Review: My OneMotor drive (formerly Shareroller)

[miro]

Thank you. If I am guilty of anything, it's being optimistic and hoping for the best for all the backers. There's a part of me that STILL hopes/thinks Jeff will eventually send them all out. I hope so, I really do. A little part of my remaining faith in humanity will disappear if he doesn't. It IS a good product and I hope the folks who paid up front all get to find that out for themselves. Grace/Jeff, if you read this, please respond to folks.

I've got no doubt in my mind Jeff is going to fulfil his obligations. At the moment we don't know exactly what's going on, this COVID19 has put the entire humanity upside-down, it's hard to accept the reality, only the wise ones manage the patience

 

[jur]

Jeff has posted an update. Basically due to Covid, backer rewards are postponed indefinitely. Jeff fully intends to deliver every last one but no time scale forecast is possible. I accept this - we don't know how the pandemic situation will turn out. I hope things will improve but it is becoming obvious not in 2020.

No further details here, as the more detailed update is for backers only.

 

[Lin B]

Jeff has posted an update. Basically due to Covid, backer rewards are postponed indefinitely. Jeff fully intends to deliver every last one but no time scale forecast is possible. I accept this - we don't know how the pandemic situation will turn out. I hope things will improve but it is becoming obvious not in 2020.

No further details here, as the more detailed update is for backers only.

I was sent a copy of the update by Grace and I'm super happy to hear they responded to backers. Between Covid and tariffs and everything else, so many businesses are struggling. I hope with my whole
being that they are able to hang in there and move forward next year. It's a very good product and the backers
hopefully will get to experience it. I wish they had the budget to really advertise this product as, right now with Covid, buying bikes is difficult since everything is sold out, and folks could easily convert their existing bikes to use instead of risking public transportation. I haven't felt comfortable taking transit since Covid - I've biked longer distances than usual to avoid it. Having my motor has made that possible. If folks knew there was an easy to install/use sytem out there for any bike, OM sales would jump and backers would get delivery sooner.
Thanks for the news, Jur.

 

[joen]

As an original backer, it's hard to state how disappointed I am with the never ending delays. Next month, it will be 5 years since I joined the campaign. I backed it because I have a brompton and there are no easy solutions for adding e-assist. Now we're told to tout this product even as we're told to wait for fulfillment. Also, not finding sufficient video reviews does not inspire a whole lot of confidence. Not sure why they don't make one available to electricbikereview for a review so that they can increase their visibility. They did in 2014 when he was working on the prototype.

Here is the latest update from Jeff:

Hello ShareRoller Indiegogo backer:

We sincerely hope this email finds you well in this challenging period.

First off, we absolutely need to apologize for the long gap in communication on our end. Even though these are unprecedented times, 8 months is far too long to go without an Update and we are very sorry that it slipped for that long.

Since we last wrote in January, we've faced significant challenges and uncertainty as a result of the Covid-19 epidemic. First, our suppliers in China failed to restart March 1st as expected, which left us short of key part inventory for months. Then by late March, our US and EU suppliers were hit with the same shutdowns and delays, and eventually even our in-house operations had to be curtailed. At the same time, new orders all but dried up for several months as lockdowns swept the country.

With the economic cost and disruptions of the March-May period, it then became clear that our downtown NYC location was no longer viable. Not only was it quite expensive, but we weren't even able to see customers in person, meet with press, or host investor meetings. Plus, the safety of the ShareRoller team was at heightened risk in an office location, and after all, who wants to wear a mask riding to work...

So we began the long process of relocating company operations to a lower-cost facility far outside the urban environment. And unfortunately, that consumed our entire summer and shut down production for well over a month. Moving a hardware manufacturing operation is a pretty massive task, especially when dealing with PCB manufacturing equipment and a 3D printer that weighs 1,500lbs…

But at long last we are finally back up and running, in rural New Jersey amidst mountain trails and fresh air. We have cut our overhead costs dramatically, yet we have much more space for design and manufacturing, and a great environment for continuing R&D. We hope to share pictures of our new setup soon.

Unfortunately, the combined dislocation of Covid shutdowns and a company move have set us back quite a bit on our Indiegogo Perk fulfillment plans. Both orders and production year-to-date have been far below our outlook in January, and as a result we have made disappointing progress on shipping Indiegogo Perks. This has also left us with extremely limited reserves to fund production of Indiegogo units.

So we must continue to rely on new order growth to fulfill Indiegogo Perks. We realize how frustrating it must be to see new customers receiving OneMotors before yourselves, after all you were our first supporters and absolutely deserve your units first. And if we were in your shoes, that is exactly what we would expect. But much as it pains us to do so, we have no choice but to ship new Orders as they come in, and utilize the profits from those sales to fund production of Indiegogo units. We promise you that we will not take a single dollar of profit out of the Company until every last Indiegogo Perk has been fulfilled.

As for when you can expect to receive your Indiegogo Perk, well that unfortunately depends on how fast our new orders progress. After the shutdowns this Spring, we have seen modest recovery in orders, but volume is still barely above breakeven levels, which leaves us very little profit to allocate to Indiegogo unit production. If our monthly new orders grow however, that can change quickly as since we're covering overhead at current volumes, all gross profit of incremental units will go to production of Indiegogo units. So, fingers crossed that monthly sales continue to grow, and grow FAST!

