Serial 1 Announcement Discussion

[Gmanx]

You can test ride a bike for free. When I test rode two bikes, they didn't care how long I was gone. They even suggested I call ahead of time to make sure they had a full battery ready for me. It isn't hard to get hands on a bike to test ride.

 

[theemartymac]

You can test ride a bike for free. When I test rode two bikes, they didn't care how long I was gone. They even suggested I call ahead of time to make sure they had a full battery ready for me. It isn't hard to get hands on a bike to test ride.

I think the point was that it costs the site/company money to pay an employee time and travel to do the review, so the common business model was to have the manufacturer pay a review fee and/or sponsor the review with at least in-kind considerations, and setup/delivery of the bike with a representative (or via an authorized retailer).

And I know the secret-shopper testing model is quite often not supported by the target industry, as they can't have a rep there to help manage any problems or correct any assumptions, etc. If they know you're doing a review, they can make sure the bike is new, set up properly, clean and ready for promo, with answers to your questions, as opposed to just grabbing a beater out of the demo or rental fleet at a random shop. If the industry doesn't support your business model, it can be tough to get access to information, new product, and the people who will fully support your media requests, inquiries, and articles. Some sites make a living with the unsponsored candid review model, but as a guy who likes to consume those types of reviews, I do see reviewer mistakes and unfair situations pop up that can hurt a brand unduly.

I think Court and the gang do a pretty good job of providing thorough reviews that are fair, and while polite and courteous to the supplier, not completely slave to the manufacturers press machine either. There are plenty of amateur reviewers blogging on YouTube if you want a coarse review.

 

[Gmanx]

Consumer reports has been very successful and has earned their trust by not being beholden to the very people making the thing to provide them with the thing to review.

Part of the challenge is, those who make money off of reviewing things want to keep getting free things so they don't say things that would prevent that.

What i'm saying is, your argument doesn't hold water and there are great examples of that

 

[theemartymac]

Consumer reports has been very successful and has earned their trust by not being beholden to the very people making the thing to provide them with the thing to review.

Part of the challenge is, those who make money off of reviewing things want to keep getting free things so they don't say things that would prevent that.

What I'm saying is, your argument doesn't hold water and there are great examples of that

That model only works at scale. Consumer reports is a gigantic subscription-model magazine and website, with additional revenue from grants/contracts and other funding streams. They almost certainly didn't start out that way either, and had to build themselves up over years to a point where they could start charging for their product. This is a small, free, 'startup' website, and I don't want to pay subscription fees. EBR Makes it's money off of me and you by hosting ads on the site/social media platforms, and Court's YouTube videos, etc. That is a pittance of revenue until this site starts pushing many millions of views a month. They have to get there somehow...

This is the way the sector works. Most small builders have to pay for access to reviews and media (cash, or in-kind effort) until they are large enough to grab the attention of the big players like consumer reports or other industry-specific publications. Event then, many if not most publications expect the brand to provide a free sample product, complete with shipping costs covered, etc. before they will review it (in-kind considerations). And for the big publications, there is no guarantee they will even review that product due to staff capacity to actually conduct, edit, and publish the reviews. A smaller manufacturer can't afford to spam the media world with free product on the hope and prayer that a few of them bite and conduct an 'independent' review. The other method is traditional advertising and fully paid promotion, and we all know what a stereotypical infomercial looks like - and give them very little trust as a result. The fee-for-service or sponsored review model is very prominent in the media world right now, where you pay a fee to cover the 3rd-party reviewers costs, and are allowed limited or no control over their final publication. The independent reviewer is the one who manages their own reputation, and the shills are uncovered quickly. They do have to avoid becoming a total pariah in the meantime however, if they hope to be welcomed into the space with access and support.

An honestly, an e-bike specific site like this is probably never going to grow large enough to reach that kind of critical mass anyway. It is just too specific and limited of a target audience.

 

[Gmanx]

lots of excuses for them not doing something they already do and can do for free. its ok if you like the site and want to explain away, it just doesn't hold water. We are talking about harley davidson.

I'm sure there is probably a harley davidson dealer nearby that could be used and those folks have been super friendly when chatting them up. It doesn't bother me, as this site does cater to the more tinker/engineer types.

