Zen Samurai - Built in Canada - shipping since June 2022

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Will the kindernay come with the onesie shifter?

With the two-sie shifter. Most people are used to two shifters and it is a bit more intuitive than the one-sie.
It also makes cable routing aesthetically cleaner. With the one-sie shifter, two big cables coming out on the same side is not ideal for wiring, and routing it through a frame can be challenging and we don't want to route it externally and make a mess.
After testing both, we decided that, from an assembly perspective and in the long term, two-sie shifters make more sense.
If anyone has long-term experience with these shifters, I am eager to listen.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

A quick update and we are on track to hit the production schedule this spring and summer:

Enviolo hubs arrived today
FOX suspensions arriving next week
More manitou suspensions during the 3rd week of this month
Several hundred handlebars and seat posts have reached the Toronto port

 

[Quick514Biker]

What's the Canadian prices for the Samurai(I only see the prices in USD)? Is the same Samurai bike offered to Canadians as offered to US-based residents(including the same Bosch 4Gen motor)? I'm still very confused if it's the Bosch CX motor or Bosch Performance Line Speed 28mph motor in this Samurai bike??

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

What's the Canadian prices for the Samurai(I only see the prices in USD)? Is the same Samurai bike offered to Canadians as offered to US-based residents(including the same Bosch 4Gen motor)? I'm still very confused if it's the Bosch CX motor or Bosch Performance Line Speed 28mph motor in this Samurai bike??

The Canadian price is $4965 CAD (during the promotional period)
It comes with the new Bosch Gen-4 motor. If any Canadian residents would like to get the Speed motor, they will have to sign the waiver.
The speed motor complies with the Canadian limit of 500W nominal power but it does assist up to 45kmph in pure pedal assist mode, which limits usage to private roads in certain provinces.
Many provinces only mention the upper-speed limit of 32kmph if the bike is entirely powered by the motor alone. It is for this reason, you could get many bikes like the Stromer ST3, ST5, (and other brands) that are being sold in Canada even though Stromer only makes 45 kmph bikes. The vast majority of our customers are in the US and they certainly prefer 45kmph bikes. If Canadian customers prefer something limited to 32kmph, that is not a problem.

 

[Quick514Biker]

The Canadian price is $4965 CAD
It comes with the new Bosch Gen-4 motor. If any Canadian residents would like to get the Speed motor, they will have to sign the waiver.
The speed motor complies with the Canadian limit of 500W nominal power but it does assist up to 45kmph in pure pedal assist mode, which limits usage to private roads in certain provinces.
Many provinces only mention the upper-speed limit of 32kmph if the bike is entirely powered by the motor alone. It is for this reason, you could get many bikes like the Stromer ST3, ST5, (and other brands) that are being sold in Canada even though Stromer only makes 45 kmph bikes. The vast majority of our customers are in the US and they certainly prefer 45kmph bikes. If Canadian customers prefer something limited to 32kmph, that is not a problem.

Same thing for Canadians trying to buy the Shakti, as it also goes to 28mph(need to sign the waiver)? In the states some states technically don't allow class 3 e-bikes(on roads, bike paths), the majority of those US customers still prefer 28mph bikes. I think the vast majority of Canadian customers prefer 28mph bikes(especially if it's the same price for Bosch CX motor bike).

 

[AdilDesai]

A quick update and we are on track to hit the production schedule this spring and summer:

Enviolo hubs arrived today
FOX suspensions arriving next week
More manitou suspensions during the 3rd week of this month
Several hundred handlebars and seat posts have reached the Toronto port

This is really great news @Ravi Kempaiah When can we expect to start corresponding about our actual build specifications and what options we would like?

 

[Quick514Biker]

Also interested in more info in the North American service & support for Zen e-bikes(you will about the only one, for direct-to-consumer e-bike brand offering service & support with across wide local support). Specifically for Canada, I'm thinking velofix is your main collaborator. I'm only interested in 28mph(or faster) e-bikes.

 

[onlineaddy]

Also still waiting on more info before deciding on a commitment.

 

[Quick514Biker]

Also still waiting on more info before deciding on a commitment.

