Taylor57
Well-Known Member
KInda like the picture of the rental Escooters in Santa Monica tossed in the dumpster but different. Can you say disposable society? I knew you could...
What happens when your Ebike you ordered on the Internet breaks?
- Thread starter Taylor57
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KInda like the picture of the rental Escooters in Santa Monica tossed in the dumpster but different. Can you say disposable society? I knew you could...
legsofbeer
Active Member
That was uber getting out of the point to point rental ebike business and not being very interested in donating to charity vehicles that would compete with their gypsy cab business. https://www.engadget.com/uber-scraps-thousands-of-jump-bikes-193541447.html
Taylor57
Well-Known Member
I hear ya. We do our best here in our 2 person household to not totally live like slugs...
ebikemom
Well-Known Member
My local bike tech will do anything non-electric, as will my LBS. For electric stuff, to the dealer I go. They have my battery that has 4,000 miles on it there now to replace the power bridge.
Before I bought, I talked to ebike owners and heard sad stories of unfixable ebikes. So I decided to buy an brand with local service. I looked at Trek, Specialized and Faraday (not an old brand, but was at the LBS), and did test rides on Pedego. I wanted a class 2 so didn’t test ride the first three. I’m happy with my choice.
Before I bought, I talked to ebike owners and heard sad stories of unfixable ebikes. So I decided to buy an brand with local service. I looked at Trek, Specialized and Faraday (not an old brand, but was at the LBS), and did test rides on Pedego. I wanted a class 2 so didn’t test ride the first three. I’m happy with my choice.
Art Deco
Well-Known Member
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- Selinsgrove Pennsylvania
Abandoned bikes (not even ebikes) in China, where throwing things away isn't supposed to be common.
designyoutrust.com
Really just a couple of pictures, no real information.
Abandoned Sharing-Bikes Create ‘Graveyards’ In China – Design You Trust — Design Daily Since 2007
Approximately 23,000 ride-share bicycles have been rounded up and hauled to 16 temporary parking lots by urban management authorities in East China’s Hangzhou c
designyoutrust.com
Really just a couple of pictures, no real information.
Dallant
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
That to! I’m guessing most of those ebikes were repairable...whether it would have been cost effective is another thing.
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GypsyTreker
Well-Known Member
I ran into the same "won't work" on eBikes not purchased here or not the same brand. I had a rear flat tire on my wife's new Ecotric 20" folder. I finally "sold" him on sealing the front and rear tires with sealant , no flats since, $64. I paid without protest knowing that was the last dime of mine he would ever see. The liability excuse I was offered was just that, an excuse. Any PA's out there still taking contingency cases on suing Mom and Pop stores? Any consumers out there willing to retain an attorney over the repair made on a $1200 eBike? The real reason is that your being punished for buying outside the dealer network. It took a little time for some LBS principles to figure out a $50-70 set up fee for internet bicycles (accoustic) was more profitable than telling the potential customer what an idiot they were for buying online. Consumers don't care about investments or expenses to run shops, Get over it. The first LBS that stocks some Bafang hub motors, controllers , sensors and displays is going to see their mid drive sales increase. I can't think of a better opportunity to offer a mid drive demo, before repairing their hub drive bike. After the repair is paid for offer to take a trade. Of course non of this matters in a sellers market, but those end.
Taylor57
Well-Known Member
G Treker in the house! I agree GT!
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Deleted member 4210
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There were loads of photos over the past few years from places like China, were piles and piles of fleet bikes from share firms (some that had failed due to bad business models, others where people had just discarded their bike anywhere, and someone collected them all but could not re-condition them quickly enough to return to operation....also it was 'cheaper' and easier to just build new ones back then), some piles maybe 50 feet high, and some maybe 50 to 100 yards in circumference stacked on top of each other. It looked like such a waste. The world could sure use those parts, tires, etc now with all the shortages even if they were used.