We'd really like to promise that we'll get through every Indiegogo Perk before the end of the year, but we simply don't have enough visibility on new orders to predict that with confidence. So all we can say is that we will do everything that we can to get through the Indiegogo backlog as quickly as possible and reiterate that every dollar of new order profits will go towards building and shipping IGG Backer units. And in the meantime, we will be sure to do a much better job on the communication front!

We are sorry that we do not have better news to share, but we remain committed to fulfilling every last Indiegogo Perk as soon as we can, no matter how long it takes us.

Jeff Guida & The ShareRoller Team

 

[miro]

As an original backer, it's hard to state how disappointed I am with the never ending delays. Next month, it will be 5 years since I joined the campaign. I backed it because I have a brompton and there are no easy solutions for adding e-assist. Now we're told to tout this product even as we're told to wait for fulfillment. Also, not finding sufficient video reviews does not inspire a whole lot of confidence. Not sure why they don't make one available to electricbikereview for a review so that they can increase their visibility. They did in 2014 when he was working on the prototype.

Here is the latest update from Jeff:

Hello ShareRoller Indiegogo backer:

We sincerely hope this email finds you well in this challenging period.

First off, we absolutely need to apologize for the long gap in communication on our end. Even though these are unprecedented times, 8 months is far too long to go without an Update and we are very sorry that it slipped for that long.

Since we last wrote in January, we've faced significant challenges and uncertainty as a result of the Covid-19 epidemic. First, our suppliers in China failed to restart March 1st as expected, which left us short of key part inventory for months. Then by late March, our US and EU suppliers were hit with the same shutdowns and delays, and eventually even our in-house operations had to be curtailed. At the same time, new orders all but dried up for several months as lockdowns swept the country.

With the economic cost and disruptions of the March-May period, it then became clear that our downtown NYC location was no longer viable. Not only was it quite expensive, but we weren't even able to see customers in person, meet with press, or host investor meetings. Plus, the safety of the ShareRoller team was at heightened risk in an office location, and after all, who wants to wear a mask riding to work...

So we began the long process of relocating company operations to a lower-cost facility far outside the urban environment. And unfortunately, that consumed our entire summer and shut down production for well over a month. Moving a hardware manufacturing operation is a pretty massive task, especially when dealing with PCB manufacturing equipment and a 3D printer that weighs 1,500lbs…

But at long last we are finally back up and running, in rural New Jersey amidst mountain trails and fresh air. We have cut our overhead costs dramatically, yet we have much more space for design and manufacturing, and a great environment for continuing R&D. We hope to share pictures of our new setup soon.

Unfortunately, the combined dislocation of Covid shutdowns and a company move have set us back quite a bit on our Indiegogo Perk fulfillment plans. Both orders and production year-to-date have been far below our outlook in January, and as a result we have made disappointing progress on shipping Indiegogo Perks. This has also left us with extremely limited reserves to fund production of Indiegogo units.

So we must continue to rely on new order growth to fulfill Indiegogo Perks. We realize how frustrating it must be to see new customers receiving OneMotors before yourselves, after all you were our first supporters and absolutely deserve your units first. And if we were in your shoes, that is exactly what we would expect. But much as it pains us to do so, we have no choice but to ship new Orders as they come in, and utilize the profits from those sales to fund production of Indiegogo units. We promise you that we will not take a single dollar of profit out of the Company until every last Indiegogo Perk has been fulfilled.

As for when you can expect to receive your Indiegogo Perk, well that unfortunately depends on how fast our new orders progress. After the shutdowns this Spring, we have seen modest recovery in orders, but volume is still barely above breakeven levels, which leaves us very little profit to allocate to Indiegogo unit production. If our monthly new orders grow however, that can change quickly as since we're covering overhead at current volumes, all gross profit of incremental units will go to production of Indiegogo units. So, fingers crossed that monthly sales continue to grow, and grow FAST!

We'd really like to promise that we'll get through every Indiegogo Perk before the end of the year, but we simply don't have enough visibility on new orders to predict that with confidence. So all we can say is that we will do everything that we can to get through the Indiegogo backlog as quickly as possible and reiterate that every dollar of new order profits will go towards building and shipping IGG Backer units. And in the meantime, we will be sure to do a much better job on the communication front!

We are sorry that we do not have better news to share, but we remain committed to fulfilling every last Indiegogo Perk as soon as we can, no matter how long it takes us.

Jeff Guida & The ShareRoller Team

As an original backer, it's hard to state how disappointed I am with the never ending delays. Next month, it will be 5 years since I joined the campaign. I backed it because I have a brompton and there are no easy solutions for adding e-assist. Now we're told to tout this product even as we're told to wait for fulfillment. Also, not finding sufficient video reviews does not inspire a whole lot of confidence. Not sure why they don't make one available to electricbikereview for a review so that they can increase their visibility. They did in 2014 when he was working on the prototype.

Here is the latest update from Jeff:

Hello ShareRoller Indiegogo backer:

We sincerely hope this email finds you well in this challenging period.

First off, we absolutely need to apologize for the long gap in communication on our end. Even though these are unprecedented times, 8 months is far too long to go without an Update and we are very sorry that it slipped for that long.

