Teo fat bike

Hello everyone. I have been following this thread for about 10 days or so and tonite I was hoping to be able to post a pic of my new Teo fat bike... However it is still sitting at the local UPS distribution center waiting for me to pick it up. They would have left it with the other two packages he delivered today but for some reason purolator has tagged on an extra $241.16 US cash on delivery charge. That came as a complete surprise since I thought I had already paid the cost of shipping from Montreal to my home in Idaho. Imagine my surprise and disappointment! I have emailed Benoit to see what knows about this surprise.

As it turns out, this is some sort import tax imposed by Uncle Sam... Benoit responded to query within a few hours with the information. I will share with the group my thoughts tomorrow, after I have a chance to pay for Mr. Trump's morning coffee, and can inbox my new bike.

Do you mind letting us know what the total cost of the Teo Fatbike ended up costing you with shipping, import taxes, etc. ? Thanks.
 
Hello all,

I will be glad to share everything about this experience as soon as I have the bike and documents in hand. That should be this evening right after work.

I looked at fat tire none-e-bikes in two local shops and the price was around $2500. I looked at a trek e-bike with 3 inch diameter tires, and that was priced at $3500 and a smaller battery. Even with this extra cost I expect my purchase to be well below $2000.00.

So the decision boils down to comparing the quality of the purchase vs. the total cost. If the quality is what has been described in this forum, then I may still be very happy with the purchase. So I suggest to anyone considering a similar purchase to give me a few days to report all of the details and then make an informed decision. Ignorance is our worst enemy. :)
 
Hello everyone. I have been following this thread for about 10 days or so and tonite I was hoping to be able to post a pic of my new Teo fat bike... However it is still sitting at the local UPS distribution center waiting for me to pick it up. They would have left it with the other two packages he delivered today but for some reason purolator has tagged on an extra $241.16 US cash on delivery charge. That came as a complete surprise since I thought I had already paid the cost of shipping from Montreal to my home in Idaho. Imagine my surprise and disappointment! I have emailed Benoit to see what knows about this surprise.

As it turns out, this is some sort import tax imposed by Uncle Sam... Benoit responded to query within a few hours with the information. I will share with the group my thoughts tomorrow, after I have a chance to pay for Mr. Trump's morning coffee, and can inbox my new bike.
Maybe it is not as bad as you think. As a Canadian, I'd have to pay 13% sales taxes even if I bought it locally. Did Benoit also charge you Canadian taxes already? If not, the US$241.16 extra is probably just U.S. tax and some Purolator fees. Just a thought.
 
Hello all,

I will be glad to share everything about this experience as soon as I have the bike and documents in hand. That should be this evening right after work.

I looked at fat tire none-e-bikes in two local shops and the price was around $2500. I looked at a trek e-bike with 3 inch diameter tires, and that was priced at $3500 and a smaller battery. Even with this extra cost I expect my purchase to be well below $2000.00.

So the decision boils down to comparing the quality of the purchase vs. the total cost. If the quality is what has been described in this forum, then I may still be very happy with the purchase. So I suggest to anyone considering a similar purchase to give me a few days to report all of the details and then make an informed decision. Ignorance is our worst enemy. :)
Have you considered another "low cost" Canadian Voltbike.ca. I have the Voltbike Yukon 750 (see my thread in the Voltbike section) with over 1,400 km. You don't have to worry about U.S. custom or duties, because Voltbike has 2 warehouses... one in Canada for Canadian customers, and one in the U.S. for U.S. customers.
 
Hello everyone! Customs charges represent the state tax payable to the government. Even with this tax, it is very advantageous to buy it. The quality of our bikes are far superior to many others ... Do not forget that taxes are useful for paying social services. I wish you a nice ride. I leave tomorrow for our factory in china, I will post pictures of our new models on the weekend. '' Life is short ride '' Thank you for your comments. My English is improving day by day!
 

Attachments

  • Téo fat Bike S.JPG
    Téo fat Bike S.JPG
    765.8 KB · Views: 802
  • Benoit Teo Fat Bike.JPG
    Benoit Teo Fat Bike.JPG
    1 MB · Views: 768
@Teo fat bike
Cool pictures Benoit, I like your helmet maybe you can include one with the purchase of Teo. I was ready to make my purchase but now I'll wait till the weekend just to see if anything new comes up.
 
@Teo fat bike Great pics! I look forward to pictures of your new models! I am also hoping for a smaller frame, and I believe you mentioned different colours as well coming soon. I am still in the market for another bike and you are very high on my list.

P.S. Have a great trip in China. Maybe post some pictures from there as well, if appropriate.
 
Hello everyone!

I have picked up my bike and paid the cash on delivery charge. If I were dealing with some big no-name company I would have refused the shipment due to the condition of the box. However, I get the impression that our friend in Montreal is not some big no-name corporation... So I accepted the delivery and accepted the risk.

The extra charge was not some government tax... It is a broker fee. I am guessing that when one shipping company has to hand off a shipment to another company for international cargo, someone gets to stick their nose into things and charge a fee. Seems a common practice... Just something I didn't know about till now. There was no documentation to examine... Just the extra fee the carrier was demanding.

