ShareRoller - Quick and Dirty Electric Bikes

[Lares1090b]

I'm inclined to think that's not the problem since this is not his first rodeo ;-). Not only did he bring his first version of SR to conclusion and deliver it, but he also is the inventor of Bromfoot, a brompton accessory, which has provided him with experience in developing, marketing, and delivering product. I think this would be absolutely true for inventors new to this process - I've even crowdfunded some that have failed because of this lack of experience.

Honest question... are you friend's with Jeff or associated with him in any way?

 

[miro]

Honest question... are you friend's with Jeff or associated with him in any way?

Come on, Lares, come to your senses

 

[Lares1090b]

So it is and was about money rather than product changes and supplier delays? So Jeff has been lying all this time?

The dozens of messages from Jeff over the years have all--every one--blamed the delays on new or changed features and/or supplier delay.

Are you are saying Jeff's real problem is he can't buy the parts and/or can't pay to have them assembled and/or can't afford to ship the finished product?

Hard to believe.

I'd say that I feel like we've been on the verge of a product launch for so long now that at some point it feels like "supplier delays" might not be the whole story. Jeff might not be lying, but seeing as he's a private start-up, he's under no obligation to share his financials... and who knows how healthy they are.

I believe that he has a sincere desire to get his product to market and has worked really hard to make a great device, I'm just saying that money makes the world go round and perhaps he's short in that realm despite his best intentions.

 

[Lin B]

Honest question... are you friend's with Jeff or associated with him in any way?

Nope. I have just followed the project since the first iteration (and missed a chance to buy in), then was lucky enough to replace a backer on this current version. Never met the guy, but before I bought in on his project I did some online research to see what his track record was. I've been burned on crowdfunding enough, lol. I'm 69 years old, live in California, and his solution is perfect for me - two bikes, and I can't lift much more than 30 lbs. With his unit in my backpack, I can still carry my bike up into Bart and I can put it on either bike depending on need. I'm also on bikeforums a lot and have followed the Helix, which is going as long as SR, and think in both cases that our patience will be rewarded - eventually. Btw, if you've followed, he won a grant from some industry group. And I don't think he would have rented a new space if he was still tight on $.

 

[Allie Miller]

When is the last time that Jeff kept his word regarding a deliverable to the Indiegogo backers? Never? Does sending out emails count?

Jeff, the back half of January has come and gone (as have so, so many of your promises). STOP putting out fake dates or guesses as to when something might happen. Wait until it happens and THEN deliver the news.

 

[Lin B]

Well, Jeff's website just changed from 4-6 weeks delivery to 3-4 weeks delivery. No idea what that means, but I hope it means he got the stuff from China he was waiting on....and he got some bikes out to NY folks and had some feedback. A status update would be very well received at this time =).

 

[miro]

Well, Jeff's website just changed from 4-6 weeks delivery to 3-4 weeks delivery. No idea what that means, but I hope it means he got the stuff from China he was waiting on....and he got some bikes out to NY folks and had some feedback. A status update would be very well received at this time =).

You are quite right: that means he received some stock. Next week is going to be excited, few of days patience and we will be jumping from joy.

 

[Lin B]

New update: batteries received! Some outsourcing on 3d printing processes. Looking very good for early backers to receive in March. I'm #38, can't wait.

 

[Nirmala]

And another update from Jeff:


Hello ShareRoller Indiegogo backer:

Good news: At long last we've received the first batch of battery packs and chargers. Our supplier managed to deliver a partial shipment prior to the Chinese New Year shutdown, and we now have 100 battery packs and chargers in stock and ready to ship and they look great. We expect to receive the next batch in another month. Here are some photos of the first batch in our space - after over two years of development and enormous amounts of engineering time and cost, we're incredibly excited to finally have them here!

Sorting out our 3D-printed plastics has taken us a lot longer than planned however. While our in-house Stratasys Fortus FDM 3D printer has been great for development and prototyping (it's ultra-fast for small builds and has phenomenal accuracy), the surface finish and part strength isn't quite good enough for production (we had to sand and paint all the parts used in our photoshoot). And the next step up machines approach $1 million in cost, so we have no choice but to outsource. As a result, we've tested multiple suppliers for both traditional SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) and the newest HP MJF (Multi-Jet Fusion) parts over the past several months. Btw, if you're not familiar with the latest HP MJF printers, do take a look as it's absolutely incredible tech:

We've been through multiple rounds of production samples and revisions with multiple suppliers, and had to push hard to get both the part accuracy and surface finish (and price!) that we required. Let's just say our vendors probably have us in the PITA customer category at this point. However, we've finally arrived at a fantastic solution with a US-based MJF part manufacturer that happens to be the biggest in the world. The parts are incredibly strong and have an amazing finish called Carbonite that has a quasi-titanium color. Here’s a pic of an unassembled OneMotor with Carbonite MJF samples showing how it looks with the black battery packs and blue motor belt - it really makes for a stunning combo!