Since we last wrote in January, we've faced significant challenges and uncertainty as a result of the Covid-19 epidemic. First, our suppliers in China failed to restart March 1st as expected, which left us short of key part inventory for months. Then by late March, our US and EU suppliers were hit with the same shutdowns and delays, and eventually even our in-house operations had to be curtailed. At the same time, new orders all but dried up for several months as lockdowns swept the country.

With the economic cost and disruptions of the March-May period, it then became clear that our downtown NYC location was no longer viable. Not only was it quite expensive, but we weren't even able to see customers in person, meet with press, or host investor meetings. Plus, the safety of the ShareRoller team was at heightened risk in an office location, and after all, who wants to wear a mask riding to work...

So we began the long process of relocating company operations to a lower-cost facility far outside the urban environment. And unfortunately, that consumed our entire summer and shut down production for well over a month. Moving a hardware manufacturing operation is a pretty massive task, especially when dealing with PCB manufacturing equipment and a 3D printer that weighs 1,500lbs…

But at long last we are finally back up and running, in rural New Jersey amidst mountain trails and fresh air. We have cut our overhead costs dramatically, yet we have much more space for design and manufacturing, and a great environment for continuing R&D. We hope to share pictures of our new setup soon.

Unfortunately, the combined dislocation of Covid shutdowns and a company move have set us back quite a bit on our Indiegogo Perk fulfillment plans. Both orders and production year-to-date have been far below our outlook in January, and as a result we have made disappointing progress on shipping Indiegogo Perks. This has also left us with extremely limited reserves to fund production of Indiegogo units.

So we must continue to rely on new order growth to fulfill Indiegogo Perks. We realize how frustrating it must be to see new customers receiving OneMotors before yourselves, after all you were our first supporters and absolutely deserve your units first. And if we were in your shoes, that is exactly what we would expect. But much as it pains us to do so, we have no choice but to ship new Orders as they come in, and utilize the profits from those sales to fund production of Indiegogo units. We promise you that we will not take a single dollar of profit out of the Company until every last Indiegogo Perk has been fulfilled.

As for when you can expect to receive your Indiegogo Perk, well that unfortunately depends on how fast our new orders progress. After the shutdowns this Spring, we have seen modest recovery in orders, but volume is still barely above breakeven levels, which leaves us very little profit to allocate to Indiegogo unit production. If our monthly new orders grow however, that can change quickly as since we're covering overhead at current volumes, all gross profit of incremental units will go to production of Indiegogo units. So, fingers crossed that monthly sales continue to grow, and grow FAST!

We'd really like to promise that we'll get through every Indiegogo Perk before the end of the year, but we simply don't have enough visibility on new orders to predict that with confidence. So all we can say is that we will do everything that we can to get through the Indiegogo backlog as quickly as possible and reiterate that every dollar of new order profits will go towards building and shipping IGG Backer units. And in the meantime, we will be sure to do a much better job on the communication front!

We are sorry that we do not have better news to share, but we remain committed to fulfilling every last Indiegogo Perk as soon as we can, no matter how long it takes us.

Jeff Guida & The ShareRoller Team

As an original backer, it's hard to state how disappointed I am with the never ending delays. Next month, it will be 5 years since I joined the campaign. I backed it because I have a brompton and there are no easy solutions for adding e-assist. Now we're told to tout this product even as we're told to wait for fulfillment. Also, not finding sufficient video reviews does not inspire a whole lot of confidence. Not sure why they don't make one available to electricbikereview for a review so that they can increase their visibility. They did in 2014 when he was working on the prototype.

Here is the latest update from Jeff:

Hello ShareRoller Indiegogo backer:

We sincerely hope this email finds you well in this challenging period.

First off, we absolutely need to apologize for the long gap in communication on our end. Even though these are unprecedented times, 8 months is far too long to go without an Update and we are very sorry that it slipped for that long.

Since we last wrote in January, we've faced significant challenges and uncertainty as a result of the Covid-19 epidemic. First, our suppliers in China failed to restart March 1st as expected, which left us short of key part inventory for months. Then by late March, our US and EU suppliers were hit with the same shutdowns and delays, and eventually even our in-house operations had to be curtailed. At the same time, new orders all but dried up for several months as lockdowns swept the country.

With the economic cost and disruptions of the March-May period, it then became clear that our downtown NYC location was no longer viable. Not only was it quite expensive, but we weren't even able to see customers in person, meet with press, or host investor meetings. Plus, the safety of the ShareRoller team was at heightened risk in an office location, and after all, who wants to wear a mask riding to work...

So we began the long process of relocating company operations to a lower-cost facility far outside the urban environment. And unfortunately, that consumed our entire summer and shut down production for well over a month. Moving a hardware manufacturing operation is a pretty massive task, especially when dealing with PCB manufacturing equipment and a 3D printer that weighs 1,500lbs…

But at long last we are finally back up and running, in rural New Jersey amidst mountain trails and fresh air. We have cut our overhead costs dramatically, yet we have much more space for design and manufacturing, and a great environment for continuing R&D. We hope to share pictures of our new setup soon.

Unfortunately, the combined dislocation of Covid shutdowns and a company move have set us back quite a bit on our Indiegogo Perk fulfillment plans. Both orders and production year-to-date have been far below our outlook in January, and as a result we have made disappointing progress on shipping Indiegogo Perks. This has also left us with extremely limited reserves to fund production of Indiegogo units.

