Meet the Magnum Peak....I mean Amego Elevate

[Barry S]

Just finished watching Court's review of the Amego Elevate and I really like the bike. Now, tell me this isn't the Magnum Peak before they switched to the 8Fun motor. What's really cool is that Amego is also selling this bike via Amazon and only charging $4.99 to ship to Hawaii. See my Amazon cart below:

 

[Trail Cruiser]

It looks like the Amego brand is a Canadian counterpart of the Magnum. The only difference is It doesn't have the local dealer / shop in the US to honor any warranty related issues.

Magnum has a dealer in Hawaii:
Ride Smart Maui
3600 Lower Honoapiilani Rd
Lahaina HI 96761
United States
Phone: (808) 633-8553
Email: [email protected]
https://www.magnumbikes.com/store-locator/

 

[Barry S]

It looks like the Amego brand is a Canadian counterpart of the Magnum. The only difference is It doesn't have the local dealer / shop in the US to honor any warranty related issues

Well, that would explain it. Any idea how responsive they are handling warranty issues for online sales assuming they're the Seller? Unfortunately, that dealer is on a different island. I'm on O'ahu.

 

[Trail Cruiser]

The displays are different but both use Dast-kit.

The chain ring teeth count are also different.

Elevate: Shimano, 170 mm Length, 28-38-48T
Peak: Shimano 170 mm Length, 28-33-42T

The Amego is the highway cruiser between the 2.

And the colors are different.

Other than those, it looks like both share the same components.

 

[milliamp]

Before Vitalik Buterin created Ethereum he published articles for a Bitcoin blog and was brought on as co-founder and writer for Bitcoin Magazine. In reviewing and writing about cryptocurrencies he learned enough eabout them and their shortcomings to understand how to create a better version.

Eric from Luna bicycles was a founder of electricbike.com and learned enough as a hobbyist to start his own ebike company and use that knowledge to build custom Luna creations.

Tora from Juiced Bikes converted a bike with a kit and realized there were a lot of things to improve and set out to do it. He studied mechanical and aerospace engineering at princeton and speaks chinese which is useful because he works closely with chinese manufacturers to design parts and fix problems.

I think if I were creating an ebike company I would hire someone like Court to help with design decisions and tradeoffs because he has seen and reviewed so many ebikes he could probably design one that's not half bad.

Virginia Block (Amego founder) was working for an investment firm and she was tasked with evaluating a business plan for an electric motorcycle company in Switzerland. Doing due diligence on the potential electric motorcycle startup she met suppliers and learned a lot about the industry. They didn't fund the electric motorcycle company but she decided to launch her own ebike company in North America after realizing the opportunity.

So Virginia was a business major that didn't really have much experience in bikes or ebikes before becoming the CEO of an eBike company. I recognize CEO's require a lot of skills and being an engineer is only sort of one of them. It's probably more important in a small company than in a large one where more of that role is delegated. But being more of Eric or Tora type of person myself I probably have more bias towards those sorts of people to run an eBike company because they have a lot of experience with..... actually building bicycles.

I would say that if I were betting money Amego would not be where I would currently place my bet. I don't want to offer up criticism that is not constructive so my advice to Virginia would be to roll up her sleeves and spend more time in the shop fixing bikes and getting deeply involved in the technicals.

Do some DIY kits, rebuild some packs. Fix broken stuff that comes into the shop. Perhaps start a blog and write about eBikes, biking, and equipment. You'll learn as you go and get some exposure for your company in the process.

 

[Trail Cruiser]

So Virginia was a business major that didn't really have much experience in bikes or ebikes before becoming the CEO of an eBike company. I recognize CEO's require a lot of skills and being an engineer is only sort of one of them. It's probably more important in a small company than in a large one where more of that role is delegated. But being more of Eric or Tora type of person myself I probably have more bias towards those sorts of people to run an eBike company because they have a lot of experience with..... actually building bicycles.

She has "less" mechanical / technical knowhow on the product but from what I get on the interviews from Court, she is actually an ebike enthusiast. And being educated in business does not hurt either, in fact her business is expanding from Canada to the US. Now if she can only have authorized dealers/shops to handle the warranty issues then her business will be very strong in the US.

Oh wait, isn't Magnum doing that kind of business strategy already?
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865677408/Magnum-e-bikes-establish-foothold-in-Utah.html

 

[MisterM]

Before Vitalik Buterin created Ethereum he published articles for a Bitcoin blog and was brought on as co-founder and writer for Bitcoin Magazine. In reviewing and writing about cryptocurrencies he learned enough eabout them and their shortcomings to understand how to create a better version.

Eric from Luna bicycles was a founder of electricbike.com and learned enough as a hobbyist to start his own ebike company and use that knowledge to build custom Luna creations.

Tora from Juiced Bikes converted a bike with a kit and realized there were a lot of things to improve and set out to do it. He studied mechanical and aerospace engineering at princeton and speaks chinese which is useful because he works closely with chinese manufacturers to design parts and fix problems.

I think if I were creating an ebike company I would hire someone like Court to help with design decisions and tradeoffs because he has seen and reviewed so many ebikes he could probably design one that's not half bad.