We validated final MJF production samples early this week and the supplier is now starting off with volume runs – they’re scheduled to get us our first production shipment next week, with subsequent batches following every week or two.

So we will begin final assembly next week once we receive the production MJF parts and then the only remaining ‘formality’ is our FCC certification, which is now scheduled for Wed 2/20. Thus, everything’s finally coming into place and we hope to start deliveries of the first few units the week of 2/25 or 3/4. As we mentioned before, production will ramp slowly so it will take 2-3 months before we can ship all units, however we're going to do all we can to ensure everyone receives their OneMotor by Spring.

Oh, and one other bit of news – we’ve recently developed a new mount for high-end road bikes, but it will fit any bike with external cup threaded bottom brackets (like Shimano Hollowtech) including mountain bikes. Here’s how it looks on a carbon fiber road bike we have in-house – really glad we were able to fit such a space-constrained platform! So if you happen to have a compatible road or mountain bike, perhaps something to think about…

Once your order is within a week of shipment, we will send out the Invoice for any additional funds from the Google Form accessories update. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out with any further questions.

Thank you again for your patience and support.


Jeff Guida & The ShareRoller Team

 

[dermbrian]

And another update from Jeff:


Hello ShareRoller Indiegogo backer:

Good news: At long last we've received the first batch of battery packs and chargers. Our supplier managed to deliver a partial shipment prior to the Chinese New Year shutdown, and we now have 100 battery packs and chargers in stock and ready to ship and they look great. We expect to receive the next batch in another month. Here are some photos of the first batch in our space - after over two years of development and enormous amounts of engineering time and cost, we're incredibly excited to finally have them here!

Sorting out our 3D-printed plastics has taken us a lot longer than planned however. While our in-house Stratasys Fortus FDM 3D printer has been great for development and prototyping (it's ultra-fast for small builds and has phenomenal accuracy), the surface finish and part strength isn't quite good enough for production (we had to sand and paint all the parts used in our photoshoot). And the next step up machines approach $1 million in cost, so we have no choice but to outsource. As a result, we've tested multiple suppliers for both traditional SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) and the newest HP MJF (Multi-Jet Fusion) parts over the past several months. Btw, if you're not familiar with the latest HP MJF printers, do take a look as it's absolutely incredible tech:

We've been through multiple rounds of production samples and revisions with multiple suppliers, and had to push hard to get both the part accuracy and surface finish (and price!) that we required. Let's just say our vendors probably have us in the PITA customer category at this point. However, we've finally arrived at a fantastic solution with a US-based MJF part manufacturer that happens to be the biggest in the world. The parts are incredibly strong and have an amazing finish called Carbonite that has a quasi-titanium color. Here’s a pic of an unassembled OneMotor with Carbonite MJF samples showing how it looks with the black battery packs and blue motor belt - it really makes for a stunning combo!

We validated final MJF production samples early this week and the supplier is now starting off with volume runs – they’re scheduled to get us our first production shipment next week, with subsequent batches following every week or two.

So we will begin final assembly next week once we receive the production MJF parts and then the only remaining ‘formality’ is our FCC certification, which is now scheduled for Wed 2/20. Thus, everything’s finally coming into place and we hope to start deliveries of the first few units the week of 2/25 or 3/4. As we mentioned before, production will ramp slowly so it will take 2-3 months before we can ship all units, however we're going to do all we can to ensure everyone receives their OneMotor by Spring.

Oh, and one other bit of news – we’ve recently developed a new mount for high-end road bikes, but it will fit any bike with external cup threaded bottom brackets (like Shimano Hollowtech) including mountain bikes. Here’s how it looks on a carbon fiber road bike we have in-house – really glad we were able to fit such a space-constrained platform! So if you happen to have a compatible road or mountain bike, perhaps something to think about…

Once your order is within a week of shipment, we will send out the Invoice for any additional funds from the Google Form accessories update. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out with any further questions.

Thank you again for your patience and support.


Jeff Guida & The ShareRoller Team

So how does Onemotor reconcile saying that it will be 2 to 3 months before all units ship in this update while their website for new orders states “
Limited Early Availability
Ships in 3-4 Weeks”

 

[Nirmala]

So how does Onemotor reconcile saying that it will be 2 to 3 months before all units ship in this update while their website for new orders states “
Limited Early Availability
Ships in 3-4 Weeks”

I would not give any credence to any of their shipping predictions or promises at this point.