So we must continue to rely on new order growth to fulfill Indiegogo Perks. We realize how frustrating it must be to see new customers receiving OneMotors before yourselves, after all you were our first supporters and absolutely deserve your units first. And if we were in your shoes, that is exactly what we would expect. But much as it pains us to do so, we have no choice but to ship new Orders as they come in, and utilize the profits from those sales to fund production of Indiegogo units. We promise you that we will not take a single dollar of profit out of the Company until every last Indiegogo Perk has been fulfilled.

As for when you can expect to receive your Indiegogo Perk, well that unfortunately depends on how fast our new orders progress. After the shutdowns this Spring, we have seen modest recovery in orders, but volume is still barely above breakeven levels, which leaves us very little profit to allocate to Indiegogo unit production. If our monthly new orders grow however, that can change quickly as since we're covering overhead at current volumes, all gross profit of incremental units will go to production of Indiegogo units. So, fingers crossed that monthly sales continue to grow, and grow FAST!

We'd really like to promise that we'll get through every Indiegogo Perk before the end of the year, but we simply don't have enough visibility on new orders to predict that with confidence. So all we can say is that we will do everything that we can to get through the Indiegogo backlog as quickly as possible and reiterate that every dollar of new order profits will go towards building and shipping IGG Backer units. And in the meantime, we will be sure to do a much better job on the communication front!

We are sorry that we do not have better news to share, but we remain committed to fulfilling every last Indiegogo Perk as soon as we can, no matter how long it takes us.

Jeff Guida & The ShareRoller Team

The bottom line is :
The business world has entered the business rescue state. The big shots are bailed out by the state, the small companies survival depends on the support from the individuals. The quality of our lives depends on the business survival, small and big. If we fail in support of the small business, we failed in supporting ourselves.

 

[Lin B]

As an original backer, it's hard to state how disappointed I am with the never ending delays. Next month, it will be 5 years since I joined the campaign. I backed it because I have a brompton and there are no easy solutions for adding e-assist. Now we're told to tout this product even as we're told to wait for fulfillment. Also, not finding sufficient video reviews does not inspire a whole lot of confidence. Not sure why they don't make one available to electricbikereview for a review so that they can increase their visibility. They did in 2014 when he was working on the prototype.

Here is the latest update from Jeff:

Hello ShareRoller Indiegogo backer:

We sincerely hope this email finds you well in this challenging period.

First off, we absolutely need to apologize for the long gap in communication on our end. Even though these are unprecedented times, 8 months is far too long to go without an Update and we are very sorry that it slipped for that long.

Since we last wrote in January, we've faced significant challenges and uncertainty as a result of the Covid-19 epidemic. First, our suppliers in China failed to restart March 1st as expected, which left us short of key part inventory for months. Then by late March, our US and EU suppliers were hit with the same shutdowns and delays, and eventually even our in-house operations had to be curtailed. At the same time, new orders all but dried up for several months as lockdowns swept the country.

With the economic cost and disruptions of the March-May period, it then became clear that our downtown NYC location was no longer viable. Not only was it quite expensive, but we weren't even able to see customers in person, meet with press, or host investor meetings. Plus, the safety of the ShareRoller team was at heightened risk in an office location, and after all, who wants to wear a mask riding to work...

So we began the long process of relocating company operations to a lower-cost facility far outside the urban environment. And unfortunately, that consumed our entire summer and shut down production for well over a month. Moving a hardware manufacturing operation is a pretty massive task, especially when dealing with PCB manufacturing equipment and a 3D printer that weighs 1,500lbs…

But at long last we are finally back up and running, in rural New Jersey amidst mountain trails and fresh air. We have cut our overhead costs dramatically, yet we have much more space for design and manufacturing, and a great environment for continuing R&D. We hope to share pictures of our new setup soon.

Unfortunately, the combined dislocation of Covid shutdowns and a company move have set us back quite a bit on our Indiegogo Perk fulfillment plans. Both orders and production year-to-date have been far below our outlook in January, and as a result we have made disappointing progress on shipping Indiegogo Perks. This has also left us with extremely limited reserves to fund production of Indiegogo units.

So we must continue to rely on new order growth to fulfill Indiegogo Perks. We realize how frustrating it must be to see new customers receiving OneMotors before yourselves, after all you were our first supporters and absolutely deserve your units first. And if we were in your shoes, that is exactly what we would expect. But much as it pains us to do so, we have no choice but to ship new Orders as they come in, and utilize the profits from those sales to fund production of Indiegogo units. We promise you that we will not take a single dollar of profit out of the Company until every last Indiegogo Perk has been fulfilled.

As for when you can expect to receive your Indiegogo Perk, well that unfortunately depends on how fast our new orders progress. After the shutdowns this Spring, we have seen modest recovery in orders, but volume is still barely above breakeven levels, which leaves us very little profit to allocate to Indiegogo unit production. If our monthly new orders grow however, that can change quickly as since we're covering overhead at current volumes, all gross profit of incremental units will go to production of Indiegogo units. So, fingers crossed that monthly sales continue to grow, and grow FAST!

