4 ms·
A decent e-bike costs that much. Somehow pricing in mobility is really confusing
by siva7 5y ago
A decent e-bike costs that much. Somehow pricing in mobility is really confusing
- bserge 5y agoBikes in general are a ripoff. I wonder if it's because they sell poorly so the prices must be high or it's just some sort of monopoly (perhaps tied in with the bike theft mafia) :D
- mikepurvis 5y agoReally? I wouldn't have said so. Yes, if bikes had the scale and vertical integration that automobiles do, they could be somewhat cheaper, but the price point has never felt unreasonable to me. Particularly given the fairly smooth ramp from Walmart special ($100-200) through to entry level "good" bike at a sporting goods store ($300-600) to an actually-good specialty bike store bike and ultimately pro-am ($800-$2000+). And across all these tiers, there's typically a robust second-hand market in most places, though at the higher levels you'll find it via local riding club forums and so on rather than FB Marketplace.
- sva_ 5y agoPerhaps a duopoly. Shimano and Sram probably run the high-end mass market for most bike components. And in the case of e-bikes, the batteries are pretty pricey. It's an industry that could use some disruption. Maybe it's too old-school a business though, and the margins are too low for today's entrepreneurs.
- sudosysgen 5y agoThe batteries really aren't that pricey. Most ebike have 100-200$ worth of cells and BMS electronics in them. The batteries are sold at a massive markup.
- dr-detroit 5y agoStart a job search for factory workers and let me know how that works out for you.
- lnanek2 5y agoI've never had an issue with my $200 used bike for commuting 45 minutes to work, honestly. Those multi-thousand dollar carbon fiber things are just for racers and status symbols and minor improvements, basically. There are people at my company who use their bike for the Malibu Triathlon, etc. but if you are cost conscious, it's not actually necessary to pay so much.
- jay_kyburz 5y agoI think e-scooters will shake it up a bit. I chose a scooter over an e-bike because it was a third of the price, half the weight to carry up stars when I get to the office, and didn't need peddling. I also find standing up for my 15 minute commute far more comfortable that the hard saddles that seem to be in fashion on bikes these days.
- sudosysgen 5y agoEconomies of scale and diminishing returns. You can definitely build an excellent ebike for 1000 USD.
- vondur 5y agoHell, Specialized has an electric assisted mountain bike that goes for $15k.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- teruakohatu 5y agoYes and Leica sells a black and white digital camera for $6,000. There are a lot of dentists and doctors out there looking to spend surplus money, they may as well capture that.
- dr-detroit 5y agothe bike industry is dominated by gearheads same as the auto industry
- seanmcdirmid 5y ago> A decent e-bike costs that much This is not a decent car. You are comparing an e-bike that is likely going to be bought by someone rich with a car that is likely going to be bought by someone poor. Also, China has plenty of e-bikes that are really cheap (and finding a decent one for $4k is really hard, it will probably cost $8k over there).
- aidenn0 5y agoYou can get a "meh" e-bike for under $1k in the US; I'm sure you can go cheaper in China.