Not in rush to buy from brand new e-bike companies. Also generally don't like to buy from version 1 of any particular e-bike model(if purchase I want to purchase version 2 & beyond with all the improvement, upgrades, fix any significant problems etc.). Even with $1,000(USD) discount on Samurai for early buyers, I'm very reluctant(no discount for early Shakti customers however). In any case, if I get Samurai only interested in premium model & upgrade to premium Bosch Nyon model display(so it's a major major commitment).

 

[onlineaddy]

In any case, if I get Samurai only interested in premium model & upgrade to premium Bosch Nyon model display(so it's a major major commitment).

Yes, definitely, which is why I'm waiting on more details.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Also interested in more info in the North American service & support for Zen e-bikes(you will about the only one, for direct-to-consumer e-bike brand offering service & support with across wide local support). Specifically for Canada, I'm thinking velofix is your main collaborator. I'm only interested in 28mph(or faster) e-bikes.

Thanks for your comment.
You're welcome to visit Halifax anytime this year and test our bikes before even thinking about a purchase.
You will get to see our assembly facility and all the R+D work.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

This is really great news @Ravi Kempaiah When can we expect to start corresponding about our actual build specifications and what options we would like?

Hi Adil,
Thanks for your patience and support. We are integrating our website with the SalesForce CRM platform and we will be contacting each individual through that.
This makes managing information much more efficient and streamlined - our production team, sales team, and everyone else will be able to track details without losing information. This makes for a very positive customer experience for customers. As you may have noticed, the base version packs a great value already.

Now, to offer more specifics - we would be able to offer the following upgrades on the base version with a very quick turnaround.

1. Enviolo --> Kindernay hubs
2. Zen custom suspension seatpost --> Kinekt
3. Single battery --> Dual battery
4. Intuvia -->Kiox --> Nyon displays

The pricing on some of these upgrades will be decided soon. We get an email from our suppliers about their price increase every month, so it gets harder to put a fixed upgrade cost but we will do everything in our capacity to offer upgrade options.

Now, for those discerning buyers, who really want the best, they could always go for the premium version of the bike. We are very aware of the timelines we promised and we are working hard to deliver well within that timeline.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Also still waiting on more info before deciding on a commitment.

Thanks for your keen interest.
With all the background production work, handling supply chain, and investor meetings, if I have missed something, my apologies.
We are working on a video series that should offer great detail.

 

[onlineaddy]

Thanks for your keen interest.
With all the background production work, handling supply chain, and investor meetings, if I have missed something, my apologies.
We are working on a video series that should offer great detail.

Yes, I'm eagerly awaiting the video. Thanks.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

We just built a Premium model with a dual battery setup and the racing red color looks really fantastic and the bike rides like a dream.
The hydraulic lines and cable routing is aesthetically very clean.
Adjusting the fender struts and placing the logo decal would make it 100% identical to the production bikes.
This was more of a production trial run to ensure assembly happens smoothly.
BTW, premium bikes with Kindernay would be available sooner and our Rohloff shipment was quite limited.

 

[vincent]

Beautiful! Like the red color!

 

[fooferdoggie]

is that a bosch speed? looks good really. sure better then the magicycle.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

is that a bosch speed?

Bosch Gen-4 speed system, Gates belt, Rohloff E-14, Supernova M99, Magura MT5, Kinekt suspension, etc.
yeah, we don't compare ourselves to any other brand and we assemble everything in Canada and maintain higher-quality standards

 

[onlineaddy]

That looks good, @Ravi Kempaiah. Is that a Medium? If so, would you share its geometry measurements? Thanks.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Bosch Gen-4 speed system, Gates belt, Rohloff E-14, Supernova M99, Magura MT5, Kinekt suspension, etc.
yeah, we don't compare ourselves to any other brand and we assemble everything in Canada and maintain higher-quality standards

its a good setup. I like the Xt's better as they are 1 finger brakes. Don't know if I would like a Rohloff or not I shift so much it would have to feel good. do you get the full brightness from the light? I was not sure if the bosch system could fully power it. wait its to the pro light?