Based on the type of bikes and the quality of bikes, there really isn't a good reason not to include them if they wanted to. Its clear this site, and others, don't see serial 1 as a serious ebike company and its clear they haven't taken the time to ride one.

 

[RMK!]

I like and trust the EBR reviews. They are always content rich and break the bikes down component wise. They also mention that they charge a fee to cover costs to do the reviews. I believe that Serial 1 would really benefit by having EBR review at least one of the Rush City models. I also believe Serial 1 wouldn't mind paying a fee. I think it's just making the 2 parties aware of each other to get it done.

 

[RMK!]

If you go to the Serial 1 website the dealer locator will let you know where the nearest test ride opportunity is for you. If you go to a Harley Davidson Dealer I wouldn't expect them to know much about the bikes even if they have a demo or 2. After reading about it here, I found the Serial 1 bikes in stock at a very reputable Bicycle Shop with 2 stores near me. I went there and did a quick test ride and based upon a $1000 Black Friday discount that was expiring that night I placed an order. 24 hours before that, I didn't even know the bikes existed. The quick test ride and the fact that they had my required size (XL) in-stock at that discount price made my impluse buy a no-brainer.

I have only grown to appreciate this bike more and I ride it several times per week. My other regular ride ebike is a full suspension, dual battery Riese & Muller that retails for 2X + the price of the Serial 1. They are very different bikes, used for different riding purposes and I'm a big fan of both. I've owned a lot of ebikes and for the first time I have zero interest in upgrading or trying out other brands. I have a Tesla Model Y and there are many misconceptions about those vehicles but I tell people to just go drive one. Tesla makes this very easy and I was sold after the first test drive. The Serial 1 is very much like that. It's a game changer ebike riding experience. Go ride one, I think you'll like it ...

 

[Gmanx]

Musk is a douche bag, but i get the reference. I would think Apple would be a more apropos comparison.

Agree, its certainly not a gravel bike, eMTB, etc, but there are hardly one size fits all bikes. I just wish Serial 1 would make all styles of bikes because their attention to detail and ability to create a great riding experience makes them part of a select few (in my opinion) in the industry to have nailed it.

I would love them to have a 'platform' to build a wide variety of ebikes from that would create a broader ecosystem and post sale marketplace. That would be where a harley davidson co location would be useful, as I agree, the harley guys aren't much help.

Serial 1's distribution has gotten way better, they are in Best Buy now!

 

[RMK!]

Just got off the phone with Serial 1 Tech Support. The new Serial 1 App that I received an email notification on this morning is lacking any/all the features I hoped to have in my late 2021 Model Rush City Speed. For 2021 purchasers all this App will give you is a google maps feature and already exists on your phone e.g. nothing useful.

You can download the app now, but it will not report any ride data on non-2022 model Serial 1 bikes. This is hugely disappointing and I hope all of you Serial 1 owners let them know how problematic this type of short sighted product development is and blaming the issue on Brose is not an appropriate answer.

This is my first negative experience with Serial 1 but it is a very BIG negative.

 

[Gmanx]

Yeah, i wish it did too or they would offer a significant discount for us early adopters. Its their business, and they will make choices for them. I look at it as, it wasn't something that was on the feature list when I made the purchase, so I can't really hold them accountable. Totally hear you on late 2021 purchase (same). On the flip, I wouldn't have made the plunge for the second purchase without the $1,000.

 

[RMK!]

Yeah, i wish it did too or they would offer a significant discount for us early adopters. Its their business, and they will make choices for them. I look at it as, it wasn't something that was on the feature list when I made the purchase, so I can't really hold them accountable. Totally hear you on late 2021 purchase (same). On the flip, I wouldn't have made the plunge for the second purchase without the $1,000.

I contacted them on the day I purchased, before I purchased, specifically about my concerns about the Enviolo APP for the bike and they said they were developing an APP of their own and although lacking specific details, it was in development and would be available "soon". They forgot to mention that the APP in development would only work with a new model also in development.

I still like the bike but I'm very unhappy with the way they handled the APP creation and release. It was at best disingenuous to not state what I'm sure they knew at the time which is that the APP would not work with the existing Models. That information would have been material in my purchase decision making.