We'd really like to promise that we'll get through every Indiegogo Perk before the end of the year, but we simply don't have enough visibility on new orders to predict that with confidence. So all we can say is that we will do everything that we can to get through the Indiegogo backlog as quickly as possible and reiterate that every dollar of new order profits will go towards building and shipping IGG Backer units. And in the meantime, we will be sure to do a much better job on the communication front!

We are sorry that we do not have better news to share, but we remain committed to fulfilling every last Indiegogo Perk as soon as we can, no matter how long it takes us.

Jeff Guida & The ShareRoller Team

You may not be aware that EBR has changed it's model and now charges for reviews. I know Jeff has tried to get Electrek to review, but since every unit he sends out for review is a unit not sold and one not delivered to a backer, it's a challenging scenario. No one is telling you to "tout this product". Not sure where you got that. The fact that sales need to happen before backer deliveries can happen is not the same as asking you to recommend something you haven't used. It's just a financial fact. I wish he had an advertising budget, OM needs one, but that would take $ away from getting product out which is clearly his first financial priority.

I certainly get your frustration. I have backed crowd-funded projects that took years and in one rather expensive case, the developer just took the money and stopped delivering, responding, and screwed everyone over (Urbanext). And in one case, the developer disappeared for over a year, stopped responding, and then came back a year later and shipped (Sehen) because they were actually honest people but hit snags they simply didn't anticipate. I nearly backed one project (Helix bike) but didn't have the $ at the time, some of those folks are still waiting and it's been years. Again, none of this makes it easier to accept or deal with. I just think sometimes people don't understand that crowdfunding is not the same as buying retail - we are NOT guaranteed anything. We get a big discount to pay up front for someone to try to develop a cool product but crowdfunding does not guarantee delivery. It's gambling, period. And you should never gamble with money you can't afford to lose. So when a crowdfunded project runs into trouble and takes years, if the developer actually sticks it out and keeps trying to deliver, I find that pretty impressive. Because I've seen so many take the easy way out and just take the $ and disappear.

I hope you get your OM at some point and that you're pleased with it.

 

[joen]

You may not be aware that EBR has changed it's model and now charges for reviews. I know Jeff has tried to get Electrek to review, but since every unit he sends out for review is a unit not sold and one not delivered to a backer, it's a challenging scenario. No one is telling you to "tout this product". Not sure where you got that. The fact that sales need to happen before backer deliveries can happen is not the same as asking you to recommend something you haven't used. It's just a financial fact. I wish he had an advertising budget, OM needs one, but that would take $ away from getting product out which is clearly his first financial priority.

I certainly get your frustration. I have backed crowd-funded projects that took years and in one rather expensive case, the developer just took the money and stopped delivering, responding, and screwed everyone over (Urbanext). And in one case, the developer disappeared for over a year, stopped responding, and then came back a year later and shipped (Sehen) because they were actually honest people but hit snags they simply didn't anticipate. I nearly backed one project (Helix bike) but didn't have the $ at the time, some of those folks are still waiting and it's been years. Again, none of this makes it easier to accept or deal with. I just think sometimes people don't understand that crowdfunding is not the same as buying retail - we are NOT guaranteed anything. We get a big discount to pay up front for someone to try to develop a cool product but crowdfunding does not guarantee delivery. It's gambling, period. And you should never gamble with money you can't afford to lose. So when a crowdfunded project runs into trouble and takes years, if the developer actually sticks it out and keeps trying to deliver, I find that pretty impressive. Because I've seen so many take the easy way out and just take the $ and disappear.

I hope you get your OM at some point and that you're pleased with it.

I hope so as well and I appreciate the reviews you have been posting about it. Whenever I inquired on the status of the product, Grace would mention to me to tell my friends about onemotor. Hard for me to mention it to my friends and colleagues when I have no hands on experience with it. Grace has been responsive and I'm sure they're working as hard as they can to fulfill the orders. My problem is the lack of communication and/or getting everyone's hopes up only to endure another delay. It would certainly be helpful if they were able to communicate how many orders remain to be filled in each update. This way we would be able to track the progress and not get excited with anticipation with each email.

 

[Lin B]

I hope so as well and I appreciate the reviews you have been posting about it. Whenever I inquired on the status of the product, Grace would mention to me to tell my friends about onemotor. Hard for me to mention it to my friends and colleagues when I have no hands on experience with it. Grace has been responsive and I'm sure they're working as hard as they can to fulfill the orders. My problem is the lack of communication and/or getting everyone's hopes up only to endure another delay. It would certainly be helpful if they were able to communicate how many orders remain to be filled in each update. This way we would be able to track the progress and not get excited with anticipation with each email.

I guess it's hard to encourage people to get something you haven't tested personally, I understand. However, we all buy things based on reviews and not first hand experience. I've never used it on a Brompton, so if someone with a Brommie asks me I point them to the review here on EBR by the guy who has a Brompton. You mentioned wanting videos - I'm hardly a video guru, but if there's a particular thing you want to see I'm happy to try to film it for you. I have posted some little clips here on attaching/detaching and road noise. Miro who posts here uses it on a Brompton so if you have Brommie specific questions, he's a good source, don't know if he is up for making videos, though.