 

[Lin B]

As far as I recall, there were around 250 IGG orders. It appears Jeff has around 100 batteries now, and I assume timing on the remainder of deliveries will depend on timing of receipt of the remaining batteries. In any case, I'm not going to get excited until I receive my invoice which I think will be in March but might not be until April. Whatever, we've waited so long a few months is nothing. Looks like Helix will start to ship in March as well but has been taking pre-orders as well, and those won't be fully fulfilled for a couple months either. Common story with crowdfunding + pre-orders.

 

[AndrewF]

Hello. Just introducing myself as I am new to the Forum. I am a backer of Shareroller/OneMotor. Despite the continuing frustration of many backers, I have always been very optimistic about getting it and using it. I am hugely impressed, with the precision and innovation with which this new version has been developed, even if that is one of the reasons that everyone has had to live with delays. I am nothing to do with the developers other than being a supporter and enthusiast for the concept. I am based in Berlin and London, and am keen to use it in conjunction with rail and (with a folding bike) bus travel, as a low cost transport solution (running costs and ecology wise). I am also a fan of Brompton folding bikes and am following their move into an electric version.
Thanks to all Forum users contributions which are very helpful.
AndrewF

 

[Lin B]

Hello. Just introducing myself as I am new to the Forum. I am a backer of Shareroller/OneMotor. Despite the continuing frustration of many backers, I have always been very optimistic about getting it and using it. I am hugely impressed, with the precision and innovation with which this new version has been developed, even if that is one of the reasons that everyone has had to live with delays. I am nothing to do with the developers other than being a supporter and enthusiast for the concept. I am based in Berlin and London, and am keen to use it in conjunction with rail and (with a folding bike) bus travel, as a low cost transport solution (running costs and ecology wise). I am also a fan of Brompton folding bikes and am following their move into an electric version.
Thanks to all Forum users contributions which are very helpful.
AndrewF

Hi Andrew, I am backer #38 and also a folding bike rider. I have a Bike Friday Pakit and a Dahon Mu Uno and I plan to use it with both bikes. I also have had faith that Jeff would deliver, and that the product would be exceptional in part due to his obsessiveness, lol. Looks like we are getting close to finding out for sure =). I'll be interested to hear how it works on your Brommie.

 

[AndrewF]

Thanks Lin B. I am looking forward to taking a folding bike and onemotor unit on the train from London to Paris, then hopping by bus with it to Berlin via stopovers to see friends

 

[miro]

Thanks Lin B. I am looking forward to taking a folding bike and onemotor unit on the train from London to Paris, then hopping by bus with it to Berlin via stopovers to see friends

Hi Andrew, have you got Brommie yet? Get T bag, it's great, good luck

 

[Lares1090b]

This looks like good news. I'm excited to see some real world reviews.

I'd surmise that the two to three month window for IGG backers vs 3 to 4 weeks for someone ordering from the site is because he needs to actually get some revenue coming in to fulfill the IGG orders. It's sort of like the Tesla model if you will. A bunch of people plopped down a deposit for the Model 3, but those paying more for upgrades are all getting their cars first. So while people ordering now aren't necessarily paying more for a better version, they're also not signing up for the same rollercoaster that IGG backers have tacitly committed to.

If I were a backer, I'd also follow up with Jeff to see how that FCC certification went (was supposed to be yesterday) to find out if there were any surprises.

This thread turns five years old on March 10th I noticed, so here's hoping a product launch is imminent. If the reviews are good and shipping is ongoing, I wouldn't rule out a purchase for summer, especially if he sells it on Amazon where there's a little more in the way of customer protection.

 

[harryS]

FCC Certification? I used to manage that for my company many years ago. I surmise that would be for the charger. I would have procured an off-the-shelf charger. Saved money and time. Also, too many design changes. Sounds like a hobby, not a business.

 

[Lin B]

FCC Certification? I used to manage that for my company many years ago. I surmise that would be for the charger. I would have procured an off-the-shelf charger. Saved money and time. Also, too many design changes. Sounds like a hobby, not a business.

I thought FCC meant certification for more than the battery...I went back in the updates and found this: " UN38.3 testing for the Packs and FCC testing for the full device".

 

[Lares1090b]

I thought FCC meant certification for more than the battery...I went back in the updates and found this: " UN38.3 testing for the Packs and FCC testing for the full device".

I was also thinking the radios in any of the wireless components, be it the PAS sensor or throttle. I'm guessing that those would use Bluetooth or some kind of authorized standard.