, and I welcome more shops as it adds to the awareness and legitimacy of the e-bike category, ultimately taking it from a niche to more of a mainstream form of cycling. That's great for everyone. If my shop helps people get into it sooner, and more comfortable with their choices, and provides an education toward having fun on a great mobility platform, that's the reward in doing this.

 

[jj25]

Has anyone bought a ebike from onlinesportsbike.com or is it a scam

 

[MikeDD]

Yeah that is interesting, and a little frustrating...I’d like more access without concern for annoying the powers-that-be. I did a lot of riding this summer with an emtb, most of it on forest service roads (no issue obviously) and several mtb trails put in unofficially by locals on forest service land that, I guess, is ignored and/or tolerated by the USFS. So again, I guess not really an issue. I tried not to draw attention to myself, but I’m looking forward to a time when I don’t have to feel like I’m trying to ride under the radar. Meanwhile, I’ve found that not only the state, but the local cities and counties all have different rules for trail riding...I can’t ride in King County parks (Seattle) but I can in Pierce County (Tacoma). So I’ve tried to abide by that...with a few early morning exceptions ;-)

Most of those bike stores I mentioned are selling urban/leisure/comfort/hybrid e-bikes, and Seattle seems to be fine with that...WA state is essentially following CA's rules on classifications, though I don’t think it’s been as officially codified into our laws yet. At any rate, I don’t feel I have to hide what I’m doing while riding in the city streets, and most people are curious and friendly. Seeing more and more ebikes in Seattle. Feels like just a matter of time before they seem common here.

The confusion on Forest Service trails exists in eastern WA. My local bike shop (Wenatchee) said I could ride a Class I bike on any Forest Service trail. I stopped at the Forest Service office they are more confused than the bike shop. The person who said he knew about e bikes on non-motorized trails could not give me a clear answer. I suggested they do an internet search to read their own memos about areas that specifically restrict e bikes (Echo Ridge in Chelan).

The LBS just wants to sell bikes?

 

[Barry S]

When I resided in North Carolina, I would often go on a recreational ride on various Rails to Trails in VA and WV. Hoping to return soon, I decided to look up and see if ebikes were permitted on such trails and found an interesting article from the Rails to Trails Conservancy. Their position on Ebikes is as follows, "RTC supports the passage of model e-bike legislation developed by the bicycle industry. Our support is predicated on the need to more clearly define in law the distinctions between bicycles with motors and motorized vehicles. Motorized vehicles—with the exception of motorized wheelchairs and snowmobiles—have long been prohibited on certain federally funded trails. We continue to support this prohibition but do not believe the definition of “motorized vehicles” should be so broadly construed as to automatically prohibit the use of bicycles with electric motors."

Very encouraging. You can read their full statement here.

 

[elyhim]

When I resided in North Carolina, I would often go on a recreational ride on various Rails to Trails in VA and WV. Hoping to return soon, I decided to look up and see if ebikes were permitted on such trails and found an interesting article from the Rails to Trails Conservancy. Their position on Ebikes is as follows, "RTC supports the passage of model e-bike legislation developed by the bicycle industry. Our support is predicated on the need to more clearly define in law the distinctions between bicycles with motors and motorized vehicles. Motorized vehicles—with the exception of motorized wheelchairs and snowmobiles—have long been prohibited on certain federally funded trails. We continue to support this prohibition but do not believe the definition of “motorized vehicles” should be so broadly construed as to automatically prohibit the use of bicycles with electric motors."

Very encouraging. You can read their full statement here.

North Carolina state law defines class I pedelecs as bicycles. Do yourself a favor - don't ask, just ride. If you see a "no emtb" or "no ebike" sign then don't ride. If a someone asks you not to ride there - don't ride. It's what mtb'ers have always done. Don't make the mistake I made by asking for permission and it turning into a huge argument where people called up local areas to complain. Most of the trails - do not care they just don't want to deal with complaints that will hurt their donations.