 

[joen]

I'm already an indiegogo backer and if I wasn't, there's enough info out there for me to justify the purchase. It's a niche product and usually video reviews generate more interest in the product since people can see how it performs. As an example, I heard about comma two and openpilot for level two driving. Did some research and found lots of youtube videos about it. Based on the video demonstrations and it's compatibility with my car, I made the purchase and don't regret it. If I wasn't able to find enough information about the product, I doubt I would have made the purchase. Just saying with more reviews and especially video reviews/demonstrations, it may move that one person who may be on the fence about onemotor.

 

[Lin B]

I'm already an indiegogo backer and if I wasn't, there's enough info out there for me to justify the purchase. It's a niche product and usually video reviews generate more interest in the product since people can see how it performs. As an example, I heard about comma two and openpilot for level two driving. Did some research and found lots of youtube videos about it. Based on the video demonstrations and it's compatibility with my car, I made the purchase and don't regret it. If I wasn't able to find enough information about the product, I doubt I would have made the purchase. Just saying with more reviews and especially video reviews/demonstrations, it may move that one person who may be on the fence about onemotor.

You're right. But again, I think it takes $ to do that (professionally at least) and Jeff is trying to put every cent into product delivery. I am suprised that folks who have already received OMs have not posted more videos - seems like everyone posts videos of every little thing these days, lol. I own a Bike Friday and BF owners have posted tons of videos. Maybe OM users are just too busy riding or with life, I guess. Maybe Jeff could offer a discount on future accessories if people post a video on youtube, but then again, someone would probably think that's a conflict of interest or whatever. I don't know how you motivate people to video.

 

[Lin B]

MIRO, who owns an OM, is unable to post here right now for some technical reason. He emailed me the following and asked that I post it for him.

"Since you're interested in the tests on the brake-regeneration I want to tell you that this part of the OM system is outstanding. Excellent features. I just can congratulate Jeff for such an achievement. I can't post it on EBR forum as for some reason they again banned me. Or the thread is closed? If it's still alive, if you wish, you can post the subject as you heard from me, of course in a form tailored by yourself. The public should be made aware of such a product.

I chose a short closed testing loop of the streets in my area sloping on the hillside with elevation difference of 60 ft, the loop length approximately 1 mile, the grade max 6%. By riding in comfort PAS 1, EU mode I achieved just above 50 km in one battery charge (not in one go, but in several rides). Isn't that fantastic? Don't get misled, it's not thanks to the already degrading battery status, but entirely due to the exceptional design of the regen circuit.

As I'm interested in roaming cycling I searched the optimum battery charge at which the charging/assistance operation is most efficient. Result : 80%.

All the above is a sort of a "laboratory" setup, therefore I'm planning a lengthy trip to test the OM regeneration on the real country roads. Then and only then I can conclude if a roaming with OM over the wide area without an awkward battery charger is feasible. I hope this won't damage the battery neither the motor. But I take chance.

Now, over to less complimenting issues. The PAS battery chosen for OM is a sort of disgrace. In altogether relative short riding period of time I'm running through the 3rd one which I already must charge after 2-4 hours of operation. I could possibly find one on Internet but how to specify the plug? And I'm embarrassed to ask Grace all the time for the battery. Anyway this is not the solution, we must be able to find the right supplier. Do you perhaps know one?"

My response was to point out you can charge the PAS from the mains battery by USB or also take along those cell phone power packs as another option. Would be cool if one could figure out a way to run a short cable from the mains battery to the PAS which wouldn't interfere with the crank turning as that would totally solve the problem. Yes, the PAS battery is very tiny as it has to be to fit in the unit.

 

[alohacrusin]

Hi Lin, i know it has been a while...but wondering how your unit is doing now that it is about 1.5 yrs old?

Any cons that you have discovered?

Also, how has the grip of the unit aged?
Being that it is a synthetic compound, at some point it will wear down....

Also, have you ridden with it assiting you in the rain?

and thank you for for the review. Very hard to find anything about this product. still havent found a youtube video other than the one you gave above! He is estimating shipping out in a week now so that is good.

Thank you

 

[Lin B]

Hi Lin, i know it has been a while...but wondering how your unit is doing now that it is about 1.5 yrs old?

Any cons that you have discovered?

Also, how has the grip of the unit aged?
Being that it is a synthetic compound, at some point it will wear down....

Also, have you ridden with it assiting you in the rain?

and thank you for for the review. Very hard to find anything about this product. still havent found a youtube video other than the one you gave above! He is estimating shipping out in a week now so that is good.

Thank you

Hi. Well I just recently had to put in new batteries for both the PAS and throttle controllers - Jeff has them available. I was bit dismayed that the PAS just up and quit with no warning so I wasn't thinking to get a new battery in advance. I could see where that would be a complete bummer if you were touring or something. In my case, since the throttle controller still had juice (bigger battery) I re-read the instructions and was able to use it on the "always detract" mode with boost until the new batteries arrived. I also purchased a new belt, but I have not yet installed it. My current belt is not totally worn, but mostly I'm a bit nervous about the replacement process. I would not describe myself as super mechanical, just average, and there is one screw with a locknut that Grace said can be a challenge. So I will put that off until I have no choice, lol.