I have assembled my new bike and taken it for a brief ride around my pasture. The instructions were very clear and assembly was easy. My first impressions are that this is a great bike, well worth the price even with the surprise charge by the shipping companies. Unfortunately, my bike was a bit damaged in shipment. The box showed evidence of rough handling and I found several signs of damage. The front light bracket was broken, I have three places where the finish was rubbed off, the cap on the left side of the front fork is missing, and the display was scratched up a bit.

I plan to go on a real ride on Friday. The weather is supposed to by nice and dry for the first time in weeks. When I have more time I will share some pics and a more informed report on how it rides and operates.
 
Hello everyone!

I have picked up my bike and paid the cash on delivery charge. If I were dealing with some big no-name company I would have refused the shipment due to the condition of the box. However, I get the impression that our friend in Montreal is not some big no-name corporation... So I accepted the delivery and accepted the risk.

The extra charge was not some government tax... It is a broker fee. I am guessing that when one shipping company has to hand off a shipment to another company for international cargo, someone gets to stick their nose into things and charge a fee. Seems a common practice... Just something I didn't know about till now. There was no documentation to examine... Just the extra fee the carrier was demanding.

I have assembled my new bike and taken it for a brief ride around my pasture. The instructions were very clear and assembly was easy. My first impressions are that this is a great bike, well worth the price even with the surprise charge by the shipping companies. Unfortunately, my bike was a bit damaged in shipment. The box showed evidence of rough handling and I found several signs of damage. The front light bracket was broken, I have three places where the finish was rubbed off, the cap on the left side of the front fork is missing, and the display was scratched up a bit.

I plan to go on a real ride on Friday. The weather is supposed to by nice and dry for the first time in weeks. When I have more time I will share some pics and a more informed report on how it rides and operates.

That is very unfortunate...added courier fees and damaged product. Really sounds like Teo Fatbike needs to figure out their American distribution. Such an intriguing e-bike but a poor choice of company to ship their products. Looking online, I've found a plethora of negative reviews of Purolator. I don't want to spend this kind of money with so many unknowns.
 
Thank you for all that information, very much appreciated. I am a newbie re ebikes and this is helpful. I am in the Toronto area and wish to purchase from a Canadian. Currently it looks like the Teo Limited at $2199 is worth the extra $300 over the $1899 Yukon Limited, both reduced at this time. Shipping is slightly more for the Teo and you do not get the helmet. Am I missing something?

Also I read here and there that in Canada power is limited to 500W, so you do not get the 750W... Is it exactly the same motor, detuned to limit it to 500W. So the Teo is how many watts?

Looks like they may even be manufactured by the same company in China ...
 
Last edited:
Today it was supposed to reach 80 degrees F. so I knocked off work at noon and went home to jump on my new bike. Rode 22 miles with the first half of that uphill on about a 2 - 5 percent grade. Ran my bike at PAS level 3 all the way up and in PAS level 4 all the way back. On the way up I averaged 17 mph with little effort. On the way down I was averaging 20 mph with little effort. I'm currently riding on 20PSI of pressure in both tires because this was mostly paved mountain roads. The last 1.5 miles was over gravel and my bike hardly noticed the difference.

Overall, I love the bike and even with the broker fee added to the shipping cost, it was worth the money. I love my Teo Fat Bike!

This is my first bike that I wish I had a wind shield for! :) The bugs are out in full force and at 20+ mph, they hurt. As a test the other evening, I had it up to 27 MPH on a flat road near my home. My wife on her new Bionix 500 watt ebike can't keep up... but to be fair, she is riding on a converted cruiser.
 
Thanks for sharing this - weather is not even close to 80 F, more like 60... in any event it will eventually warm up. I am excited to get mine soon for sure and am happy you are enjoying yours.

If you don't mind me asking, I am a newbie... I understand PA stands for pedal assist, but what do the number relate to ? PAS level 3 or Level 4... enquiring mind wants to know ?
 
Hello Denis!
In the default configuration the output power on the motor is divided into 6 levels. Setting 1 is the minimum assist and 6 would be the max assist. Apparently you can change that to 9 levels if you wish. I find myself riding in gear 9 with pas at 3 most of the time. Hope that helps.:)
 
Hi Idaho,
Did you remove the protection film plastic on your screen? Most forget ... after scratch disaper. I'm in Shanghai now, New models are awesome! Facebook don't work in china. I change my delivery compagny for usa. Thank's for your comments! Life is short... ride! And ride with Téo!
 
Last edited:
Hi Idaho,
Did you remove the protection film plastic on your screen? Most forget ... after scratch disaper. I'm in Shanghai now, New models are awesome! Facebook don't work in china. I change my delivery compagny for usa. Thank's for your comments! Live is short... ride! And ride with Téo!
I am still very interested in your products Benoit. They seem like such a great value. What company have you decided to ship with to the U.S.?
 
Back