The Bike-Share Oversupply in China: Huge Piles of Abandoned and Broken Bicycles
Gigantic piles of impounded, abandoned, and broken bicycles have become a familiar sight in many Chinese cities, after a rush to build up its new bike-sharing industry vastly overreached.
www.theatlantic.com
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Deleted member 4210
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Obviously you have never owned a business. An utterly clueless and one-sided consumer opinion. buy on line, and fix your own bike. Is fixing your own bike, getting some grease (gawd forbid) on your hands, and turning a wrench beneath you buddy ??? What happened to learning very basic mechanical skills ? Sheesh. I learned (self taught) and did all my own bike repairs when I was in grade school. Our family could not afford new, so I found what I needed in junk yards. Our country's consumers are so spoiled and freaking lazy these days its no wonder China has us by the short hairs on so many levels.
Art Deco
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- Selinsgrove Pennsylvania
Easy Mike. I have owned a business, and probably @GypsyTreker has also. I bought my bikes locally, even though I probably can fix my bike, just like I probably can fix my plumbing and my appliances if I have to (I did it before).
But I don't want to, and I can afford to pay for service. That won't help if the local plumber and HVAC tech can't work on the brand that I have, and especially if they can't get the parts because the company that made them no longer exists. That's a much bigger issue than greasy fingers.
Taylor57
Well-Known Member
Mike, I own my own business and I think I understand your frustration. I did the same as a kid. Dad bought me a bike and he showed me how to fix flats and grease the chain. I even rode motocross from 10-16 years old and did most of my own repairs such as changing spark plugs, cleaning and installing carburetor jets and fixing flats. If I blew a piston, it was LBS. Our country's consumers are indeed spoiled but what I am trying to point out is a void in the marketplace and am confused why more LBSs are missing the boat on fixing DTC ebikes. You have expressed your point, but you come off as bitter and I'm not so sure we are clueless and one sided...
Dallant
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The unspoken (and maybe unimportant to many) issue here is supporting local businesses. I bought my Treks from a local business specifically for that reason. I could have bought from one of the many other Trek dealers in my area but I decided this was best for me and my little town.
GypsyTreker
Well-Known Member
LOL. Actually I have owned businesses and have repaired many items over my 6.9 decades. The flat occured on our way to a beach, loading the bike on its carrier. Fortunately I did well enough in my business to be able to afford the $64 to put goop and air in 2 tires. I don't need to "get dirty" anymore or bleed all over anything I bang into due to meds I take. But I thank you for illustrating exactly the attitude of the LBS fraternity I was trying to illustrate. If you guys spent more time cultivating guys like me ( and a huge chunk of the members here) instead of doing the na na na na na, your a clueless consumer, you might wake up to the fact we can actually purchase you goods and services. Can't speak for everyone but I don't need to finance whatever bike you sell.
Taylor57
Well-Known Member
My experience with my LBS drove me to buy online. Granted it was during the height of the pandemic, but it was basically, you want an ebike, really? Well, all we have are bikes for over 10k and our next batch will not get here till 2021 and the sales guy dismissed me. I would love to buy and support local, but local here where I live has a long way to go to get my business. I believe they are Trek dealers and when I inquired about the bike I was interested in the Superfly something or another, was quoted March of 2021. So I bought a Frey and will probably wait longer! In the meantime I bought 3 DTC bikes to tide me over. 2 I have now and 1 more next month. I'm also convinced there are enough Youtube vids on how to fix ebikes that most of us with half a brain can fix most problems. I'm seeing the same think with car mechanics. A lot of these guys are stuck in the late 90's and in order to fix a tricky problem either give up and refer you to the dealer or half ass fix it and leave you with more problems. I have actually sent a former mechanic I used to use a Youtube video on how to fix an issue with a blown fuse on my old Audi...
McCorby
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- USA
”My experience with my LBS drove me to buy online. Granted it was during the height of the pandemic, but it was basically, you want an ebike, really? Well, all we have are bikes for over 10k and our next batch will not get here till 2021 and the sales guy dismissed me. I would love to buy and support local, but local here where I live has a long way to go to get my business. I believe they are Trek dealers and when I inquired about the bike I was interested in the Superfly something or another, was quoted March of 2021“
What exactly was the dealer supposed to do? He did not have the bikes you were interested in, in stock. Should he have put in a request to the bike fairy?
What exactly was the dealer supposed to do? He did not have the bikes you were interested in, in stock. Should he have put in a request to the bike fairy?