Virginia Block (Amego founder) was working for an investment firm and she was tasked with evaluating a business plan for an electric motorcycle company in Switzerland. Doing due diligence on the potential electric motorcycle startup she met suppliers and learned a lot about the industry. They didn't fund the electric motorcycle company but she decided to launch her own ebike company in North America after realizing the opportunity.

So Virginia was a business major that didn't really have much experience in bikes or ebikes before becoming the CEO of an eBike company. I recognize CEO's require a lot of skills and being an engineer is only sort of one of them. It's probably more important in a small company than in a large one where more of that role is delegated. But being more of Eric or Tora type of person myself I probably have more bias towards those sorts of people to run an eBike company because they have a lot of experience with..... actually building bicycles.

I would say that if I were betting money Amego would not be where I would currently place my bet. I don't want to offer up criticism that is not constructive so my advice to Virginia would be to roll up her sleeves and spend more time in the shop fixing bikes and getting deeply involved in the technicals.

Do some DIY kits, rebuild some packs. Fix broken stuff that comes into the shop. Perhaps start a blog and write about eBikes, biking, and equipment. You'll learn as you go and get some exposure for your company in the process.

My understanding is Virginia started out selling "e"scooters. Her "killer" idea was to slap on pedals to get around insurance/registration requirements (still sells them). Only later did she get into ebikes. I wish she would stop selling the scooters - they are antithetical to what ebikes are all about - nobody who buys escooters ever bothers to pedal, yet owners feel perfectly comfortable blasting down bike lanes and trails because they have "pedals"

 

[Epic Mike]

there are a few things that set the 2 bike aside the magnum peak has an updated trigger throttle now which makes the fully electric mode more comfortable as you do not need to extend your thumb out as far now and obviously the display. the magnum peak is also available in 2 sizes there is a 27.5in version and a 29er as well. not to mention magnum ships free in the united states and canada along with a few other countries that they are in.

 

[ROCebike]

Before Vitalik Buterin created Ethereum he published articles for a Bitcoin blog and was brought on as co-founder and writer for Bitcoin Magazine. In reviewing and writing about cryptocurrencies he learned enough eabout them and their shortcomings to understand how to create a better version.

Eric from Luna bicycles was a founder of electricbike.com and learned enough as a hobbyist to start his own ebike company and use that knowledge to build custom Luna creations.

Tora from Juiced Bikes converted a bike with a kit and realized there were a lot of things to improve and set out to do it. He studied mechanical and aerospace engineering at princeton and speaks chinese which is useful because he works closely with chinese manufacturers to design parts and fix problems.

I think if I were creating an ebike company I would hire someone like Court to help with design decisions and tradeoffs because he has seen and reviewed so many ebikes he could probably design one that's not half bad.

Virginia Block (Amego founder) was working for an investment firm and she was tasked with evaluating a business plan for an electric motorcycle company in Switzerland. Doing due diligence on the potential electric motorcycle startup she met suppliers and learned a lot about the industry. They didn't fund the electric motorcycle company but she decided to launch her own ebike company in North America after realizing the opportunity.

So Virginia was a business major that didn't really have much experience in bikes or ebikes before becoming the CEO of an eBike company. I recognize CEO's require a lot of skills and being an engineer is only sort of one of them. It's probably more important in a small company than in a large one where more of that role is delegated. But being more of Eric or Tora type of person myself I probably have more bias towards those sorts of people to run an eBike company because they have a lot of experience with..... actually building bicycles.

I would say that if I were betting money Amego would not be where I would currently place my bet. I don't want to offer up criticism that is not constructive so my advice to Virginia would be to roll up her sleeves and spend more time in the shop fixing bikes and getting deeply involved in the technicals.

Do some DIY kits, rebuild some packs. Fix broken stuff that comes into the shop. Perhaps start a blog and write about eBikes, biking, and equipment. You'll learn as you go and get some exposure for your company in the process.

 

[ROCebike]

I've met Virginia a couple of times. She's definitely got game and is a delightful person and great businesswoman. I totally disagree with your assessment that owners have to be wrenches. Her shop has been around for years which is a testament to her business acumen. She's establishing a dealer program for the brand as seen in courts videos. In a world of disappearing IBS, you need good business skills and hire good people. She's done both. I wouldn't hesitate buying from her, online or in store. BtW check out her prices on Stromers. A testament to her background and negotiating skills with the Swiss.

As for Tora, yes I have a lot of respect for him as a designer and engineer. But from a business perspective, he needs a lot more help. Just look at his forums and website comments. He needs Quality Control, Supply Chain Management and CSR's, badly. It's great to watch his videos, but stock outs and very long delays while sitting on a float from customers is no way to run a business. He's good but he can't be a 'one armed paper hanger' for long. He's also trying to sell through dealers now.

I remember an old TV show, maybe Michael Moore (or similar) who would interview CEO's. He'd ask Bill Gates to format a floppy disk on camera, Bill Ford to do an oil change, etc. Is this what you're looking for as a measure of leadership and business management?

If there's any doubt, I'd recommend that you support a dedicated ebike store. They may not have your Perfect ebike, but you'll be taken care of by experts who will provide great customer service. Yes it'll cost more than the online guy. But totally worth building a relationship with them. Regular bike shops are trying,but in my experience they often don't get it with ebikes since their regular spandex customers aren't that interested in this technology.