I live in Ca. so riding in the rain is not something I really encounter. I have ridden post-rain and the unit has definitely gotten wet from splashing and I've not noticed anything different - but I can't say what would happen if you were riding in a real downpour. And if I am lucky I will never find out, either! Since it never rains nonstop here, and I can usually get out if I wait a day or two at most, I mostly prefer to avoid the wet. As to the motor battery, it has also lost some capacity over time, but I'd say I'm still getting 18+ miles on PAS1. I'm pretty impressed with it actually. It used to charge to 50.5 when new and now stops at 50.3. So I'd give an A- to the motor battery.

Jeff knows the PAS and controller batteries are too small and don't last long enough; hopefully he'll come up with some other options. I personally would be fine with those CR batteries in the PAS unit if possible as you can buy them anywhere - but they aren't rechargeable and not great environmentally. Not sure what the solution is to keep the units small but the charge bigger. I'm going to assume my usage is fairly consistent and just order new ones about a year from now, so there's no down time. Jeff doesn't charge for the little controller batteries, just for the shipping cost. The new belt was around fifty bucks I think.
Hope this helps, glad to answer any other questions. Let us know when yours arrives and how it's going....

 

[alohacrusin]

Hi. Well I just recently had to put in new batteries for both the PAS and throttle controllers - Jeff has them available. I was bit dismayed that the PAS just up and quit with no warning so I wasn't thinking to get a new battery in advance. I could see where that would be a complete bummer if you were touring or something. In my case, since the throttle controller still had juice (bigger battery) I re-read the instructions and was able to use it on the "always detract" mode with boost until the new batteries arrived. I also purchased a new belt, but I have not yet installed it. My current belt is not totally worn, but mostly I'm a bit nervous about the replacement process. I would not describe myself as super mechanical, just average, and there is one screw with a locknut that Grace said can be a challenge. So I will put that off until I have no choice, lol.

I live in Ca. so riding in the rain is not something I really encounter. I have ridden post-rain and the unit has definitely gotten wet from splashing and I've not noticed anything different - but I can't say what would happen if you were riding in a real downpour. And if I am lucky I will never find out, either! Since it never rains nonstop here, and I can usually get out if I wait a day or two at most, I mostly prefer to avoid the wet. As to the motor battery, it has also lost some capacity over time, but I'd say I'm still getting 18+ miles on PAS1. I'm pretty impressed with it actually. It used to charge to 50.5 when new and now stops at 50.3. So I'd give an A- to the motor battery.

Jeff knows the PAS and controller batteries are too small and don't last long enough; hopefully he'll come up with some other options. I personally would be fine with those CR batteries in the PAS unit if possible as you can buy them anywhere - but they aren't rechargeable and not great environmentally. Not sure what the solution is to keep the units small but the charge bigger. I'm going to assume my usage is fairly consistent and just order new ones about a year from now, so there's no down time. Jeff doesn't charge for the little controller batteries, just for the shipping cost. The new belt was around fifty bucks I think.
Hope this helps, glad to answer any other questions. Let us know when yours arrives and how it's going....

hmm hadnt thought about battery replacement. Glad it is replaceable. Actually, I would prefer a wired version of the OM to minimize such issues. Little more cumbersome but I wouldn't mind. I just read your waterproofing Alps test - answers my rain ? (as well as the gentaman in UK who also confirmed). Hopefully, should handle a rainforest level downpour (or not... ) I might find out... As for battery replacement, i wonder if that is soemthing OM team could offer as a small service. They might be too busy building full kits. The product sounds great and your detailed logs have helped me gain a more realistic perspective than a simple one-off review. I just emailed them a couple of ?'s. I am definitely leaning towards this product. your logs are a big reason for this as you've mentioned they do not have resources to market it and reviews are limited.

The real question is that as you might be emotionally attached to the OM, have you given it a name yet?

Thank you again!

 

[Lin B]

hmm hadnt thought about battery replacement. Glad it is replaceable. Actually, I would prefer a wired version of the OM to minimize such issues. Little more cumbersome but I wouldn't mind. I just read your waterproofing Alps test - answers my rain ? (as well as the gentaman in UK who also confirmed). Hopefully, should handle a rainforest level downpour (or not... ) I might find out... As for battery replacement, i wonder if that is soemthing OM team could offer as a small service. They might be too busy building full kits. The product sounds great and your detailed logs have helped me gain a more realistic perspective than a simple one-off review. I just emailed them a couple of ?'s. I am definitely leaning towards this product. your logs are a big reason for this as you've mentioned they do not have resources to market it and reviews are limited.

The real question is that as you might be emotionally attached to the OM, have you given it a name yet?

Thank you again!

The battery replacement is easy - I did have to buy the right size Torx driver though. Very fast and simple click in connections inside the units. When I get around to replacing the belt I will definitely post my experience. Yes, that is something Jeff could consider offering in the future but I think right now just getting units out to backers and buyers is pretty overwhelming. And it may not turn out to be as hard as I am imagining it. That's often the case, lol. I psych myself out. I do still enjoy my OM after all this time. As with any product, it has its quirks and there's an awful lot to learn in the beginning because it is so feature rich. I honestly doubt I'm using most of the capabilities.
No - it doesn't have a name. Neither do my bikes. Inanimate objects in my life only get one name...."that cursed damned XXXXXX" and OM hasn't fallen in that category so far, lol.

