What happens when your Ebike you ordered on the Internet breaks?

[GypsyTreker]

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...

You just articulated why DTC will be the new way to do business. LBS folk want to educate us as to why we should buy from them without giving us a reason. First off, no inventory and you won't work on my internet bike? Good luck with that business plan. If I were a brick and mortar store in this climate I'd be on Prozac. Scary times. I know one thing, from experience, when this market returns to normal and inventory becomes abundant, those clueless consumers will remember the lectures and who was giving them. Personally I see Lenny's model as the one multi store operations will use to crush the small corner bike shops. And I say that with sadness.

 

[Art Deco]

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.

That's what the stimulus check was supposed to be for.

 

[Alaskan]

My experience is with the local Trek store, which used to be locally owned but was bought out three years ago and is now a corporate Trek store. My second ebike was a Riese & Muller I bought from a distant shop as there were no local shops that carried the brand. I had some rather common issues with the Bosch drive system. As Trek bikes also use Bosch motors, I went in to see if they could help. They were happy to do so. Later on there was an issue with a creaky swing arm joint on the frame. Fly Rides, the shop I bought the bike from, authorized the tech at the local Trek shop to do the diagnosis and ship the parts down for repair. I paid the Trek store for their work and was reimbursed by Fly Rides in California.

I asked the manager if their willingness to work on bikes that were not purchased there is a local policy or what. He said that it is Trek corporate policy that their shop work on all bike brought in for repair, regardless of where they were purchased.

This started two years ago. Guess which bike I bought back in February of this year...a Trek Allant 9.9.

Sometimes being more open and helpful is just good business.

 

[GypsyTreker]

That's what the stimulus check was supposed to be for.

I agree. If they actually do get a stimulus deal soon, I for one, hope it is more individual, family oriented. Airline bailouts, as only one example, won't help main street. I'm afraid any checks going out now will be for mtg pmts, rent, car pmts etc. Again, no help to the local merchants. What a freaking mess.

 

[GypsyTreker]

Sometimes being more open and helpful is just good business.

Is this not a no-brainer , basic retail 101 way of doing business?

 

[unionglzr]

You fix or get it fixed

 

[legsofbeer]

Any consumers out there willing to retain an attorney over the repair made on a $1200 eBike?

It doesn't work that way. When you the consumer with health insurance get significantly injured on your $1200 ebike and incur 10s to 100s of thousands in medical bills, your health insurer's loss recovery specialists are going to look to get some of that back. From someone, they don't care who, and you the consumer get near-zero say in who they go after. This is how we do health care provisioning in America.

 

[Art Deco]

I agree. If they actually do get a stimulus deal soon, I for one, hope it is more individual, family oriented. Airline bailouts, as only one example, won't help main street. I'm afraid any checks going out now will be for mtg pmts, rent, car pmts etc. Again, no help to the local merchants. What a freaking mess.

That first stimulus check went to Amazon or into savings. None of the talking heads want to know a thing about Mom and Pop businesses, but they all know what their Amazon stock is worth. That is not a coincidence, I'm afraid.

 

[Taylor57]

That's what the stimulus check was supposed to be for.

My Espin Sport cost 1199.00

 

[Taylor57]

It doesn't work that way. When you the consumer with health insurance get significantly injured on your $1200 ebike and incur 10s to 100s of thousands in medical bills, your health insurer's loss recovery specialists are going to look to get some of that back. From someone, they don't care who, and you the consumer get near-zero say in who they go after. This is how we do health care provisioning in America.

Unfortunately, legs is right. I know first hand being in the biz...

 

[GypsyTreker]

Unfortunately, legs is right. I know first hand being in the biz...

I was merley referring to the use of attorneys in disputes with repairs etc, not physical injury liability. I am quite aware of product liability lawsuits having been the defendant in such a case. Being in the biz I'm sure you concur that the slip and fall cases of the 70's and 80's are pretty much a thing of the past. Small town law firms are not taking on Big Biz on a "percentage" basis, or am I totally off base thinking that?

 

[Art Deco]

I don't want this thread to die out or turn off topic, but it's really important to me that stuff I buy can be repaired/replaced easily. And locally. Especially if there is a loaner or a long wait involved, TBH.

 

[justforfun]

My Pedego dealer is still in business. At 7,000 miles, I haven't needed him to fix anything yet.

 

[ebikebob]

I don't want this thread to die out or turn off topic, but it's really important to me that stuff I buy can be repaired/replaced easily. And locally. Especially if there is a loaner or a long wait involved, TBH.

I see the ebike market in the big picture as a race to the bottom much like smartphones. You can get a really good one for peanuts these days.

Few people repair smartphones these days, even Apple products which last longer. Laptops, same thing. Battery and screen broken? $300 please. New phone is faster and $400 for more storage and has a new warranty and comes with a newish design that catches your eye. Forget the repair, mr salesman I will just order a new one.

If an ebike breaks 3-4 years later the cost of a replacement part may not be worth the labor and hassle compared to just buying a new entire bike that your brand of choice has just put out.

Those who care about the environment or those who are hobbyists are a very small percentage of the population. Most just care about the pure economics.
I think that learning how to repair your ebike should be done with the expectation that you are likely not saving money if you value your time as money.
you have to really believe in ebikes or enjoy them in order to be motivated to learn how to repair them.
Personally I want to repair my own because there are very few people here who can repair (it’s all e-scooters here), and I want the feeling of controlling my own destiny in this one small area of my life and the feeling of competence that I will get. It’s not about the ebike per se in the end.

 

[Dallant]

I don't want this thread to die out or turn off topic, but it's really important to me that stuff I buy can be repaired/replaced easily. And locally. Especially if there is a loaner or a long wait involved, TBH.

It’s important to me too but getting some parts “easily“ is probably gonna be tough given the state of things these days. It’s also gonna be rare to get a decent ebike loaner from an LBS while they fix yours.

 

[BigNerd]

It’s important to me too but getting some parts “easily“ is probably gonna be tough given the state of things these days. It’s also gonna be rare to get a decent ebike loaner from an LBS while they fix yours.

That’s why N+1 exists. And why I’m a champion for value ebikes.

You buy one ebike that’s your main ride and a cheaper one for when that one is in the shop.

 

[Dallant]

That’s why N+1 exists. And why I’m a champion for value ebikes.

You buy one ebike that’s your main ride and a cheaper one for when that one is in the shop.

I’m using that one with my wife!
That said, I’m sure she’d just say I should use her new Allant+7 Lowstep.

 

[Comfortably Numb]

I can understand a shop not wanting to deal with the electronics but a tire?

I'm astounded to hear owners taking flats to an LBS. When one gets a flat somewhere out in the boonies are they gonna push or tow their bike 30 miles to the nearest LBS?
CN

 

[ElevenAD]

,
Reed, I was torn between the Red and the Cream with the Leather colored seat and grips. My original order went in as Red and I changed to the Cream. It's not like I dont have plenty of time to change it. Maybe we should do a poll. What color CC!!

Cream all day long!

 

[Dallant]

I'm astounded to hear owners taking flats to an LBS. When one gets a flat somewhere out in the boonies are they gonna push or tow their bike 30 miles to the nearest LBS?
CN

I had an LBS change my only (so far) flat because I was lazy and hadn’t gotten a bag, patch kit, spare tube or anything AND it happened in town near my car. I am now prepared!