The Dilemma Facing E-Bike Mfg.’s
The e-bike revolution has been going on now for about five years. E-bikes themselves have been around since the 70’s, but until this decade they never have gained a foothold. I use the term, “revolution” because indeed it is changing the entire direction of cycling and the cycling industry.
More and more actual cyclists are asking why they hurt thselves to enjoy a bike ride. Some are adding an e-bike to their fleet. They want to ride, but find they aren’t when it is cold, hot, windy, hilly or they need to be presentable at their destination. E-bikes help address each of these.
Unfortunately, huge tires, knobbies, suspensions, low end components and heavy frames just don’t handle well. They can’t provide much range or the feel of quality components to which experienced cyclists are accustomed.
This presents a problem for e-bike mfg.’s and even dealers. What do they build? What should we stock? In the past, e-bike fans tended not to be cycling savvy. Heavy, poor handling and marginally suspended bikes were easy to hawk. You just told people what they wanted to hear and figured the motor would make-up for any short comings. It worked! Major names could get by with one or two models, introducing more of the same at different price points. Selling at discounted prices, direct to consumer brands soon took over the market. Often doing so by making dubious claims about the comfort, quality and range of their products.
One of the reasons I am soo busy is that more and more performance cyclists are getting e-bikes. They want an e-bike that rides and handles like a traditional bike. They need far greater range than is available on most factory e-bikes, so they are converting what they have or buying better bikes to convert*.
Experienced cyclists can ride 50-100 miles of an afternoon, on a traditional bike. Traditional cyclists ride a lot. They want to go further and see more. They aren’t content doing the same route all the time. They need an e-bike with high end components and range, without sacrificing handling with ever heavier batteries.
What should e-bike mfg’s build? Even fat bike giant Eunarau is feeling the pinch. They made a name for themselves selling way over powered, short range fat bikes. Now they are introducing a low powered, lightweight, commuter/gravel bike. Gazelle changed their entire line for The U.S. market, now they are seeing the heavier, bloated styles aren’t as popular as they were once. What are they to do?
I spoke with my buddy Tim about this problem. He keeps his finger on the pulse of the industry. His main concern is proprietary components. Can a local bike shop provide warrenty service (The most popular traditional names in cycling can’t). Where can you buy a battery? You may not get one for months or have to pay premium prices 2-3 times that of generic batteries with the same, high quality cells!
Cycling heavy weights like Trek, Giant and Specialized are scrambling to catch up. They have found their market dominance challenged by low end e-bike start ups like Rad and Aventon. Giant is looking at lines to sell direct to consumer. Specialized has already started to sell direct and it appears Trek is considering the same. For sure, there are plans in the works to spin off e-bikes to be sold in e-bike specific boutiques. This is a real threat to local bike shops who have tended to view e-bikes as a fad. What are they to do now?
As Ruby’s prepares to inventory new bikes for the first in a long time, we are struggling to decide just what it is the e-biking community really wants. We know what is best for different types of riding, but that isn’t often what consumers wish to purchase (example: we have NO terrain in which aggressive knobby tires are correct, but people still demand them).
Should Ruby’s compete usimg our custom builds*? Do we cave like Gazelle (their EU designs we would love to stock) or take further steps to be an e-bike boutique, influencing the market (this has not worked for the major traditional bike mfg’s)? Please share your thoughts.
*38#’s, thru-axles, hyd. disk brakes, carbon fork, butted and hydroformed frame, GRX components, 80-90nm’s of torque, 500 watts, torque sensing mid-drive, 20 ah battery, flat, drop or recurve bars and 100+ miles range $3300! https://feltbicycles.com/products/broam-adventure-bike