 

[alohacrusin]

The battery replacement is easy - I did have to buy the right size Torx driver though. Very fast and simple click in connections inside the units. When I get around to replacing the belt I will definitely post my experience. Yes, that is something Jeff could consider offering in the future but I think right now just getting units out to backers and buyers is pretty overwhelming. And it may not turn out to be as hard as I am imagining it. That's often the case, lol. I psych myself out. I do still enjoy my OM after all this time. As with any product, it has its quirks and there's an awful lot to learn in the beginning because it is so feature rich. I honestly doubt I'm using most of the capabilities.
No - it doesn't have a name. Neither do my bikes. Inanimate objects in my life only get one name...."that cursed damned XXXXXX" and OM hasn't fallen in that category so far, lol.

Again, I appreciate the helpful info.

I wish the OM site provided more details about the unit and all of its' components. It is detailed but certain omissions lead to frequently asked ?s would be my guess. i know they are small and busy making the units. And, yes you're right about all things have their pros/cons particularly true in the ebike realm.

It is helpful to learn that the OM unit is modular and features user replaceable parts such as the belt and batteries. Do you know the belt cost? estimating around 20-60USD.

Thank you again

 

[Lin B]

Again, I appreciate the helpful info.

I wish the OM site provided more details about the unit and all of its' components. It is detailed but certain omissions lead to frequently asked ?s would be my guess. i know they are small and busy making the units. And, yes you're right about all things have their pros/cons particularly true in the ebike realm.

It is helpful to learn that the OM unit is modular and features user replaceable parts such as the belt and batteries. Do you know the belt cost? estimating around 20-60USD.

Thank you again

 

[Lin B]

I think the belt is $45-50. Based on my usage (not daily) I'd say you probably get aroud 2 years of intermittent use so seems pretty reasonable.
If you use it every day and constantly, obviously you'd get less duration. There's also the tire wear to consider as a small expense. I would again estimate one extra tire in that 2 year period. My tires are $29 bucks so not a big deal at all. The wear is not substantial imo, but I do
find that having the motor installed directly above my rear brake requires me to clean the dust off the brake regularly to keep it working optimally. The dust mixed with moisture can make it a little harder to move the caliper. If you use the kickstand mount (my second bike uses
it) then there's absolutely no issues. On my Bike Friday, the OM is mounted about 6 inches above the rear brake so I still trying to figure out
if I can make some kind of dust guard for it. I do love the ability to move OM from one bike to the other so easily!!!

 

[alohacrusin]

Hi Lin,

I appreciate all of your help and the detailed information about your experiences with OM.

What is your average response time to hear from Jeff/Grace?

That being asked....unfortunately, you seem to be the only one who receives any reasonable communication from OM....From reading through the forums, I've noticed a pattern of this occurance. Still, I'm curious as to the answer for a general reference.

Just to clarify, I am not asking for you to contact OM on my behalf. That is not fair to you. And, if that is the only way to get a reply from OM, obviously that is not a good thing.

It has been a week without any reply from OM on multiple queries. I know it is only 2 people however other alternatives with small staffs have responded withihn a day to 2 days at most.Plus, their site does not allow adding of the kit to the cart leading me to believe that the site is not up to date with inventory and/or issues exist with site.

on paper the product sounds good but without reliable support and response time from them, I cannot consider giving them my money. Disappointing as I like the potential of the product. But, if/when issues occur I need to know that I will receive prompt (within reason) replies to minimize downtime of the product.

Thank you again for your help .

 

[Lin B]

Hi Lin,

I appreciate all of your help and the detailed information about your experiences with OM.

What is your average response time to hear from Jeff/Grace?

That being asked....unfortunately, you seem to be the only one who receives any reasonable communication from OM....From reading through the forums, I've noticed a pattern of this occurance. Still, I'm curious as to the answer for a general reference.

Just to clarify, I am not asking for you to contact OM on my behalf. That is not fair to you. And, if that is the only way to get a reply from OM, obviously that is not a good thing.

It has been a week without any reply from OM on multiple queries. I know it is only 2 people however other alternatives with small staffs have responded withihn a day to 2 days at most.Plus, their site does not allow adding of the kit to the cart leading me to believe that the site is not up to date with inventory and/or issues exist with site.

on paper the product sounds good but without reliable support and response time from them, I cannot consider giving them my money. Disappointing as I like the potential of the product. But, if/when issues occur I need to know that I will receive prompt (within reason) replies to minimize downtime of the product.

Thank you again for your help .

Sometimes it has taken a week or so to hear back. It is just the two of them (actually I think only Grace handles the communication so it's just one person). I'm not sure if they have other day jobs but that's entirely possible, as OM isn't producing enough to support two people AFAIK, yet. That's not to make excuses, I do think your expectations are reasonable. I think they spend a lot of time and effort chasing funding to keep OM alive. I hope you hear back soon. I've had to send emails more than once a few times (of course, partly my fault for using their old shareroller email not the new OM one, duh). But my dealings with them have left me with a certainty that I will always get support, even if it is not quite as quickly as I might like. And I've also had to deal with some off-shore companies for a previous e-assist purchase which was TRULY a nightmare, so I know what really bad service is, lol. I hope they get back to you soon and clear up any misgivings you have.